Page 56 - Mapping the Nation: Taking Climate Action

Prague: Extreme Heat Events Spur Climate Action Using Geospatial Tech The Prague Daily Monitor featured this headline in early July 2015: "Extreme Heat Wave Has Hit Czech Republic." The story said currents of hot air moving from Africa were driving up temperatures across Europe. It was the first of four heat waves to blast the Czech Republic (Czechia) in 2015. More than half of the days in July and August that year recorded extreme temperatures, breaking a record set in the country during a similar string of heat waves in 1994. Two years after the 2015 heat waves, the City of Prague, the country's capital, issued a document that outlined a four-year plan, beginning in 2020, to "enhance long-term resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate change." To meet these objectives, officials from the Prague Institute of Planning and Development (IPR Prague) have adopted a big data approach. They make extensive use of GIS, which allows them to understand how Prague is reacting to the climate crisis 55