This chapter presents a comprehensive literature review of peer-reviewed papers on the UTCI with special focus on its applications. A search in Scopus and Web of Science has been conducted in February 2021 yielding 320 and 304 documents, respectively, for the time frame from 2000 to March 2021. Results have been classified according to 8 different categories, which roughly define the areas of application of the index: (1) Outdoor Thermal Comfort (OTC) and thermal stress; (2) Urban Climate and Planning studies; (3) Climate-related impacts on human health; (4) Bioclimate; (5) Comparisons with other thermal comfort indices; (6) Meteorological analyses; (7) Climate change research; (8) Tourism. The bulk of research carried out on the UTCI is primarily concentrated on the first two topics, reaching about 60% of papers output. Clusters identified in VOSviewer from co-occurrences of author keywords closely match the main areas of application of the index. Research output shows an intrinsic multidisciplinary nature but it is still concentrated in a few countries. Areas of application such as public weather service and climate-related impacts on the health sector still need to become aware of the potentialities and practicalities of the UTCI.

Literature Review on UTCI Applications

Numerical derivation and validation of the angular, hemispherical and normal emissivity and reflectivity of common window glass

A new method and workflow to assess outdoor thermal comfort and thermal stress in urban areas is developed. The new methodology is applied to a case of an urban quarter in the city of Graz. The method recognises the significance of detailed and accurate spatially resolved determination of mean radiant temperatures taking into account all relevant radiative components, comprising thermal radiation, as well as global radiation. The method relies on radiometric imaging data that are mapped onto a three-dimensional model. The image data are acquired by means of drones (UAVs) equipped with multispectral and thermographic cameras to capture short- and long-wave radiation. Pre-existing city models and a Monte Carlo raytracing algorithm to perform anisotropic sampling based on a 3D model with human topology are used to determine local radiation temperatures with high spatial resolution. Along with spot measurements carried out on the ground simultaneously, the spatially resolved and three-dimensionally determined mean radiation temperatures are used to calculate thermal comfort indicator maps using UTCI and PMV calculation. Additional ground measurements are further used to validate the detection, as well as the entire evaluation process.

Spatially Resolved Analysis of Urban Thermal Environments Based on a Three-Dimensional Sampling Algorithm and UAV-Based Radiometric Measurements

Mean radiation temperatures (MRTs) have gained widespread attention due to its close relationship with human health. Notwithstanding the availability of existing methods for evaluating MRT (such as ground-based measurements and numerical simulations), it remains a challenge to rapidly and accurately acquire MRTs with a high spatial resolution. This study thus proposed an efficient methodology for evaluating spatial MRTs of urban spaces on the microscale through multimodal images derived from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Based on UAVs and near-ground measurements, point-cloud data characterizing long- and short-wave irradiance from three-dimensional (3D) surfaces were obtained via photogrammetry and retrieval models. Spatial MRTs were then sampled based on a mapped 3D radiation field and ray-tracing. Comparison of the sampled MRTs with measured MRTs (near the ground) through globe temperatures exhibited a high consistency (R2: 0.980, RMSE: 3.080 °C) and a small difference (almost less than 2.5 °C), demonstrating the applicability and accuracy of our proposed method. In conjunction with near-ground meteorological variables, outdoor thermal comfort (OTC) indicators with a high spatial resolution were derived; further comparisons suggested the SET* and UTCI as ideal indicators to evaluate microscale OTC of hot and humid areas through our method. 

How to rapidly map outdoor mean radiation temperatures with high-spatial-resolution from UAV-derived multimodal images: A case study in Guangzhou

In the upcoming period, city squares’ urban redesign will be crucial in achieving sustainable development goals. This study presents a systematic review of OTC-related studies for the urban design of city squares using the PRISMA 2020 methodology. A review included a total of 173 papers from 2001 to 2023. The results identified five study types—clusters based on four pre-defined criteria: study approach, data collection methods, time duration, and primary objectives. The clusters indicate that more than half of all studies are related to the comparison of thermal comfort and heat mitigation measures. Most of the case studies were located in one of three climate zones: temperate oceanic (Cfb) (58 studies), hot summer Mediterranean (Csa) (40 studies), or humid subtropical (Cfa) (28 studies). The most common geometry of the analyzed urban square is medium-sized, is rectangular, and has dominant axel orientation south–north. Also, based on all five clusters, several research gaps were identified, appropriate for future research: the majority of studies related to the traditionally considered climate areas, no typology of urban square geometry configuration based on OTC assessment, and the lack of a local design model for assessing and improving the thermal comfort of city squares. 

A Systematic Review of Outdoor Thermal Comfort Studies for the Urban (Re)Design of City Squares

Dreidimensionale Ermittlung des thermischen Komforts mit detaillierter Berechnung der Strahlungstemperaturen auf Basis von Messdaten aus Drohnenbefliegungen

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Spatially Resolved Analysis of Urban Thermal Environments Based on a Three-Dimensional Sampling Algorithm and UAV-Based Radiometric Measurements

Dreidimensionale Ermittlung des thermischen Komforts mit detaillierter Berechnung der Strahlungstemperaturen auf Basis von Messdaten aus Drohnenbefliegungen