Notice: this is not the latest Heat Island Anomalies image service.This layer contains the relative degrees Fahrenheit difference between any given pixel and the mean heat value for the city in which it is located, for every city in the contiguous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. This 30-meter raster was derived from Landsat 8 imagery band 10 (ground-level thermal sensor) from the summer of 2022, with patching from summer of 2021 where necessary.Federal statistics over a 30-year period show extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States. Extreme heat exacerbated by urban heat islands can lead to increased respiratory difficulties, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. These heat impacts significantly affect the most vulnerable—children, the elderly, and those with preexisting conditions.The purpose of this layer is to show where certain areas of cities are hotter or cooler than the average temperature for that same city as a whole. This dataset represents a snapshot in time. It will be updated yearly, but is static between updates. It does not take into account changes in heat during a single day, for example, from building shadows moving. The thermal readings detected by the Landsat 8 sensor are surface-level, whether that surface is the ground or the top of a building. Although there is strong correlation between surface temperature and air temperature, they are not the same. We believe that this is useful at the national level, and for cities that don’t have the ability to conduct their own hyper local temperature survey. Where local data is available, it may be more accurate than this dataset. Dataset SummaryThis dataset was developed using proprietary Python code developed at The Trust for Public Land, running on the Descartes Labs platform through the Descartes Labs API for Python. The Descartes Labs platform allows for extremely fast retrieval and processing of imagery, which makes it possible to produce heat island data for all cities in the United States in a relatively short amount of time.In order to click on the image service and see the raw pixel values in a map viewer, you must be signed in to ArcGIS Online, then Enable Pop-Ups and Configure Pop-Ups.Using the Urban Heat Island (UHI) Image ServicesThe data is made available as an image service. There is a processing template applied that supplies the yellow-to-red or blue-to-red color ramp, but once this processing template is removed (you can do this in ArcGIS Pro or ArcGIS Desktop, or in QGIS), the actual data values come through the service and can be used directly in a geoprocessing tool (for example, to extract an area of interest). Following are instructions for doing this in Pro.In ArcGIS Pro, in a Map view, in the Catalog window, click on Portal. In the Portal window, click on the far-right icon representing Living Atlas. Search on the acronyms “tpl” and “uhi”. The results returned will be the UHI image services. Right click on a result and select “Add to current map” from the context menu. When the image service is added to the map, right-click on it in the map view, and select Properties. In the Properties window, select Processing Templates. On the drop-down menu at the top of the window, the default Processing Template is either a yellow-to-red ramp or a blue-to-red ramp. Click the drop-down, and select “None”, then “OK”. Now you will have the actual pixel values displayed in the map, and available to any geoprocessing tool that takes a raster as input. Below is a screenshot of ArcGIS Pro with a UHI image service loaded, color ramp removed, and symbology changed back to a yellow-to-red ramp (a classified renderer can also be used): A typical operation at this point is to clip out your area of interest. To do this, add your polygon shapefile or feature class to the map view, and use the Clip Raster tool to export your area of interest as a geoTIFF raster (file extension ".tif"). In the environments tab for the Clip Raster tool, click the dropdown for "Extent" and select "Same as Layer:", and select the name of your polygon. If you then need to convert the output raster to a polygon shapefile or feature class, run the Raster to Polygon tool, and select "Value" as the field.Other Sources of Heat Island InformationPlease see these websites for valuable information on heat islands and to learn about exciting new heat island research being led by scientists across the country:EPA’s Heat Island Resource CenterDr. Ladd Keith, University of ArizonaDr. Ben McMahan, University of Arizona Dr. Jeremy Hoffman, Science Museum of Virginia Dr. Hunter Jones, NOAA Daphne Lundi, Senior Policy Advisor, NYC Mayor's Office of Recovery and ResiliencyDisclaimer/FeedbackWith nearly 14,000 cities represented, checking each city's heat island raster for quality assurance would be prohibitively time-consuming, so The Trust for Public Land checked a statistically significant sample size for data quality. The sample passed all quality checks, with about 98.5% of the output cities error-free, but there could be instances where the user finds errors in the data. These errors will most likely take the form of a line of discontinuity where there is no city boundary; this type of error is caused by large temperature differences in two adjacent Landsat scenes, so the discontinuity occurs along scene boundaries (see figure below). The Trust for Public Land would appreciate feedback on these errors so that version 2 of the national UHI dataset can be improved. Contact Dale.Watt@tpl.org with feedback.

