本研究繼過去台灣四大都會區都市熱島研究，使關於台灣中、小型都市熱島效應之研究缺乏完整且詳實的成果。故本研究選定新竹市、嘉義市、台南縣新營市、台南縣麻豆鎮等四個台灣中、小型都市進行現地觀測，藉以探知台灣中型與小型都市熱島現象之時空變化及溫度分布特性，並藉由人口與土地利用地理資訊系統之建立，以定量方式解析人口密度、土地利用型態對台灣中、小型都市熱島效應之影響，藉以強化台灣本土熱島研究之成果。

Since the heat island researches in Taiwan have been on four metropolitans, the heat island effects on medium and small cities have not been completely and exhaustively studied. Hence, in this research, four medium and small cities – Hsin-chu、Chia-yi、Hsin-ying、Ma-tou in Taiwan are studied in order to know the characteristics of heat island phenomenon in medium and small cities, such as its changes with time and space and its temperature distribution. Moreover, with the establishment of the population and land use GIS, this research, in the fixed quantity, focuses on how the density of population and the types of land influence the urban heat island effects in the medium and small cities in Taiwan.