The potential of geospatial technologies in urban building energy modeling: a review and future perspectives

Urban building energy modeling (UBEM) is a fundamental tool for city-scale energy analysis and urban energy planning. While geospatial technologies underpin many UBEM applications, their roles in structuring and advancing UBEM workflows remain insufficiently synthesized. This review organizes existing research around three core functions: spatial data foundations, geospatial integration within modeling workflows, and spatial analysis and visualization of UBEM outputs. Current applications are reviewed across three domains: building stock development, spatial energy analysis, and scenario-based assessment for retrofit, policy, and climate response. The review then discusses the limitations and future prospects of geospatial technologies in UBEM, highlighting the need for integrated spatial data infrastructures, microclimate-aware modeling, adaptive urban energy assessment, and scalable and transferable workflows. These directions can support next-generation, geospatially enabled UBEM frameworks for climate-informed urban energy assessment.