VicMap is a joint project between the University of Victoria, the City of Victoria and the Federal Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. It will use weather data supplied by a pyranometer, an instrument used to measure solar radiation. The instrument will roost on top of the Victoria City Hall building and provide invaluable information about the sun’s spectrum for a year.

Krasowski is also interpreting more than 10 years of data on solar energy and weather patterns from the School-Based Weather System in Victoria, a weather monitoring initiative developed at the University.

When VicMap is completed in the spring of 2015, Victoria residents will be able to use the online map to zoom in on a rooftop, view the solar energy potential and identify the specific area of the roof that is best for solar equipment. Krasowski’s map model even takes shade from nearby trees and the slope of a roof into account when calculating solar potential.

“You don’t need a science degree to interpret the information on the map,” he says.

Krasowski hopes this map will set an example for other municipalities in British Columbia.