Why is it important to understand and investigate urban climate? Considering the rapid urbanization and increasing urban population, the city of Berlin is constantly changing, particularly in comparison to rural areas. This transformation is accompanied by negative health conditions that are aggravated by changes in climate, such as longer and more frequent heatwaves. The spatial heterogeneity of Berlin leads to, for example, pronounced variations in temperature distribution within the city, which are not adequately captured by the traditional urban measurement network. With the support of citizens, the measurement network is being expanded by providing them with their own measuring devices called MESSI (Mein Eigenes Sub-Skalen Instrument). Research questions related to urban climate are being developed in collaboration with citizens. Simultaneously, high-resolution precipitation and temperature data are being captured.

We aim to actively involve citizens in urban environmental science and thereby raise awareness of environmental processes. Firstly, weather data is recorded in the participants' allotments using IoT weather stations developed by us. Additionally, we also aim to jointly develop research questions and initiate measurement campaigns.

More detailed information can be found on the project website (link below), where regular newsletters are also published.