About HeatShield
A forecast says how hot it will be, not what a ward should do about it. HeatShield turns the next 72 hours of hourly forecast into a heat-index timeline, finds the peak, and gives a ward coordinator a short list of suggested actions with owner roles and deadlines, plus a way to track them. A planning aid, not an official warning.
Ward Monitoring & Forecast
Bulletin settings
Operational Risk Assessment
Evaluating heat indices and thresholds.
72-Hour Heat Index Trajectory
Loading 72-hour forecast data...
Suggested Ward Action Playbook
Showing prioritized municipal actions based on peak heat risk.
How planning levels map to actions
The operational planning level is driven by the highest heat index reached over the 72-hour window, ensuring wards mobilize preventative measures before peak thermal stress arrives:
- Below threshold (<80°F / 26.7°C): Routine municipal surveillance (0 actions).
- Caution (80–89°F / 26.7–32.2°C): Inspect and activate shaded water kiosks (1 action).
- Extreme Caution (90–102°F / 32.2–39.4°C): Water kiosks + outdoor work-rest advisory (2 actions).
- Danger (103–124°F / 39.4–51.7°C): Kiosks + work advisory + daytime cooling shelters + ORS dispatch (4 actions).
- Extreme Danger (≥125°F / ≥51.7°C): All above actions + hospital preparedness alert (5 actions).
Ward Bulletin: copy or print
About HeatShield: Architecture, Algorithms & Data Lineage
System Purpose: HeatShield is an open-architecture community heatwave preparedness planner tailored for municipal ward coordinators across Indian cities. It translates raw meteorological forecasts into immediate, role-specific civic actions before life-threatening thermal peaks occur.
Meteorological Foundation
72-hour hourly forecasts of 2m dry-bulb temperature, 2m relative humidity, and wind speed retrieved from Open-Meteo under CC BY 4.0. Shade heat index computed via the NWS Rothfusz regression with the Steadman simple-formula pre-check and the low- and high-humidity adjustments. Direct-sun heat index applies standard solar radiation elevation (+15°F / +8.3°C equivalent).
Dual-Signal Risk Engine
Integrates international thermal comfort guidelines with an indicative IMD-style signal (plains: heatwave at ≥40°C or +4.5°C departure; severe heatwave at ≥47°C or +6.4°C departure). Operational planning tier dynamically elevates to match the peak risk projected across the upcoming 72 hours. Tier boundaries use the heat index rounded to the nearest degree F, as NWS does (80 F = 26.7 C starts Caution). Delhi showed Caution at 26.5 C (79.7 F) because 79.7 F rounds to 80 F. A peak-anchored deadline is the start of the peak window, two hours before the forecast peak hour.
Offline support (prototype)
Offline support (prototype): the app shell and English/Hindi strings are cached; status changes made offline are queued and sent when you are back online.
Accessibility & Data Protection
High-contrast daylight theme (internal rule: no text below 14 px, footer 13 px; targeting WCAG 2.1 AA, checklist in the repository; no compliance claim) with strict semantic HTML, native accessible controls, zero emojis, and touch targets ≥44px.
Data storage and privacy
Action statuses and short notes are saved on the server (DynamoDB) under a random workspace ID and are set to expire after 7 days. The optional helpline field stays in your browser. Notes are screened for phone numbers and email addresses, but the screen is not perfect: do not enter personal details. This tool is not designed to collect personal data.