LCZ4r package R for local climate zones and urban heat islands

Abstract

Abstract The LCZ4r is a novel toolkit designed to streamline Local Climate Zones (LCZ) classification and Urban Heat Island (UHI) analysis. Built on the open-source R statistical programming platform, the LCZ4r package aims to improve the usability of the LCZ framework for climate and environment researchers. The suite of LCZ4r functions is categorized into general and local functions (https://bymaxanjos.github.io/LCZ4r/index.html). General functions enable users to quickly extract LCZ maps for any landmass of the world at different scales, without requiring extensive GIS expertise. They also generate a series of urban canopy parameter maps, such as impervious fractions, albedo, and sky view factor, and calculate LCZ-related area fractions. Local functions require measurement data to perform advanced geostatistical analysis, including time series, thermal anomalies, air temperature interpolation, and UHI intensity. By integrating LCZ data with interpolation techniques, LCZ4r enhances air temperature modeling, capturing well-defined thermal patterns, such as vegetation-dominated areas, that traditional methods often overlook. The openly available and reproducible R-based scripts ensure consistent results and broad applicability, making LCZ4r a valuable tool for researchers studying the relationship between land use-cover and urban climates.