Capgemini launches platform to map global greenhouse gases

Capgemini and GMV have launched the “World Emission” platform demonstrator, which has been funded by the European Space Agency (ESA). 

The platform, which focuses on mapping global greenhouse gas (GHG) and atmospheric pollutant emissions, leverages data from Copernicus satellites, NASA and JAXA to share information from ground-based measurements and traditional bottom-up inventories.

“Satellite observation data is one of the means to understand climate change, and when used intelligently, it becomes a significant factor in improving solutions to mitigate its impact,” said Dr. Carine Saüt, Sustainability Lead for industries at Capgemini in France. “It is the alliance of the scientific community, institutional stakeholders and industry that has enabled the creation of World Emission, a unique inventory service. 

“Capgemini is proud to bring its deep technological expertise in data and cloud to the World Emission consortium to create cutting-edge tools we need to help advance the fight against climate change.”

Using GHG emissions inventories to combat climate change

GHG and air pollutant emission inventories are vital tools for stakeholders in the fight against climate change and the pursuit of sustainability. These inventories aid decision-makers, governments and research organisations in assessing the effectiveness of emission reduction measures and shaping future environmental policies.

However, current bottom-up inventories use different methodologies from country to country. These, therefore, cause uncertainties resulting from inaccurate data and emission factors.

To address these limitations, satellite observation data offers valuable support by providing more frequent and accurate information with broader spatial coverage. It validates ground-based measurements, enhancing the reliability of emission inventories.

As a result, in March 2022 the European Space Agency founded "World Emission", with the goal of creating an inventory service based on state-of-the-art satellite observation and inverse modelling. 

With help from some of Europe’s more renowned research institutes, including the Max Planck Institute in Germany, the Barcelona Supercomputing Center in Spain, and the Cyprus Institute in Cyprus, Capgemini developed the data processing platform. 

Global data processing tools combating climate change

The project has successfully united users, scientists and experts to evaluate datasets for various atmospheric species, who have the objective of ensuring that World Emission offers a dependable and efficient inventory service. The online World Emission data platform is now accessible via a portal, enabling users to visualise emissions based on geographical zones, countries, emission types and specific timeframes.

The consortium is now in the second phase of the project, aiming to add advanced features, including: 

• Additional GHG and atmospheric pollutants emission inventory products at local, regional and global scales 
• The ability to focus and zoom in on specific areas of the planet
• Detecting exact emission locations such as pipelines, industrial and power generation facilities, and significant zones of gas or oil emissions.
• Emphasising indicators that differentiate emissions originating from human activity (anthropogenic sources) from those arising naturally

 The platform was created with a user-friendly interface, seamless integration with existing emission reporting procedures, and the goal of standardising reporting worldwide.