Paulina Vidal, academic of the Earth Observation Center Hémera U. Mayor, participated in the capture of thermal images with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), recently carried out in Iquique and La Serena in the framework of the Fondecyt Regular 2022 project (project code 1221688) called "Urban climate in coastal conurbations of Chile: proposal for socio-environmental justice from a climate-sensitive planning", in which she serves as co-researcher.

The objective of the project, which has a duration of 4 years, is to have detailed and validated knowledge related to urban heat islands in Chilean cities, in order to incorporate them into the design, planning and management of their spaces, landscapes and neighborhoods, as effective components of the fight against global climate change and contribute to the achievement of socio-environmental equity, climate justice, health and generalized comfort of its inhabitants.

The team, led by Pablo Sarricolea, academic at the University of Chile and researcher at the Climate and Resilience Center CR2, is also composed of co-investigators Pamela Smith (University of Chile- CR2) and Oliver Meseguer-Ruiz (University of Tarapacá); the doctoral student from the University of Zaragoza Samuel Barrao; and Franco De Luca, student of the Master in Teledection U. Mayor.

The geographer Franco De Luca is developing the degree project called "Study of the nocturnal urban heat island of the Coquimbo - La Serena conurbation, at a multiscale level", for which he participated on June 10 and 11 in the capture of thermal images with UAV in La Serena. His work aims to identify the behavior of the SUHI (Surface Urban Heat Island) at night from a multiscale perspective, using ASTER, Sentinel-3, Sentinel-2 and orthomosaic images obtained from UAV flights with thermal camera.

The master's research is directed by Dr. Pablo Sarricolea of the Geography Department of the Universidad de Chile and researcher of the Climate and Resilience Center CR2, and co-directed by Dr. Alvaro Gonzalez, researcher of the Earth Sciences Institute of the Universidad Austral de Chile, Idania Briceño and Paulina Vidal, researchers of the Centro Hémera and teachers of the Master in Remote Sensing U. Mayor.