High-resolution LiDAR and thermal UAV data for 3D analysis of urban vegetation structure and its cooling effect in San Nicolás, Mexico

Abstract

Abstract. Urban vegetation is essential for mitigating the Urban Heat Island effect, yet its cooling performance depends on its three-dimensional structure. This study combines high-resolution Unmanned Aerial Vehicle - based LiDAR (Zenmuse L2) and thermal imaging (Zenmuse H20) to analyze vegetation structure and surface temperature across 4 urban parks in San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico. LiDAR data were processed to generate Digital Terrain Model, Digital Surface Model and Canopy Height Model models, enabling the segmentation of individual trees and extraction of structural metrics such as canopy height, crown area and point density. Thermal orthomosaics were co-registered with LiDAR models to quantify temperature contrasts between vegetated and impervious areas. Results reveal consistent cooling effects in all parks, with vegetated zones showing 8–15 °C lower surface temperatures depending on canopy density and maturity. Larger parks with continuous canopies displayed the strongest thermal regulation. This integrated LiDAR–thermal approach provides a precise and scalable framework for assessing microclimatic benefits of urban vegetation, supporting climate-resilient planning in rapidly urbanizing regions.

Plant phenotyping relevance

UAV LiDAR・熱画像を用いて個体樹木の樹冠高や樹冠面積などの植物構造形質を抽出する手法と統合ワークフローが中心であり、単なる環境測定ではない。

Code and data availability

The paper describes UAV LiDAR and thermal data acquisition and processing for 4 urban parks in San Nicolás, Mexico, but contains no availability statement, repository deposit, or public URL for its point clouds, thermal orthomosaics, derived structural metrics, or analysis scripts. The only URLs mentioned are the paper

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