Data Sources

Our web map is built using openly licensed geospatial data covering the city of Zurich. The core analytical layer, a high-resolution digital surface model, is sourced from the Canton of Zürich geoportal, while the map overlays provide additional information: where and how the inner-city heat island manifests itself, where and when shaded areas along streets can be found asl well as where people may find fountains to cool off

All datasets are published under free-use terms (Open Government Data or equivalent) and follow the Swiss national reference frame LV95 (EPSG:2056), reprojected to WGS 84 (EPSG:4326) for display in Leaflet. Click any dataset below to go to the original source.

Primary Layer

Topography · Elevation

Digital Surface Model

A high-resolution digital surface model of the City of Zurich, capturing terrain together with building and vegetation heights, sourced from the Canton of Zürich geoportal. Used as the analytical core of the project to model cast shadows and identify shaded pedestrian routes during hot summer hours.

Provider
Geoportal Kanton Zürich (geo.zh.ch)
Format
Raster
Licence
Free use (OGD)
Open source dataset arrow_outward

Context Layers

Climate · Measurements

Urban Heat Island Temperatures

Modeled air temperature measurements from the meteoblue Stadtklima Zürich sensor network. Used to visualise where the city actually heats up most strongly during summer.

Provider
Open Data Stadt Zürich (UGZ)
Network
meteoblue
Licence
Free use with attribution
Open source dataset arrow_outward
Land Cover · Vector

Streets

Land-cover polygons from the official cadastral survey (AV MOpublic, Bodenbedeckung), used to extract the street and road network. Provides the pedestrian context along which shaded routes are evaluated.

Provider
Amt für Raumentwicklung (Kanton Zürich)
Geometry
Polygons
Licence
Free use (OGD)
Open source dataset arrow_outward
Urban Infrastructure · Points

Public Fountains

Locations of all public drinking fountains in Zurich. Acts as a network of cool-down points along walking routes, a small but practical companion to the shadow map on hot days.

Provider
Open Data Stadt Zürich
Geometry
Points
Licence
Free use with attribution
Open source dataset arrow_outward

All sources accessed during FS 2026. Please refer to the providers' pages for the most up-to-date terms of use and metadata.

Literature

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AI Statement

We hereby declare that we carried out this work independently and without the use of unauthorized aids (generative AI tools are also aids). We are aware that we bear full responsibility for the selection, adoption and results of the AI-generated outputs we used. We also declare that all use of generative AI is fully disclosed. Specifically, we used ChatGPT (OpenAI) and Claude (Anthropic) to help with the least-cost path algorithm — in particular to work out the commands for the gdistance package needed to get the algorithm to run — and to help improve grammar and spelling of our texts. We acknowledge that work that violates the principles set out in this declaration of authenticity may have legal and disciplinary consequences. We confirm that we have checked the accuracy of the AI-generated content to the best of our knowledge and beliefs, and we declare that we personally take the full responsibility for this human-machine collaboration outcome