Remote sensing and on?site measurement are used to determine the heat environment within a community, and are compared the differences for heat analysis. The two methods perform differently for various underlying surfaces. The individual methods can detect different aspects of the heat environment, which used in combination are useful for heat island research. The differences in estimated air and surface temperatures are smaller in open space and more obvious for vegetated surfaces. Ventilation does not affect the difference between air and surface temperature in open areas, and the vegetation surface and shading moderates surface temperature more effectively than the water surface; The forest is a type of underlying surface with heat comfortable, in which the feeling of air temperature is much difference to the structure of heat environment that should be survey and detected separately. The two methods can be used to study different aspects of the heat environment, thus forming a comprehensive approach for planners in urban and rural spaces.