Notice: this is not the latest Heat Island Severity image service.This layer contains the relative heat severity for every pixel for every city in the United States, including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. This 30-meter raster was derived from Landsat 8 imagery band 10 (ground-level thermal sensor) from the summer of 2022, patched with data from 2021 where necessary.Federal statistics over a 30-year period show extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States. Extreme heat exacerbated by urban heat islands can lead to increased respiratory difficulties, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. These heat impacts significantly affect the most vulnerable—children, the elderly, and those with preexisting conditions.The purpose of this layer is to show where certain areas of cities are hotter than the average temperature for that same city as a whole. Severity is measured on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being a relatively mild heat area (slightly above the mean for the city), and 5 being a severe heat area (significantly above the mean for the city). The absolute heat above mean values are classified into these 5 classes using the Jenks Natural Breaks classification method, which seeks to reduce the variance within classes and maximize the variance between classes. Knowing where areas of high heat are located can help a city government plan for mitigation strategies.This dataset represents a snapshot in time. It will be updated yearly, but is static between updates. It does not take into account changes in heat during a single day, for example, from building shadows moving. The thermal readings detected by the Landsat 8 sensor are surface-level, whether that surface is the ground or the top of a building. Although there is strong correlation between surface temperature and air temperature, they are not the same. We believe that this is useful at the national level, and for cities that don’t have the ability to conduct their own hyper local temperature survey. Where local data is available, it may be more accurate than this dataset. Dataset SummaryThis dataset was developed using proprietary Python code developed at The Trust for Public Land, running on the Descartes Labs platform through the Descartes Labs API for Python. The Descartes Labs platform allows for extremely fast retrieval and processing of imagery, which makes it possible to produce heat island data for all cities in the United States in a relatively short amount of time.What can you do with this layer?This layer has query, identify, and export image services available. Since it is served as an image service, it is not necessary to download the data; the service itself is data that can be used directly in any Esri geoprocessing tool that accepts raster data as input.In order to click on the image service and see the raw pixel values in a map viewer, you must be signed in to ArcGIS Online, then Enable Pop-Ups and Configure Pop-Ups.Using the Urban Heat Island (UHI) Image ServicesThe data is made available as an image service. There is a processing template applied that supplies the yellow-to-red or blue-to-red color ramp, but once this processing template is removed (you can do this in ArcGIS Pro or ArcGIS Desktop, or in QGIS), the actual data values come through the service and can be used directly in a geoprocessing tool (for example, to extract an area of interest). Following are instructions for doing this in Pro.In ArcGIS Pro, in a Map view, in the Catalog window, click on Portal. In the Portal window, click on the far-right icon representing Living Atlas. Search on the acronyms “tpl” and “uhi”. The results returned will be the UHI image services. Right click on a result and select “Add to current map” from the context menu. When the image service is added to the map, right-click on it in the map view, and select Properties. In the Properties window, select Processing Templates. On the drop-down menu at the top of the window, the default Processing Template is either a yellow-to-red ramp or a blue-to-red ramp. Click the drop-down, and select “None”, then “OK”. Now you will have the actual pixel values displayed in the map, and available to any geoprocessing tool that takes a raster as input. Below is a screenshot of ArcGIS Pro with a UHI image service loaded, color ramp removed, and symbology changed back to a yellow-to-red ramp (a classified renderer can also be used): A typical operation at this point is to clip out your area of interest. To do this, add your polygon shapefile or feature class to the map view, and use the Clip Raster tool to export your area of interest as a geoTIFF raster (file extension ".tif"). In the environments tab for the Clip Raster tool, click the dropdown for "Extent" and select "Same as Layer:", and select the name of your polygon. If you then need to convert the output raster to a polygon shapefile or feature class, run the Raster to Polygon tool, and select "Value" as the field.Other Sources of Heat Island InformationPlease see these websites for valuable information on heat islands and to learn about exciting new heat island research being led by scientists across the country:EPA’s Heat Island Resource CenterDr. Ladd Keith, University of ArizonaDr. Ben McMahan, University of Arizona Dr. Jeremy Hoffman, Science Museum of Virginia Dr. Hunter Jones, NOAA Daphne Lundi, Senior Policy Advisor, NYC Mayor's Office of Recovery and ResiliencyDisclaimer/FeedbackWith nearly 14,000 cities represented, checking each city's heat island raster for quality assurance would be prohibitively time-consuming, so The Trust for Public Land checked a statistically significant sample size for data quality. The sample passed all quality checks, with about 98.5% of the output cities error-free, but there could be instances where the user finds errors in the data. These errors will most likely take the form of a line of discontinuity where there is no city boundary; this type of error is caused by large temperature differences in two adjacent Landsat scenes, so the discontinuity occurs along scene boundaries (see figure below). The Trust for Public Land would appreciate feedback on these errors so that version 2 of the national UHI dataset can be improved. Contact Dale.Watt@tpl.org with feedback.

