Spot the Hot in Cedar Rapids: Volunteers Needed in July to Map City Hotspots

Next month, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City volunteers are needed to serve as community scientists and help Spot the Hot, or gather temperature data on the hottest parts of the Corridor.

The City of Cedar Rapids, along with Iowa City, recently was named one of 18 communities in the United States to participate in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Urban Heat Island (UHI) mapping campaign. UHIs are areas with fewer trees and more pavement to absorb heat and create heat pockets in communities, in contrast with areas that feature more trees, green spaces, and less asphalt. UHIs are detrimental to public health because of these created heat pockets.

The Spot the Hot project engages community volunteers to help collect data in their neighborhoods by utilizing provided sensors mounted on their vehicles; the sensors will record temperature, humidity, time, and location. Interested residents are asked to fill out a volunteer form indicating whether they prefer to be a driver (providing their own vehicle), a navigator (paired with a community-member driver), or have no preference. Drivers must be at least 18 years of age, and navigators must be at least 14 years old. Friends and family can sign up together on the form.

Because the goal of this project is to collect data on one of the hottest days of the year, the data collection date will be determined by the National Weather Service and not known by event organizers until sometime in July, with a three- to seven-day notice; the dates will be either July 7-9 or July 21-23.

Volunteers will be required to participate in a training and will receive a $15 gift card for completing the training and being "on call" to participate. Volunteers who participate as either a driver or navigator will receive a $50 gift card.

This project supports the goals of the City of Cedar Rapids Community Climate Action Plan, which prioritizes UHI mitigation, especially in vulnerable neighborhoods. The UHI mapping campaign is a great way for residents to learn about heat islands and take action in the Corridor community, while helping meet the goals of the climate plan and make Cedar Rapids a more resilient and sustainable place to live, now and into the future.

For more information, and to sign up as a volunteer, visit CityofCR.com/SpotTheHot.