Link to code
Prepared by: Alex Mikulas, PhD, CACHE postdoctoral associate
Date: September 2026
Authors/Creators/ Team Members: Carina J Gronlund, David M Hondula, Evan Mallen, Marie S O’Neill, Mayuri Rajput, E Scott Krayenhoff, Ashley Broadbent, Santiago C Grijalva, Larissa S Larsen, Sharon L Harlan, Brian Stone Jr
Specific purpose of code: This code uses multiple data sources and a synthetic population to generate a novel measure of heat exposure at the individual level. The researchers estimate exposure to individually experienced temperatures (IETs) as an alternative to ambient air temperature, which is typically measured as outdoor airport temperatures (OATs). EITs are person-specific estimates of temperature exposure and better reflect the variation in heat exposure during an extreme temperature event. The code constructs the measure and performs analysis.
General Application: This is an example of R coding and analysis that links population-level, time-use, municipal, and environmental data to generate novel temperature exposure measures. These data linkages allow researchers to estimate the individual experience of temperature (IET) based on a respondent’s demographic profile, location, housing type, occupation, and time spent inside or outside of buildings. IETs better capture an individual’s specific temperature exposure compared to commonly used ambient air temperature measures.
This code integrates 2010 US Census Bureau decennial counts, public use microdata (PUMS), building structure-type and energy efficiency data from administrative metropolitan-level parcel records, structure-specific indoor air temperature from the US Department of Energy’s EnergyPlus model, ambient outdoor temperature estimates from the Weather and Research Forecasting model (WRF), and individual time use data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS).
How does or could this code allow researchers to assess research questions related to aging or life course?: This code could be adaptedto anyspatiallyexplicitindividual-level microdata, includingsubsamples of aging adults, to better estimate their specific temperature exposure based ontheirhousing and demographic profiles.This includes adults in group quarters – like nursing homes and residential facilities – as well asinprecarious single-family homes like geographically isolated places or mobilehomes.IETs can be used in research that examines the health implications of exposure toextreme temperatureand is especially useful for examining how different individual-level characteristics (such as occupation, housing type, etc.) may mitigate the effects of extreme heator cold.
Data sets used: Population, socioeconomic, or health data: Synthetic population constructed using U.S. Census Bureau 2010 decennial census counts; U.S. Census Bureau public use microdata sample (PUMS); U.S. Bureau of Labor’s American Time Use Survey (ATUS)
Climate, weather, disaster or environment data: Outdoor Ambient Air Temperature estimates using the Weather and Research Forecasting model (WRF); structure-specific indoor air temperature from the US Department of Energy’s EnergyPlus model; structure type and characteristic from municipal administrative land parcel records
Are all the data publicly available or are some restricted-access? Data is public.
Links to data:
- U.S. Census Bureau public use microdata sample: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/microdata/access.html
- American Time Use Survey: bls.gov/tus/data-overview.htm
- EnergyPlus https://energyplus.net/
Coding Language: R
Tools and Packages used: DiagrammeR, data.table, rnoaa, curl, nlme, sandwich, car
Output(s): Analytical datasets, IET measures, results, tables, and figures.
Spatial extent: Atlanta,Georgia;Phoenix,Arizona;Detroit,Michigan
Temporal extent: 2010
Published papers that use this code:
Gronlund, Carina J., David M. Hondula, Evan Mallen, Marie S. O’Neill, Mayuri Rajput, E.
Scott Krayenhoff, Ashley Broadbent, Santiago C. Grijalva, Larissa S. Larsen, Sharon L. Harlan, and Brian Stone. 2025. “Advancing Extreme Heat Risk Assessments to Better Capture Individually-Experienced Temperatures: A New Approach to Describe Individual and Subgroup Vulnerabilities.” Environmental Health Perspectives. doi:10.1289/EHP15223.
Stone, Brian, Evan Mallen, Mayuri Rajput, Ashley Broadbent, E. Scott Krayenhoff, Godfried Augenbroe, and Matei Georgescu. 2021. “Climate Change and Infrastructure Risk: Indoor Heat Exposure during a Concurrent Heat Wave and Blackout Event in Phoenix, Arizona.” Urban Climate 36:100787. doi:10.1016/j.uclim.2021.100787.
Broadbent, Ashley M., E. Scott Krayenhoff, and Matei Georgescu. 2020. “Efficacy of Cool Roofs at Reducing Pedestrian-Level Air Temperature during Projected 21st Century Heatwaves in Atlanta, Detroit, and Phoenix (USA).” Environmental Research Letters 15(8):084007. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ab6a23.