Implementing urban canopy height derived from a TanDEM-X-DEM: An expert survey and case study

Three-dimensional urban vegetation data provide crucial ecological information, but generally feature poor coverage and availability. The spaceborne radar interferometer TanDEM-X delivers a digital elevation model that can be processed to produce urban Canopy Height Models (CHMs), including vegetation height and area per 12-metre cell. To date, these CHMs are underutilised in urban research. This study therefore explores the potential of urban TanDEM-X CHM by combining an expert survey on potential directions for CHM in urban research and a case study conducting and integrating a CHM for climatological research in the city of Yazd, Iran. We complement these empirical analyses with a detailed literature section of the current state of application of TanDEM-X-CHM. The expert survey highlights key research directions and interests for urban CHM implementation. The case study provides an example of implementation based on findings from the expert survey, revealing effects of vegetation height and volume on land surface temperature. Our results underscore the unique characteristics of a TanDEM-X-based CHM, asserting their potential for producing three-dimensional vegetation information crucial for effective research and policy efforts in urban ecology.