São Paulo Heat & Transit Center

Heat-aware public transport planning for São Paulo

Weather connecting…
Transit not connected

Use case: decide which São Paulo bus stops deserve attention during hot weather

This workspace is set to São Paulo and brings together public transport, official Favela boundaries, a published local heat-risk layer and current weather. Each view becomes available when the information it needs is ready.

City: São PauloFocus: heat + public transportPurpose: prioritize field checks
1. Watch the city

Start with the São Paulo map. It shows modeled heat conditions and, when connected, live SPTrans buses and arrivals.

2. Find stops to check

Load the required São Paulo data, then HEATLINK lists stops where current heat, local heat risk and fewer scheduled departures overlap.

3. Choose a next action

Use Journey heat and Compare actions to see whether walking, waiting or transferring is the main problem before planning a response.

Live city operations

Start here. The map helps a São Paulo team see current heat conditions, connect SPTrans transit data, and open a stop when waiting in heat may deserve attention. It is built to support field checks and planning, not to declare medical risk.

Question answered: where should we look first?Not answered without local data: how many people are affected?
São Paulotransit not connected32°C city heat-response reference
City heat

waiting for weather

Current temperature

city-scale weather estimate

Hottest area

across São Paulo

Live vehicles

connect a SPTrans line

Next stepObserve

waiting for enough information

Where to act

waiting for city data

Live city map

Loading base map and weather grid…
Map unavailable

Reconnect to show the map. Live bus markers appear only when official data is available.
LIVE heat field
Loading weather…
<28°C apparent 28–31.9°C 32–35°C >35°C ○ city heat estimate published heat risk official Favela area priority stop
Livenow

Selected place

city

São Paulo

City heat watch

CITY VIEW
Heat here

available when weather loads

Next arrival

available after selecting a live stop

Vehicles nearby

available after selecting a live route

Last update

shows when it was last refreshed

Published heat risk

available after heat-risk data loads

Favela area

from São Paulo’s official Favela map

Scheduled service

available after the transit schedule loads

São Paulo heat-response reference

São Paulo activates its high-temperature response when temperature or thermal sensation reaches 32°C or more. HEATLINK uses city-scale weather to help you watch conditions; official activation still follows municipal criteria.

What to do next

Connect live transit or select a mapped stop

Heat alone does not tell you what to change. Add a stop arrival or journey observation and HEATLINK can show whether the main issue is walking, waiting, riding or transferring.

Next 24 hourswaiting for weather

Priority finder

Waiting for data
Finds stops where heat, local heat risk and fewer scheduled departures overlap
uses available São Paulo data
0/3 required data ready

Live transit

offline
Live SPTrans buses
buses • stops • arrival times
NOT CONNECTED

Find São Paulo stops that deserve a field check

Use this page to decide which stops to inspect first. It compares São Paulo stops by current heat, published local heat risk and scheduled-service scarcity, then puts the strongest overlaps at the top of the list.

This workspace is set to São Paulo. To use HEATLINK in another city, load that city's timetable, heat-risk layer, vulnerable-area map and weather.
field-check prioritiesSão Paulo city datacan focus on official Favela areas
StatusWaiting for data

load the required city data first

Stops compared

stops ready to compare

Stops in Favela areas

stops inside the official Favela map

Area shown

all city or Favela focus

List consistency

how similar repeated results are

Data status

sources for the selected time

Passenger counts

used only when enough approved counts are available

Time shown

weather and timetable use the same hour

Top priority strength

higher means a stronger reason to inspect first

Data ready for this view

0/3 required data ready
The list compares current heat, published local heat risk and scheduled-service scarcity at each stop. It also checks whether the ordering stays similar when the comparison is repeated. When approved passenger counts cover enough stops, they can be included as an additional planning factor. Use the result to decide where to inspect first.

Priority map

rank, streets and location at a glance
Priority map is waiting for city data

Prepare the São Paulo data, confirm the published heat-risk field, then choose Find priorities.

How to read this map1 Start with the rank: 1 is the first stop to inspect. Red numbered circles are ranks 1–10, amber circles are ranks 11–30, and ranks 1–3 are slightly larger.2 Use +/− to zoom and drag the map to inspect nearby streets and clusters.3 Click any circle for a stop summary on the map. Choose “Full details” to read why it stands out, or open it on the wider São Paulo map.

Why the stops are flagged

compare the reasons

Stops to look at first

not ready
Load the required city data to see which stops deserve attention first.

Why this stop stands out

what is driving the result

No stop selected

Select a stop from the list to see why it stands out.

NOT READY
Priority strength

higher means check sooner

Scheduled departures

for the selected hour

Priority rank

1 = inspect first

Heat level

percentile among compared stops

Local heat risk

percentile in the published local layer

Service scarcity

higher = fewer scheduled departures

Passenger demand

shown when enough stops have counts

Favela area

from São Paulo’s official map

Interpretation

No priority result

Select a priority stop to see which conditions are contributing most. This is a planning signal, not a prediction of illness or harm.

