Google offers cities a tool to measure and reduce pollution

Environmental Insights Explorer (EIE) is the latest online service offered by Google. The goal for the search engine is to provide a detailed map of the world's major capitals, displaying their precise levels of pollution and CO2 emissions. The company presents its project as being able to simplify the time and resources needed to measure, plan and manage greenhouse gas reductions in cities.

Free of charge, EIA collects data on building emissions (according to size and use), multimodal transport (cars, bicycles, buses, pedestrians, etc.), general emissions and rooftop solar potential in the same place. By applying a model to the measured activity, the EIA for example takes into account the emissions of an entire trip on different modes of transport. After analysis, the dashboard proposes measures to reduce CO2 emissions such as the creation of additional bike paths or the installation of solar panels. The data comes from Google Maps (buildings, road networks and traffic) as well as from public sources of information.

Google also measures the quality of the air

As part of another project, Air View, Google Street View cars measured air pollution across cities, including Copenhagen and Dublin. Using scientific instruments installed on the vehicles by Utrecht University staff, the air quality could be represented on a map with the figures on the concentration of black carbon and ultrafine particles by district. The data was then added to those already collected by EIA.

The Copenhagen air quality map contains figures for the concentration of black carbon and ultrafine particles. (Source: Google)

Dublin has already used the new tool to help track emissions from different modes of transport. Dublin City Council Chief Executive Owen Keegan says the information will be useful in raising awareness about the consequences of global warming. "We can now integrate the analysis of EIA data into conversations about greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector and show people the impact of supporting such programs to help begin to reduce emissions throughout our city, which can help fuel the debate, "he concludes.

In recent months, Google has partnered with cities in ten different countries to learn how they collect their data, take action to reduce CO2 emissions, and track results. In Europe, the solution is only available in a few UK cities such as London, Manchester or Dublin as well as Copenhagen. Google plans to add more locations on other continents in the coming weeks and any city can apply via an online form.