Retirement Notice: This item is in mature support as of August 2025 and will be retired in December 2026. Please use this source dataset and follow the steps in the From Vector to Raster blog as a replacement for this service. Esri recommends updating your maps and apps. Organisms and nonliving elements of the environment such as climate, soil, and water are connected through the movement of nutrients and energy in ecosystems. Ecosystems represent specific areas where organisms and environmental conditions create a network of interactions and are affected by forces such as disturbance and succession. This layer provides access to a 100m cell sized raster of Ecosystems of Africa. The layer’s attributes include macrogroup, division, formation, subclass, and class. The layer was derived from data described in the publication A New Map of Standardized Terrestrial Ecosystems of Africa. The data covers the continent of Africa, Madagascar, and other nearby islands. The data were produced in 2013. Layers that were used to create the ecosystems map are available on ArcGIS Online: Africa Isobioclimates Africa Topographic Moisture Potential Africa Land Surface Forms Africa Surficial Lithology Link to source metadata Dataset SummaryAnalysis: Restricted single source analysis. Maximum size of analysis is 24,000 x 24,000 pixels. What can you do with this layer?This layer has query, identify, and export image services available. The layer is restricted to a 24,000 x 24,000 pixel limit for these services, which represents an area roughly 2,400 kilometers on a side. The source data for this layer is available here. Restricted single source analysis means this layer has size constraints for analysis and it is not recommended for use with other layers in multisource analysis.

Retirement Notice: This item is in mature support as of August 2025 and will be retired in December 2026. Please use this source dataset and follow the steps in the From Vector to Raster blog as a replacement for this service. Esri recommends updating your maps and apps.Created as part of the USGS’s Africa Ecosystems Mapping project, the Africa Land Surface Forms layer classifies the landscape of Africa into seven classes: Smooth plains, irregular plains, escarpments, hills, breaks, low mountains, and high mountains/deep canyons.This layer provides access to a 100m cell size raster derived from SRTM and other data that divides the African landscape into seven classes based on land form. The data covers Africa, Madagascar, and other coastal islands near Africa. It was published in 2009 by the USGS Rocky Mountain Geographic Science Center.This layer was used as an input for the Africa Terrestrial Ecosystems mapping project. Link to source metadata Dataset SummaryAnalysis: Restricted single source analysis. Maximum size of analysis is 24,000 x 24,000 pixels. What can you do with this layer?This layer has query, identify, and export image services available. The layer is restricted to a 24,000 x 24,000 pixel limit for these services, which represents an area roughly 2,400 kilometers on a side. The source data for this layer are available here.Restricted single source analysis means this layer has size constraints for analysis and it is not recommended for use with other layers in multisource analysis.

