If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for the 2024 Heat Mapping campaign, this page will provide useful information on how you will participate – before, during, and after the campaign.
The first section includes Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to help answer questions volunteers may have about the campaign and their time commitment.
The second section includes additional volunteer resources and training materials from CAPA Strategies, one of the project partners who will help coordinate the campaign and produce the final results.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What will volunteers do?
Volunteers are needed to drive along predetermined routes in the Menlo Park, Palo Alto and East Palo Alto areas over three separate one-hour periods during a hot day, typically 6-7 a.m., 3-4 p.m., and 7-8 p.m. Volunteers will use a simple data-collection device attached to their vehicle. You can also volunteer as a navigator and help direct drivers’ turns along their route. Ideally, drivers will need to cover the same route for all three shifts.

Data are collected using a sensor mounted to the passenger side of a car (note: the sensor is held in place by the window; nothing is permanently affixed to the car). The sensor records the ambient temperature, humidity, and GPS every one second as volunteers transport the device through pre-planned routes, or “traverses”.

When is Campaign day?
The exact date of the campaign will depend on the weather forecast. Heat mapping is best done on a hot temperature (when the expected daily high temperature is within the top 10% of annual averages) and clear-skied day. Using historical weather patterns, and support from the National Weather Service, the target campaign date for Bay Area Team is sometime in late August / early September : August 24th and September 7th.

While weather does change, the campaign date will be confirmed about one week prior, as forecasts become more reliable. Because we have to wait for the heat—and the fact that summer is such a busy time—we need to assemble an “on-call” roster of volunteers, which means that we will want more people signing up than we need. We will confirm your participation about one week prior to the campaign, when we finalize the date.


Are there any requirements as a volunteer?
All volunteers will be required to sign a liability release waiver. Volunteers also need to participate in a virtual volunteer orientation before the date of the campaign. Drivers will need a valid driver’s license, access to a vehicle, and automotive insurance.

In addition to the three hours of data collection on Campaign Day, volunteers will first be asked to attend a Volunteer Training on Thursday, July 18th at 6:30pm at the Embarcadero Room in the Rinconada Library, watch a training video and complete a knowledge-check. Based on previous campaigns, volunteers spend an average of 4.5 hours of their time over three weeks, though the majority of time (~3.5 hours) will occur on the selected campaign day.

Do I get to choose where I drive or help navigate?
More than likely, yes. Volunteers are asked to identify their preferred driving areas once confirmed as a participant. We will do our best to accommodate your preferences.

Is compensation available for community volunteers?
The intention is to provide gas cards and other supplies on the day of the campaign. This will be confirmed in due course.

Volunteer Resources and Training Materials

The Heat Watch Process

CAPA Heat Watch is a community heat-mapping project that brings together local volunteers, public and private organizations, universities, and non-profit organizations to co-produce high-resolution heat maps and generate creative and collaborative solutions for extreme heat.

CAPA Strategies' Volunteer Training Video