Funding Database: Heat Mapping

Urban Heat Island Mapping Campaign

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) covers the full or partial costs for successful applicants to participate in the Urban Heat Island Mapping Campaign, also called the Heat Watch Campaign. Funding goes directly to Climate Adaptation Planning and Analytics (CAPA) Strategies and does not pass through the applicant. Each year, NIHHIS aims to support five to 10 communities to participate if funding is available.

Participating communities work with program partners to understand how summer temperatures vary across town. CAPA Strategies helps each community coordinate their local campaign. Communities recruit volunteers to collect data on temperature, humidity and metrics. CAPA Strategies provides the necessary sensor equipment. The local National Weather Service office recommends ideal days for data collection. CAPA Strategies uses the data to produce a set of high-resolution air temperature and humidity maps. These maps are interactive, and participants can post them online. CAPA Strategies provides a report that describes how heat varies across different areas of the community. Finally, NOAA provides long-term support for using the newly generated datasets for planning and preparedness efforts.

Eligible Applicants

Applicants may include local governments, universities and nongovernmental organizations. NOAA prefers applications from communities with a population of 20,000 or higher.

Eligible Projects

Eligible projects follow the Heat Watch Campaign model. All projects engage community residents through a citizen science volunteer opportunity. Proposals should include a plan for integrating heat data into planning and preparedness efforts.

Funding Amount

For the 2023 campaigns, NOAA planned to contribute up to $19,500 for each selected community, depending on available federal funding. As of 2023, the baseline cost for a campaign is $15,000 for smaller cities (less than 100 square miles) and $30,000 for larger cities (up to 500 square miles). These baseline estimates cover the cost for CAPA Strategies to help counties, cities and towns run the campaign, provide gear and guidance and process the data. NOAA funding does not cover volunteer transportation or staff costs.

Match Requirements

Successful applicants are not required to provide a funding match. However, match funding is encouraged to expand the ability of the Urban Heat Island Mapping Campaign to include more communities.

Application Schedule

Annual application submission dates are subject to change. NIHHIS opened applications for the 2024 campaign in December 2023. They closed the application process in January 2024. NIHHIS anticipates announcing winners in March 2024.

Application Process

Refer to the Campaign Application tab on the website for information about the application process.

Application Assistance

A competitive application includes a broad coalition of partners from local government and the community. View tips for building your team. 

Successful applications articulate:

• A clear knowledge of the mapping process
• How the maps can help the community address urban heat issues
• A clear goal for using the results to improve heat-related health outcomes

Funding Source

Funding for the Urban Heat Island Mapping Campaign is provided by NOAA through federal appropriations.