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Building Height-Characteristics in Three U.S. Cities

Conference ·
OSTI ID:976093

Urban canopy parameterizations have been used to represent urban effects in numerical models of mesoscale meteorology, the surface energy budget, and pollutant dispersion. The urban canopy parameterization accounts for the drag exerted by urban roughness elements, the enhancement of turbulent kinetic energy, and the alteration of the surface energy budget (Brown 2000). Accurate representation of urban effects in numerical simulations requires the determination of urban morphological parameters, including building height statistics. Computer analysis of 3-D building digital datasets can provide details of the urban environment in an efficient manner. Ratti ut al. (2001) describe a method for obtaining urban canopy parameters from digital imagery using image processing techniques, Burian et al. (2002) present an alternative analysis approach using a geographic information system (GIS). In this paper, building height statistics computed for three U.S. cities following the GIS approach are presented.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE
OSTI ID:
976093
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-02-1089
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English