Where does this journey get hottest?

Break a journey into walking, waiting, riding, transferring and the final walk. HEATLINK shows which part contributes most to the heat burden using the threshold you choose.

easy to checkadd your journey or use live stop data

Journey inputs

use observed or approved values
Heat load combines how far a stage is above the chosen threshold with how long it lasts. Enter observed or approved values, and use local measurements when they are available.

Where the heat burden comes from

not calculated yet
degree-minutes above threshold
total
Biggest contributor

Add journey details first

Add the journey details to see which stage contributes most.

Try a change

what-if only
Current journey
With this change
0%
0°C
0°C

Choose actions within your budget

Enter local cost and expected-effect estimates, then compare the available options within your budget. The suggested mix is based on the values and benefit measure you provide.

compares every available combinationuses your local estimatesyour local evidence

Your planning inputs

complete the fields you want to compare

Suggested mix

not calculated
Combinations checked

all available mixes

Within budget

within your budget

Total cost

same units as your budget

Expected benefit

your chosen measure

effect ↑cost →
Decision interpretation

Add local action estimates

Add local costs and expected effects before comparing actions.

Helpful references

background only
Street-tree shade — São Paulo microclimate simulations

A São Paulo Urban Climate study simulated substantial thermal-comfort improvement from street trees, with TEP reductions of about 6°C in high-rise and 8°C in low-rise urban tissues. This is locally relevant but uses a different thermal metric and setting, so treat it as background when choosing a locally appropriate range. Urban Climate

Tree shade at bus stops — Houston field study (2025)

Field observations reported tree-shaded bus-stop areas about 3.2°C cooler in WBGT than unshaded areas. Because the climate, metric and intervention context differ, use this result as background rather than as a São Paulo effect estimate. Transportation Research Part D

Public-transit heat exposure decomposition (2025)

The Transit Heat Exposure Index literature demonstrates why walk/wait/ride/transfer stages should be separated and reports that walking can dominate exposure in Miami. It supports the workflow, not a São Paulo effect coefficient. Journal of Transport Geography

Using outside evidence

Outside studies can help you choose a sensible range, but use local pilot results whenever the decision depends on local cost or effect.

Add local action estimates

your evidence
Choose an action-evidence file

File columns: action, cost, expected effect, measure, source

Load São Paulo data

HEATLINK is currently set to São Paulo. Choose Prepare required data to load the weather, published heat-risk layer and SPTrans timetable used by the priority view. The official Favela layer is added when available.

São Paulo sources onlylive transit optionalcity planning workflow
Prepare the required São Paulo data

For the priority list, HEATLINK needs weather, published heat risk and the SPTrans timetable. The official Favela map adds an optional area filter. Live buses are optional.

Weather: checkingHeat risk: neededFavela: optionalTimetable: needed

Connections

connection status
Weather

Current conditions and the next 24 hours. Refreshes about every 5 minutes. This is city-scale weather, not a street measurement.

Loading…
Live SPTrans buses

Official line search, stops, bus positions and arrival predictions. A SPTrans connection is needed for live transit.

Not connected
Map

OpenStreetMap provides the street basemap. If it is unavailable, use Refresh or check your connection.

Checking…
HEATLINK warns you when weather or live transit has not refreshed recently. Priority results always use the selected weather hour with the matching transit schedule.

Published São Paulo heat-risk layer

Muñoz et al. 2025 • CC BY 4.0
26,506 urban census tracts

Mendeley Data DOI 10.17632/6j7by525fy.1. The dataset provides tract-level heat-risk values for São Paulo using a hazard–vulnerability–exposure framework.

Not loaded
When the selected field matches the published overall heat-risk measure, choose Confirm field to continue.
Priority results become available after the published dataset is loaded and the overall heat-risk field is confirmed. The comparison uses the published values directly.

Favela areas

GeoSampa official map
Official Favela areas

Official São Paulo Favela boundaries from GeoSampa, the city’s geospatial data service.

Not loaded
The official Favela map normally loads with the other city data. You can also reload it here if needed.

SPTrans timetable

official schedule
Stops, routes and planned service

HEATLINK reads the official SPTrans timetable for the selected date and uses it to compare stops, routes and planned service. Choose a date covered by the loaded timetable.

Not loaded
HEATLINK reads the official transit schedule, including service calendars and after-midnight trips. Priority results stay off for dates that are not covered by the loaded schedule.

Passenger counts (optional)

approved or locally collected counts
Passenger counts by stop and hour

You can add approved stop-level passenger counts when available. If the file covers enough stops for the selected time, passenger demand is included in the priority list; otherwise the ranking reflects operating conditions only.

