Dive Brief:

• Los Angeles has the biggest variance in temperature, while Phoenix has the hottest average temperature among the biggest cities in the United States, according to new research from IoT firm Geotab.
• A study of the 20 most populous cities in the country found LA’s temperature varies by 37 degrees Fahrenheit, while Phoenix’s average temperature is 111 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• "By combining these real-time temperature readings with local wind and weather data, city officials can identify overheating and other potential health impacts before they happen monitor conditions,” a Geotab spokesman told Smart Cities Dive in an email. “Conversely, when it’s cold, the same technology can detect road and bridge ice formation and prioritize where to direct salting crews and warn nearby motorists.”

Dive Insight:

The problems of urban heat have been well-documented this summer, with the warmer temperatures linked to higher suicide rates and also prompting city police departments, including those in Baltimore and New Orleans, to alter their “summer surge” crime fighting plans. This data, which runs the gamut of temperatures from hot cities like Phoenix and Dallas to colder ones like Minneapolis and Chicago, shows that heat mitigation efforts like smart surfaces need to be done on a hyperlocal level as circumstances are so different across jurisdictions.

The temperature maps were created using data recorded by Geotab GO sensors, showing the value of mapping tools and data collection in cities as they try and understand the issues their residents face and how to solve them. And this new collection of data by Geotab is part of a wider effort by the company to keep track of various datasets, which it launched earlier this year promising to "improve city-wide efficiency, discover key infrastructure challenges and guide deployment of automated solutions for issues such as congestion, parking and poor road conditions.”

As cities face ever-changing weather-related threats, it is important that they keep track of as much as possible, including temperatures which could help guide new policies to mitigate impacts. And given the worries over climate change and rising global temperatures that cities have been determined to combat, this data shines new light on a rising problem that will require bold action in the future.