UrbanAIR Joins Forces with TerraDT: Tackling Climate Adaptation through Urban Impact Models
- Georgia Nikolakopoulou
- 16 hours ago
- 2 min read
As cities face an era of intensifying heatwaves and air quality challenges, collaboration between pioneering digital twin projects is more vital than ever. We are excited to announce that UrbanAIR will be participating in the upcoming workshop, "Urban Impact Models for Climate Adaptation," organised by our sister project, TerraDT.
Strengthening the Urban Digital Twin Ecosystem
The workshop serves as a key meeting point for experts dedicated to refining how we model the impacts of climate change on urban environments. By bringing together European projects under the Destination Earth (DestinE) framework, the event aims to align methodologies and share breakthroughs in high-resolution environmental simulations.
UrbanAIR’s mission—to equip cities like Antwerp and Barcelona with next-generation planning tools—complements TerraDT’s focus on building a Digital Twin of the Earth for climate adaptation. Together, we are bridging the gap between global climate data and street-level actionable insights.
Meet Our Representatives
UrbanAIR will be represented by a delegation from the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BSC), a core partner leading the project's efforts in high-resolution atmospheric modelling and stakeholder engagement.
Jan Mateu – Featured Speaker
Jan Mateu Armengol is a Senior Researcher and leads the Air Quality Services team at BSC, specialising in the integration of IoT, AI, and high-performance computing (HPC) for urban air quality. In UrbanAIR, Jan has a key role in developing the simulation pipelines that translate environmental data into real-time, street-level forecasts. He will be presenting UrbanAIR's technical approach to modelling urban heat and pollution for data-informed decision-making.
Samuel Pickard – Stakeholder Engagement Expert
Samuel Pickard, a recognised researcher at the BSC with a background in political ecology and environmental justice, will also be there to participate in hte discussion. Within UrbanAIR, Sam co-leads the co-production of climate and air quality services. His role, along with Nele Veldeman and Florence Signac, ensures that the technical tools developed by the project are usable, useful, and directly aligned with the socio-economic needs of urban planners and citizens.
Join Us at the Workshop
The workshop is an open invitation to urban planners, researchers, and climate policy experts to help shape the future of urban resilience. Virtual attendance is available, but registration is required.
Several TerraDT partners will share their updates on the TerraDT Digital Twin.
Dr. Devaraju Narayanappa (CSC - IT Center for Science) will introduce TerraDT and its role within Europe’s digital twin ecosystem.
Liisa Kulmala (Finnish Meteorological Institute - Ilmatieteen laitos) will present the state of the art of the Urban Impact Model.
Inês van Zeller Girão (+ATLANTIC) will showcase ML-based downscaling of climate outputs to city scale, enabling detailed mapping of heat exposure, Urban Heat Island effects, and extreme temperature indicators.
Leif Backman (Finnish Meteorological Institute - Ilmatieteen laitos) will present high-resolution carbon flux modelling from urban green spaces, supporting scenario testing for different vegetation designs.
View the Full Agenda: TerraDT Workshop Agenda
Register Now: Secure your spot here
By participating in these cross-project exchanges, UrbanAIR continues to ensure that our tools are not just scientifically robust but are integrated into the wider European strategy for a climate-resilient future.
Comments