Data & Tools
Explore C-HEAT’s data, maps, and tools to better understand how extreme heat impacts Chelsea and East Boston. These resources help identify patterns, highlight vulnerabilities, and support informed decision-making.
These tools are interactive and can be used to explore conditions across neighborhoods.
Interactive Data Dashboard
Data Applications Map
Use this dashboard to explore temperature patterns, environmental conditions, and community-level data across Chelsea and East Boston.
Heat Vulnerability Map
This map highlights areas more vulnerable to extreme heat due to environmental, social, and economic factors.
How to Use these Maps:
Zoom in to explore specific neighborhoods
Click on map features to view detailed information
Use available layers or filters to compare different conditions
Toggle between maps to understand both exposure and vulnerability
Temperature Sampling
Field Data Collection
Field teams collected temperature data across Chelsea and East Boston using sensors placed in a variety of environments, including rooftops, streets, and shaded areas. This approach captures how heat exposure varies across different parts of the community
How We Do It
Sensors were carefully placed to measure temperature differences across surfaces and conditions, including shaded and unshaded areas. These measurements help identify localized heat patterns and better understand environmental drivers of heat exposure.
Indoor monitoring equipment included HOBO devices and FitBits.
Outdoor monitoring equipment installed on trees in Chelsea and East Boston.
Related Research Initiatives
The CATCH Project
The CATCH project focuses on making the health impacts of extreme heat visible in frontline communities. Working across cities including Boston, Phoenix, and New Orleans, this initiative brings together researchers and partners to develop tools, raise awareness, and support decision-making around heat-related health risks.
The B-COOL project investigates how cities can better respond to extreme heat through targeted research and data collection. Led by a collaboration between Boston University, the City of Boston, and A Better City, the project examines heat exposure, early warning systems, and interventions such as shade structures.