Overview

4SURE is a network of sensors in Karlsruhe and Freiburg that provides a quantitative basis for climate and climate resilience research in urban areas. Over 400 measuring stations collect high-resolution data in the divisions of (1) heat stress, (2) atmospheric extremes, (3) vegetation, and (4) hydrology.

The continuously recorded real-time data enables the development of innovative AI-based early-warning and decision-making systems for climate risks such as heat or flooding. At the same time, a long-term dataset is being created that will be used in research on climate change and climate resilience in urban areas—for example, to calibrate and validate local climate models or to analyze the impacts of climate change on infrastructure, vegetation, and people in cities.

The project is part of the Innovation Campus Sustainability (ICN) and is being carried out as a collaboration between the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the University of Freiburg.

News

On March 16, 2026, the 4SURE project officially launched with a kick-off workshop. During the event, participants exchanged views with representatives from collaborative projects at KIT and the University of Freiburg on existing measurement infrastructure, site selection, and requirements for the network.