High resolution land cover dataset for City of Boston, MA. Seven land cover classes were mapped: (1) tree canopy, (2) grass/shrub, (3) bare earth, (4) water, (5) buildings, (6) roads, and (7) other paved surfaces. The primary sources used to derive this land cover layer were 2013 LiDAR data, 2014 Orthoimagery, and 2016 NAIP imagery. Ancillary data sources included GIS data provided by City of Boston, MA or created by the UVM Spatial Analysis Laboratory. Object-based image analysis techniques (OBIA) were employed to extract land cover information using the best available remotely sensed and vector GIS datasets. OBIA systems work by grouping pixels into meaningful objects based on their spectral and spatial properties, while taking into account boundaries imposed by existing vector datasets. Within the OBIA environment a rule-based expert system was designed to effectively mimic the process of manual image analysis by incorporating the elements of image interpretation (color/tone, texture, pattern, location, size, and shape) into the classification process. A series of morphological procedures were employed to insure that the end product is both accurate and cartographically pleasing. Following the automated OBIA mapping a detailed manual review of the dataset was carried out at a scale of 1:2500 and all observable errors were corrected.

High resolution land cover dataset for City of Boston, MA. Seven land cover classes were mapped: (1) tree canopy, (2) grass/shrub, (3) bare earth, (4) water, (5) buildings, (6) roads, and (7) other paved surfaces. The primary sources used to derive this land cover layer were 2013 LiDAR data, 2014 Orthoimagery, and 2016 NAIP imagery. Ancillary data sources included GIS data provided by City of Boston, MA or created by the UVM Spatial Analysis Laboratory. Object-based image analysis techniques (OBIA) were employed to extract land cover information using the best available remotely sensed and vector GIS datasets. OBIA systems work by grouping pixels into meaningful objects based on their spectral and spatial properties, while taking into account boundaries imposed by existing vector datasets. Within the OBIA environment a rule-based expert system was designed to effectively mimic the process of manual image analysis by incorporating the elements of image interpretation (color/tone, texture, pattern, location, size, and shape) into the classification process. A series of morphological procedures were employed to insure that the end product is both accurate and cartographically pleasing. Following the automated OBIA mapping a detailed manual review of the dataset was carried out at a scale of 1:2500 and all observable errors were corrected.

Credits: University of Vermont Spatial Analysis Laboratory in collaboration with the City of Boston, Trust for Public Lands, and City of Cambridge.

