Application of Qualitative and Quantitative Infrared Thermography at Urban Level: Potential and Limitations

In recent years, the usefulness of infrared thermography (IRT) has been extended to multiple scenarios, due to several benefits: rapid inspection, multi-point detection, real-time monitoring, etc. However, the range of applicability can vary from the single building inspection to the analysis of municipalities. This chapter outlines the most common techniques based on qualitative and quantitative infrared thermography (IRT) for the diagnosis of elements at urban level, assessing different types of instrumentation (i.e., drones, vehicles, and portable cameras) for three representative investigated objects: building envelopes, PV panels, and urban heat island (UHI) effect.