Not loaded
Add passenger counts

File columns: stop, date, hour, passenger count, source

No passenger counts are loaded. The priority list can still show where conditions deserve attention, but it cannot tell you how many people are affected.

Add journey observations

stays on this device
Add journey observations

Your journey observations stay on this device.

File columns: journey, stage, minutes, heat value, source, time
Stages: walk, wait, ride, transfer, final walk

Activity

latest first

What can be shown now

what is available
Live weather

Weather has not loaded yet.

Live transit

Live transit is not connected, so current bus positions and wait times are unavailable.

Published heat risk

Published heat-risk data is not ready, so local heat-risk comparisons are unavailable.

Favela areas

The official Favela layer is not ready, so the Favela-area filter is currently unavailable.

Scheduled service

The official transit schedule is not ready, so scheduled service comparisons are unavailable.

Passenger demand

Passenger counts are optional. Without them, the priority list is about operating conditions, not the number of people affected.

Where to act

Waiting for the required city data before showing priority stops.

Route exposure

Journey heat needs complete stage times and heat values for the stages you want to compare.

Intervention benefit

Add a local expected-effect estimate when you want to compare an action.

About HEATLINK

See where the information comes from, how each calculation is made and how to interpret the results.

limitshow it works

Information sources

external references
Live SPTrans buses

SPTrans provides current line search, stops, vehicle positions and arrival forecasts. Live access uses an authorized key from “Meus Aplicativos”. Official SPTrans information

Open‑Meteo weather

Provides current and hourly weather used in the heat map. These are modeled weather conditions, not street measurements. Documentation

São Paulo Operação Altas Temperaturas

Municipal pages state that the operation is activated when temperature or thermal sensation reaches 32°C or more. In January 2026 the city reported ten tents operating during qualifying heat days. Municipal reference

Muñoz, Duarte & Emmanuel — São Paulo heat-risk dataset

Published Mendeley Data V1 (17 Sep 2025), DOI 10.17632/6j7by525fy.1, CC BY 4.0. Covers 26,506 urban census tracts using Landsat 8/9 and other geodata. Open dataset

How priority stops are found

HEATLINK compares each stop with the wider city and puts stops with the strongest overlap of heat, local heat risk and scheduled-service scarcity near the top. The stability indicator shows whether the same stops stay near the top when the comparison is repeated.

GeoSampa Favela layer

Official municipal Favela boundaries used for the equity-area filter. Metadata

SPTrans timetable

Official transit schedule used for stops and planned service. A timetable is never shown as an observed wait. Official source

SPTrans stop infrastructure scale

SPTrans states that the municipal bus system has about 19.5 thousand stop points and approximately 6.5 thousand shelter modules. A specific stop’s shelter status should be checked against an authoritative stop-level inventory. Official stop-infrastructure page

OpenStreetMap

Used only as the basemap.

How the calculations work

city planning tool
Heat layer

HEATLINK samples city-scale apparent temperature across São Paulo so you can see how conditions change by place and time. It does not replace street-level heat measurements or personal exposure monitoring.

Journey heat

Journey heat load adds the time spent above your chosen heat threshold across walking, waiting, riding, transferring and the final walk. For formal city use, validate the measure against the local exposure framework you plan to use.

How priority stops are found

HEATLINK compares each stop using current heat, published local heat risk and scheduled-service scarcity. It also checks whether the same stops remain near the top when the comparison is repeated. Passenger counts are added only when enough approved stop-level data is available. The result helps decide where to investigate first; it is not a health-risk probability, a causal estimate or a count of people affected.

Equity focus

When Favela focus is on, the list is limited to stops inside São Paulo’s official Favela map. Passenger impact still depends on separate stop-level demand data.

Next-step suggestions

Suggestions are based on the information currently available for the selected stop or journey. They are planning prompts, not claims about health outcomes or guaranteed benefits.

Budget planner

The planner checks the combinations of actions you enter and finds the best mix within your budget using the common benefit measure you choose. Enter local evidence for costs and expected effects before using the result.

How to interpret the results

what each view can support
Live information

Live bus positions and arrival times are available when SPTrans live transit is connected.

Street-level temperature from city-scale weather

The heat map cannot tell you the exact temperature under a particular shelter, tree or street canyon. Use local measurements for that.

Health outcomes

HEATLINK does not estimate deaths, hospital visits or “people protected” without a locally validated health model and population data.

Priority stops

The priority list is available when the published heat-risk data and official timetable are ready for the selected time.

Action planning

Use local cost and expected-effect estimates for decisions. Outside studies are best used as background when local evidence is not yet available.

Equity interpretation

The Favela filter identifies stops inside the official municipal Favela areas; it does not describe the circumstances of individual residents.

Connected services

data used by each view
HEATLINK uses Open‑Meteo for weather, SPTrans for public transport, GeoSampa for official Favela areas and the published São Paulo heat-risk dataset. Live transit is optional and can be connected when current vehicles and arrivals are needed.