Notice: this is not the latest Heat Island Severity image service.This layer contains the relative heat severity for every pixel for every city in the United States, including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Heat Severity is a reclassified version of Heat Anomalies raster which is also published on this site. This data is generated from 30-meter Landsat 8 imagery band 10 (ground-level thermal sensor) from the summer of 2023.To explore previous versions of the data, visit the links below:Heat Severity - USA 2022Heat Severity - USA 2021Heat Severity - USA 2020Heat Severity - USA 2019Federal statistics over a 30-year period show extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States. Extreme heat exacerbated by urban heat islands can lead to increased respiratory difficulties, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. These heat impacts significantly affect the most vulnerable—children, the elderly, and those with preexisting conditions.The purpose of this layer is to show where certain areas of cities are hotter than the average temperature for that same city as a whole. Severity is measured on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being a relatively mild heat area (slightly above the mean for the city), and 5 being a severe heat area (significantly above the mean for the city). The absolute heat above mean values are classified into these 5 classes using the Jenks Natural Breaks classification method, which seeks to reduce the variance within classes and maximize the variance between classes. Knowing where areas of high heat are located can help a city government plan for mitigation strategies.This dataset represents a snapshot in time. It will be updated yearly, but is static between updates. It does not take into account changes in heat during a single day, for example, from building shadows moving. The thermal readings detected by the Landsat 8 sensor are surface-level, whether that surface is the ground or the top of a building. Although there is strong correlation between surface temperature and air temperature, they are not the same. We believe that this is useful at the national level, and for cities that don’t have the ability to conduct their own hyper local temperature survey. Where local data is available, it may be more accurate than this dataset. Dataset SummaryThis dataset was developed using proprietary Python code developed at Trust for Public Land, running on the Descartes Labs platform through the Descartes Labs API for Python. The Descartes Labs platform allows for extremely fast retrieval and processing of imagery, which makes it possible to produce heat island data for all cities in the United States in a relatively short amount of time.What can you do with this layer?This layer has query, identify, and export image services available. Since it is served as an image service, it is not necessary to download the data; the service itself is data that can be used directly in any Esri geoprocessing tool that accepts raster data as input.In order to click on the image service and see the raw pixel values in a map viewer, you must be signed in to ArcGIS Online, then Enable Pop-Ups and Configure Pop-Ups.Using the Urban Heat Island (UHI) Image ServicesThe data is made available as an image service. There is a processing template applied that supplies the yellow-to-red or blue-to-red color ramp, but once this processing template is removed (you can do this in ArcGIS Pro or ArcGIS Desktop, or in QGIS), the actual data values come through the service and can be used directly in a geoprocessing tool (for example, to extract an area of interest). Following are instructions for doing this in Pro.In ArcGIS Pro, in a Map view, in the Catalog window, click on Portal. In the Portal window, click on the far-right icon representing Living Atlas. Search on the acronyms “tpl” and “uhi”. The results returned will be the UHI image services. Right click on a result and select “Add to current map” from the context menu. When the image service is added to the map, right-click on it in the map view, and select Properties. In the Properties window, select Processing Templates. On the drop-down menu at the top of the window, the default Processing Template is either a yellow-to-red ramp or a blue-to-red ramp. Click the drop-down, and select “None”, then “OK”. Now you will have the actual pixel values displayed in the map, and available to any geoprocessing tool that takes a raster as input. Below is a screenshot of ArcGIS Pro with a UHI image service loaded, color ramp removed, and symbology changed back to a yellow-to-red ramp (a classified renderer can also be used): A typical operation at this point is to clip out your area of interest. To do this, add your polygon shapefile or feature class to the map view, and use the Clip Raster tool to export your area of interest as a geoTIFF raster (file extension ".tif"). In the environments tab for the Clip Raster tool, click the dropdown for "Extent" and select "Same as Layer:", and select the name of your polygon. If you then need to convert the output raster to a polygon shapefile or feature class, run the Raster to Polygon tool, and select "Value" as the field.Other Sources of Heat Island InformationPlease see these websites for valuable information on heat islands and to learn about exciting new heat island research being led by scientists across the country:EPA’s Heat Island Resource CenterDr. Ladd Keith, University of ArizonaDr. Ben McMahan, University of Arizona Dr. Jeremy Hoffman, Science Museum of Virginia Dr. Hunter Jones, NOAA Daphne Lundi, Senior Policy Advisor, NYC Mayor's Office of Recovery and ResiliencyDisclaimer/FeedbackWith nearly 14,000 cities represented, checking each city's heat island raster for quality assurance would be prohibitively time-consuming, so Trust for Public Land checked a statistically significant sample size for data quality. The sample passed all quality checks, with about 98.5% of the output cities error-free, but there could be instances where the user finds errors in the data. These errors will most likely take the form of a line of discontinuity where there is no city boundary; this type of error is caused by large temperature differences in two adjacent Landsat scenes, so the discontinuity occurs along scene boundaries (see figure below). Trust for Public Land would appreciate feedback on these errors so that version 2 of the national UHI dataset can be improved. Contact Dale.Watt@tpl.org with feedback.

