Massachusetts Land Surface Temperature Index from Satellite Imagery, 2018-2020

A spatial land surface temperature (LST) index dataset for Massachusetts produced by MAPC Data Services. The data is derived from satellite imagery captured between April and October from 2018 to 2020, providing a relative heat tendency measure for each 30-meter pixel. The download includes three complementary datasets: the LST index, a variability raster, and a shapefile of the hottest 5% of areas.

Use Cases

• Mapping urban heat island intensity based on the relative LST index values.
• Analyzing spatial patterns of land surface temperature variability across regions.
• Identifying priority areas for heat mitigation interventions based on the top 5% hottest zones.
• Calibrating or validating climate models using satellite-derived surface temperature tendencies.

Strengths

• Provides a 30-meter spatial resolution, offering detailed local analysis.
• Includes three complementary data products (index, variability, hotspot polygons) for a multi-faceted view.
• Covers multiple warm seasons (April-October) across three years (2018-2020).

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

MAPC Data Services, author Caitlin Spence.

Collection Method

Produced using satellite imagery.

Time Range

Imagery captured April-October, 2018-2020.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-04 14:04:55; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Massachusetts, USA.