How satellite data is boosting urban green spaces and helping cities cool down

Bremen, 14 May 2025. As a result of climate change, hot summers are no longer a rarity in Germany. Densely developed urban areas with little vegetation are particularly affected by long periods of heat. Planting trees can help, but when temperatures rise and dry spells last longer, young trees in particular struggle. Without regular watering, they are at risk of dying before they can develop their cooling effect.

To provide cities with tools to adapt to climate change, OHB Digital Services GmbH and OHB Digital Connect GmbH are carrying out the Urban View Demonstrator project on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA). In doing so, they are supporting the European goal of developing applications for detecting urban heat islands and monitoring the health of urban trees and green spaces using Earth observation (EO) data.

"We are pleased with the promising results of the Urban Green View feasibility study," says Beatrice Barresi, Senior Sustainable Applications Officer at ESA, "and we are looking forward to the implementation of the project to help cities overcome the challenges of sustainable urban development."

OHB Digital Services GmbH is the prime contractor for the Urban View Demonstrator project, with OHB Digital Connect GmbH acting as subcontractor.

The two companies are working hand in hand on the implementation: while OHB Digital Services is leading the work packages for monitoring urban green spaces, OHB Digital Connect is focusing on urban heat islands. Images from commercial and Copernicus satellites, aerial photographs and in-situ measurements all serve as data sources for the development of both applications.

“With the Urban View Demonstrator project, we are taking the next important step towards commercial downstream services for urban areas,” says Dr. Ingo Schoolmann, Project Manager at OHB Digital Services. “The services we are developing are important building blocks to support cities in making data-driven decisions for the most effective and livable developments," adds Daro Krummrich, Project Manager at OHB Digital Connect.

The cities of Bremen and Essen are supporting the project as pilot users. Both cities are already using digital twins to address urban development issues and to simulate different scenarios. The project plan foresees the integration of the services developed as part of the Urban View Demonstrator project into the cities' existing digital twins, thereby expanding their range of possible uses.

The project will run for two years, during which further pilot users will be sought.