Lagos Is Heating Up: Using Data to Fight Urban Heat and Air Pollution

Lagos is one of the fastest-growing megacities on Earth. Dense construction, shrinking green space, traffic and generator emissions create urban heat islands and poor air quality that hit the most vulnerable hardest.

Mapping the hottest streets Satellite land-surface temperature from Landsat and ECOSTRESS shows clear hotspots. Dense informal settlements and industrial zones can run several degrees hotter than leafy or waterfront areas. Combined with population data, this pinpoints where heat stress is most dangerous.

Measuring the air people breathe Low-cost PM2.5 sensors at schools, markets and bus terminals give hyperlocal readings that regulatory stations can't. Satellite aerosol and NO₂ data fill gaps between sensors.

From data to policy - Cool corridors: prioritise tree planting and shading on the hottest pedestrian routes. - Cool roofs: target reflective roofing programmes at heat-vulnerable neighbourhoods. - School protocols: move outdoor activities when pollution or heat spikes. - Health alerts: push multilingual advisories to residents on extreme days. - Planning rules: protect wetlands and green space that cool the city.

Why it pays Heat and pollution reduce productivity, increase hospital visits and shorten lives. Targeted interventions guided by data cost far less than blanket programmes.

StrikeClimate combines satellite analytics and IoT sensor networks into city dashboards for governments, developers and schools.