Retirement Notice: This item is in mature support as of August 2025 and will be retired in December 2026. Please use this source dataset and follow the steps in the From Vector to Raster blog as a replacement for this service. Esri recommends updating your maps and apps. Created as part of the USGS’s Africa Ecosystems Mapping project, the Africa Topographic Moisture Potential layer classifies the landscape of Africa as either uplands or as lowlands and other depressions. This layer provides access to a 100m cell size raster derived from SRTM and other data that divides the African landscape into upland and lowland areas. The data covers Africa, Madagascar, the Comoros Islands, and other coastal Islands near Africa. It was published in 2009 by the USGS Rocky Mountain Geographic Science Center. This layer was used as an input for the Africa Terrestrial Ecosystems mapping project. Link to source metadata Dataset SummaryAnalysis: Restricted single source analysis. Maximum size of analysis is 24,000 x 24,000 pixels. What can you do with this layer?This layer has query, identify, and export image services available. The layer is restricted to a 24,000 x 24,000 pixel limit for these services, which represents an area roughly 2,400 kilometers on a side. The source data for this layer are available here. Restricted single source analysis means this layer has size constraints for analysis and it is not recommended for use with other layers in multisource analysis.

Retirement Notice: This item is in mature support as of August 2025 and will be retired in December 2026. Please use this source dataset and follow the steps in the From Vector to Raster blog as a replacement for this service. Esri recommends updating your maps and apps. The annual infant mortality rate in Africa ranges from 99 to 2031 deaths of children less than one-year-old per 10,000 live births. This layer provides access to an approximately 5 km cell sized raster of the Global Subnational Infant Mortality Rates dataset that provides the number of deaths of children less than one-year-old per 10,000 live births in the year 2000. The data cover Africa, Madagascar, and other islands near Africa and were produced by the NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center in 2005. Link to source metadata Dataset SummaryAnalysis: Restricted single source analysis. Maximum size of analysis is 24,000 x 24,000 pixels. What can you do with this layer?This layer has query, identify, and export image services available. The layer is restricted to a 24,000 x 24,000 pixel limit for these services. The source data for this layer are available here. Restricted single source analysis means this layer has size constraints for analysis and it is not recommended for use with other layers in multisource analysis.

Retirement Notice: This item is in mature support as of August 2025 and will be retired in December 2026. Please use this source dataset and follow the steps in the From Vector to Raster blog as a replacement for this service. Esri recommends updating your maps and apps. Created as part of the USGS’s Africa Ecosystems Mapping project, the Africa Isobioclimates layer classifies the landscape of Africa into 157 climate regions based on temperature and moisture patterns. This layer provides access to a 100m cell sized raster with climate region information for Africa, Madagascar, and other islands near Africa. It was published by the U.S. Geological Survey and The Nature Conservancy in 2009. This layer was used as an input for the Africa Terrestrial Ecosystems mapping project. Link to source metadata Dataset SummaryAnalysis: Restricted single source analysis. Maximum size of analysis is 24,000 x 24,000 pixels. What can you do with this layer?This layer has query, identify, and export image services available. The layer is restricted to a 24,000 x 24,000 pixel limit for these services, which represents an area roughly 2,400 kilometers on a side. The source data for this layer are available here. Restricted single source analysis means this layer has size constraints for analysis and it is not recommended for use with other layers in multisource analysis.

Retirement Notice: This item is in mature support as of August 2025 and will be retired in December 2026. Please use this source dataset and follow the steps in the From Vector to Raster blog as a replacement for this service. Esri recommends updating your maps and apps.Created as part of the USGS’s Africa Ecosystems Mapping project, the Africa Surficial Lithology layer maps the geology of Africa into 20 classes based bedrock type and the distribution of unconsolidated surface material. The data available through this layer map the key geological features that affect the distribution of plants and ecosystems in Africa.This layer provides access to a 100m cell sized raster compiled from multiple sources. The data covers Africa, Madagascar, and other Islands near Africa. It was published by the U.S. Geological Survey and The Nature Conservancy in 2009. Link to source metadata Dataset SummaryAnalysis: Restricted single source analysis. Maximum size of analysis is 24,000 x 24,000 pixels. What can you do with this layer?This layer has query, identify, and export image services available. The layer is restricted to a 24,000 x 24,000 pixel limit for these services, which represents an area roughly 2,400 kilometers on a side. The source data are available here. Restricted single source analysis means this layer has size constraints for analysis and it is not recommended for use with other layers in multisource analysis.