Arizona State University professor Hua Wei and his team have developed two innovative projects aimed at protecting communities during extreme heat events. The Shaded Route Planning project utilizes generative AI to predict and visualize how shadows from buildings evolve over time, helping users find the coolest routes, similar to Google Maps. A prototype was successfully tested at the Paris Olympics. The second project, DeepShade, also employs generative AI to dynamically illustrate the shade coverage provided by urban infrastructure such as trees and buildings throughout the day and across seasons. Wei emphasizes the importance of creating resilient, cooler communities and plans to collaborate with Arizona government agencies to further these initiatives. These projects not only enhance public safety but also promote sustainable urban planning, aligning with contemporary strategies to cope with climate change. By focusing on shade and heat mitigation, these tools represent a significant step towards creating livable urban environments.
