GUS in Action: How VAIV uses GUS in Seoul — Quantifying Cooling Effect of Trees
Introduction
In the midst of the global climate crisis, where the need for actionable and impactful solutions has never been more pressing, emerges Green Unified Scenarios (GUS) — a framework redefining our relationship with forestry.
While the world has been primarily fixated on the carbon sequestration power of trees, GUS takes a holistic view, spotlighting the multi-faceted benefits trees bring to our urban landscapes. From enhancing biodiversity to moderating urban temperatures, trees do more than just offset carbon. By leveraging a state-of-the-art digital twin framework, GUS quantifies these diverse benefits, allowing cities, asset owners, and investors to understand the full impact of their green initiatives.
As we delve into how VAIV in South Korea is harnessing the power of GUS, it’s essential to grasp the magnitude of change GUS is instigating on a global scale.
Requirements and needs of VAIV
VAIV is a prominent company specializing in AI and Big Data solutions in South Korea. They use the GUS API to create Digital Twins of trees, with a specific focus on studying the role of trees in mitigating the impact of heatwaves. This highlights the versatility and adaptability of the GUS framework, which can cater to diverse requirements across different regions and sectors. Specifically, our collaboration with VAIV aims to prioritize the development of green spaces to maximize climate adaptation, with a special focus on addressing the Urban Heat Island Effect (UHIE).
How GUS helped
In this particular work, we are focusing on the heat reduction of each tree in the immediate shade of its canopy. The module we are developing considers ambient temperature, tree species, canopy shape, canopy volume, and leaf area density.
Looking at each tree in the specified area, we analyze the effect of the canopy on the temperatures below, this is our baseline. Then, as we model the changes to the canopies of the same trees over the course of time, we re-examine these effects and can make predictions of the extra cooling provided by growing trees. Because of the individual tree scale of our simulation, we even account for the loss of shade caused by the death of a tree without replacement.
Below we share one of our intermediary results which demonstrates the cooling impact of trees over the next ten years with respect to our baseline.
About GUS APIs
At Green Unified Scenarios (GUS), we understand the evolving needs of urban planners, asset managers, and tech-savvy environmentalists. With this in mind, we’ve developed the GUS API — a powerful tool that integrates our groundbreaking urban forestry insights directly into your applications and platforms. Whether you’re looking to assess tree impacts, track investments, or provide your users with real-time environmental metrics, our API ensures seamless access to GUS’s cutting-edge algorithms. Streamline your green initiatives and elevate your digital offerings with the precision and expertise of the GUS API.
How to get in touch with
Engaging with Green Unified Scenarios (GUS) is not just about leveraging a platform; it’s about participating in a transformative journey towards a sustainable urban future. If you’re an urban planner, asset owner, investor, or simply a visionary who believes in the untapped potential of our urban forests, we want to hear from you.
Whether it’s to understand the multifaceted benefits of your city’s trees, to explore investment opportunities in verified green assets, or to partner in our mission to make urban forestry an investable and quantifiable entity, your collaboration can make a difference.
GUS is a product and services developed by Lucidminds within the TreesAI project. TreesAI is a project by Lucidminds and Dark Matter Labs.
