Horst Complex

dr.ir. M. Pena Acosta (Monica)

Assistant Professor
ET-CEM-MD
Horst Complex Z232
m.penaacosta@utwente.nl
+31534891795
Business card

I focus on advancing urban data acquisition technologies and integrating diverse datasets like satellite imagery, weather stations, and cadastral records. My research explores intra-urban heat dynamics, using data-driven methods to reveal connections between socio-economic factors, urban morphology, and temperature variations at the street level. Leveraging GIS, urban informatics, and machine learning, I look to uncover deeper insights into air and surface temperatures in cities, contributing to strategies that help urban areas better cope with a changing climate.

Expertise

  • Earth and Planetary Sciences

    • Urban Heat Island Effect
    • Urban Planning
    • Air Temperature
    • Street
    • Netherlands
    • Canopy
    • Assessment
    • Modeling

Organisations

Publications

2025

Analysis of the Urban Microclimate in the Historic Center of Malaga: Mitigation Strategies Adapted to the Mediterranean Climate (2025)[Contribution to conference › Abstract] 12th International Conference on Urban Climate, ICUC 2025. Forestieri, G., Pena Acosta, M., Jato-Espino, D. & Tomatis, F.Street-level surface and air temperatures in the Urban Center of Málaga, Spain (2025)Urban Climate, 61. Article 102490. Jato-Espino, D., Tomatis, F., Forestieri, G. & Pena Acosta, M.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102490Thermal Data from Málaga's historical centre: Surface and Air Temperature Measurements Captured via Mobile Station and Thermal Imaging (2025)Data in brief, 58. Article 111274. Forestieri, G., Tomatis, F., Jato-Espino, D. & Pena Acosta, M.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2025.111274

2024

Thermal Data from Málaga: Surface and Air Temperature via Mobile Station & Imaging (2024)[Dataset Types › Dataset]. 4TU.Centre for Research Data. Pena Acosta, M.https://doi.org/10.4121/20167a4c-b51c-422c-a30d-7580acc3125bUHI Street Typology Based on Seasonality: A Case Study from Apeldoorn, Netherlands (2024)ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, 10(4/W5-2024), 255-261. Pena Acosta, M., Santos, J., Vahdatikhaki, F. & Dorée, A. G.https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-X-4-W5-2024-255-2024Data-driven Analysis of Urban Heat Island Phenomenon Based on Street Typology (2024)Sustainable Cities and Society, 101. Article 105170. Pena Acosta, M., Vahdatikhaki, F., Santos, J., Jarro, S. P. & Doree, A.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2023.105170

2023

A comparative analysis of surface and canopy layer urban heat island at the micro level using a data-driven approach (2023)Sustainable Cities and Society, 99. Article 104944. Pena Acosta, M., Vahdatikhaki, F., Santos, J. & Dorée, A. G.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2023.104944Demystifying the urban heat island phenomenon: A data-driven approach (2023)[Thesis › PhD Thesis - Research UT, graduation UT]. University of Twente. Pena Acosta, M.https://doi.org/10.3990/1.9789036558730A comprehensive generalizability assessment of data-driven Urban Heat Island (UHI) models (2023)Sustainable Cities and Society, 96. Article 104701. Pena Acosta, M., Dikkers, M., Vahdatikhaki, F., Santos, J. & Dorée, A. G.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2023.104701

2022

A framework for a comprehensive mobile data acquisition setting for the assessment of Urban Heat Island phenomenon (2022)In Proceedings of the 39th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction (pp. 1-8). International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction. Pena Acosta, M., Vahdatikhaki, F., Santos, J. & Doree, A.https://doi.org/10.22260/ISARC2022/0003

Research profiles

Address

University of Twente

Horst Complex (building no. 20), room Z232
De Horst 2
7522 LW Enschede
Netherlands

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