UMEP is a comprehensive urban climate toolkit for QGIS designed for surface and energy modelling, solar radiation, and shadow analysis. This plugin functions as an integrated suite of tools within the QGIS environment, providing robust capabilities for urban climate assessment. It enables complex calculations regarding sky-view factors, building energy demand, and micro-scale environmental impacts. The tool is structured to process multi-scale spatial data, allowing practitioners to evaluate urban heat island effects, solar potential, and shading patterns in dense city environments. By leveraging existing GIS data, it simplifies the transition from raw site geometry to sophisticated environmental simulations without requiring external standalone software, maintaining a streamlined workflow for urban designers and environmental analysts.

The download is a 2.7 MB file containing .ZIP files.

Users install this plugin directly via the QGIS plugin manager to extend native spatial analysis capabilities. Once loaded, it adds a dedicated interface for configuring environmental parameters, selecting input layers such as building footprints or digital elevation models, and defining simulation variables. The toolkit processes these inputs to generate raster or vector outputs that can be visualised within the QGIS canvas or exported for further reporting, facilitating a data-driven approach to urban site development and masterplanning.

Ideal for urban planners, landscape architects, and environmental consultants, this plugin is essential during the early design and feasibility stages of masterplanning and urban renewal projects. It is frequently employed to determine the solar access of public spaces, assess building energy performance, and mitigate urban heat stress. Professionals searching for tools to conduct climate-responsive design, shadow studies, or site-specific environmental impact assessments will find this toolkit indispensable for integrating scientific modelling into their standard QGIS-based design and analysis workflows.