The City of Mannheim is working on the set-up of a dense climate measurement network that will help to record, analyse and evaluate climatic conditions. Based on this data, suitable measures for climate impact adaptation can be developed and implemented.
Sensors for collecting weather/climate data have already been installed by Smart City Mannheim GmbH in the Neckarstadt district at around 40 locations, and a total of 400 locations are planned throughout the city by the end of 2023. They collect various data on air, wind and precipitation. In addition to the stationary, punctual climate stations in the Mannheim city area, further reliable climate data will be obtained in the future with mobile, linear data collection options. In a first step, this will be done using sensors on a test tram operated by Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH (rnv). The tram will primarily operate on lines 1 and 3.
Trams are particularly well suited to collecting data. This is because they travel the same routes at regular intervals. By combining stationary and mobile data, a more detailed, two-dimensional overall picture of the climate profile in Mannheim will be created in the future. In order to be able to ensure comparability and calibration of the mobile measurement data, stationary measurement technology will be installed parallel to line 1. The sensors mounted on the tram, two air parameter sensors and a wind/precipitation sensor, are each installed above the roof structure of the driver’s cab. In addition, the tram was equipped with infrared sensors on the front side above the roof structure to record the ground surface temperatures in the track bed as well as the parallel areas.
“Since the trams always travel the same route at regular intervals, the data can be recorded very well and analysed over time. The knowledge gained from this will help us to develop further measures in the future to improve the climatic conditions in our city,” says First Mayor and IT Department Head Christian Specht, who is also Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the rnv. He continues: “We deliberately chose light rail lines 1 and 3 because we have a relatively high proportion of green track on these routes. One of the purposes of the ‘climate track’ is to record the ground surface temperatures so that we can determine what the thermal effect of greened light rail tracks is.”
“The new sensors can also be used to evaluate the effects of the different forms of greening, such as classic grass track and the sedum newly used in Mannheim. This can also be another decision-making element for the design of our superstructure,” Marcus Geithe, Managing Director of MV Mannheimer Verkehr, continues.
The pilot project is initially scheduled for one year. If the test phase is successful, it is conceivable that the route network will be expanded and that other important climate parameters will be added.
The mobile and stationary climate data collected will flow into the data platform of sMArt City Mannheim GmbH and will be merged and analysed with other, already existing climate data. After a trial phase, the collected climate data will also be made available to citizens on the data platform.
“The development of a close-meshed climate measurement network is an important building block on the way to a resilient city – the cooperation with rnv enables us to capture a much more detailed picture of the climatic conditions in Mannheim. Based on the collected data, scientifically sound, targeted measures for climate impact adaptation can be taken in the future,” says Dr. Robert Thomann, Managing Director of Smart City Mannheim.
“As a public transport company, we are active environmentalists per se. We are therefore pleased to be able to use our light rail vehicles as rolling measuring stations in support of the Smart City project to help make our cities even more sustainable and liveable,” adds Christian Volz, Commercial Director, Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH (rnv).
(Info: rnv)
26.04.2023
