What will your ideal city be in 2030?
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the data behind the game come from?
To calculate the best place for you to live in the future, Lobelia Earth has created the UTCI data projections dataset. UTCI represents an estimation of the thermal comfort a human being may experience under certain atmospheric conditions. In order to compute future UTCI fields, we use climate projections of the different variables involved in the computation of the UTCI. These variables are temperature, humidity, wind and radiation (Bröde et al. 2012, Di Napoli et al. 2020). Currently, we have used CMIP5 climate projections from the ACCESS1-0 model under the socioeconomic business as usual scenario (RCP8.5) ranging from year 2005 to 2100. Please, have a look at the UTCI fact sheet for further details. Past values of UTCI can be obtained from ECMWF's Climate Data Store. The ERA5-HEAT dataset is based on ERA5 reanalysis, and provides hourly values of UTCI since January 1979, with 0.25° resolution and coverage from 60° S to 90° N.
What is the goal of this game?
The goal of this game is to find the cities that better suit you today and in the following decades. To do so, we match your preferences with climate projections for this century. As you know the Earth's climate is changing, and this change is not the same everywhere, so the perfect city for you might not be the same in 2030 than in 2050 or 2070.
How do you rank the cities that better suit me?
To build the ranking of the cities that suit you better, we take your answers and we match them with different parameters:
Minimum and maximum thermal sensation:
Thermal sensation is measured in UTCI. Although temperature is the most relevant variable here, the thermal sensation also depends on the solar radiation, the wind speed and the relative humidity. When you select a preferred range of UTCI, we look for cities in the Earth that have a similar UTCI amplitude along the year. So choose wisely your preferred interval here! It is not only about hot or cold limits, but also on how you like summer and winter to be different.
How much do you like sunshine?
Some people like sunbathing and some don’ t, and it is not about heat. You can get burnt at -10°C or have heat stroke under the shadow of heavy clouds. To choose the perfect city for you here we use the total solar radiation along the year. It is not that you won’t have any sunny day if you choose hiding from the sun, but we will find out which are the places where the average along the year will match your selection.
Does humidity bother you?
Humidity can change the way we breathe, the amount of suspended particles in the air or the type of vegetation. Although the ideal range of relative humidity is 40% to 60%, some people are more sensible than others to humidity. Some feel better in dry ambiences and others in wet ones. This is why we make sure that you can choose how dry or humid are the cities you want to live in!
Do you like living by the sea?
Because it is not only about climate. Different life styles require different environments. That is why we’ ll make sure that your most suitable city is close to the coast if you want it so!
And what about the mountain?
Mountains are very special too. Some people like them, some don’ t and some others don’ t care too much about them. Tell us which type you are and we will take into account the altitude when choosing your city.
How do you like rain?
Rain can ruin your day but can also create the perfect mood for a special moment. It also shapes the landscape greatly. You cannot expect lush vegetation in a place where it never rains. Tell us how much you like rain and we will look for the total rainy days and the yearly precipitation to be sure we find your special spot.
City or countryside?
The size of the place where you want to live is important too. Do you rather live in a peaceful place with few neighbours or live the vibrant energy of the swarm?