Urban Cat is a glass box. Every coefficient, dataset and discount rate is named, dated and traceable to a peer-reviewed paper or government appraisal guide. Click any metric for the two-sentence theory and the DOI.
ESA Copernicus
Sentinel-2 L2A
10 m surface reflectance composites for NDVI, land-cover and canopy delta. Updated every 5 days.
ODbL
OpenStreetMap
Building footprints, road network, parcel geometry. Snapped to local cadastres where available.
Reanalysis
Open-Meteo · ERA5
1991–2020 climate normals: temperature, rainfall, cooling-degree-days, mean radiant temperature.
Open data
GBIF
Verified species occurrence records aggregated within a 2 km buffer of the project polygon.
CC-BY-NC
iNaturalist
Research-grade citizen-science observations cross-referenced with GBIF for pollinator scoring.
Metric glossary
Click any metric for the two-sentence theory
UTCI
Universal Thermal Climate Index — what the body actually feels.
NDVI
Normalised Difference Vegetation Index — satellite-derived greenness.
EVI
EVI — NDVI's denser, less-saturating sibling for thick canopy.
SCS-CN runoff
Curve-number method for storm runoff depth from rainfall.
HSG
Soil drainage classification A (sandy) to D (clay).
BNG units
Statutory biodiversity uplift unit (UK Environment Act 2021).
ELR
Ecological Loss Ratio — habitat lost per unit of project footprint.
Avoided cooling cost
Energy bill avoided by canopy and high-albedo cover.
Avoided stormwater cost
Treatment + flood damage avoided per year.
Sequestered carbon
Above- and below-ground biomass capture, monetised.
WELLBY social value
Wellbeing-adjusted Life Years from green-space access.
PES
Annual payments for the public benefits a green scheme delivers.
PM2.5
Sub-micron particles that lodge deep in the lungs.
NO₂
Roadside traffic pollutant, irritates airways.
NPV
Today's value of all future cashflows, discounted.
IRR
Discount rate at which NPV = 0 — the scheme's effective % return.
BCR
PV of benefits ÷ PV of costs.
LCOE
All-in cost per unit of outcome delivered.
DCF
Year-by-year cashflow run with a discount rate applied.
EAC
Capex + opex spread evenly across the asset life.
TCO
All money spent over the asset life — capex + lifetime opex.
AAL
Probability-weighted £ loss per year from a peril.