(SHELBYVILLE, Ind., 11/12/2007) The world’s first
data-driven model to quantify, visualize, and analyze fossil fuel
emissions down to the street level was introduced at a press
conference in Washington, D.C. on November 12. Hestia,
developed by Purdue University’s College of Science and Climate
Change Research Center, will ultimately allow anyone with an
Internet connection to visualize emissions at the neighborhood or
street level by simply clicking a button.
As the first corporate partner to Hestia,
Knauf Insulation has provided a research grant to help Purdue
University fund the project. Named after the Greek goddess of
hearth fire, Hestia will be directed by Dr. Kevin Gurney, a Purdue
University assistant professor of earth and atmospheric
science. As one of 2,500 worldwide scientists devoting
efforts to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),
Dr. Gurney shared in the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, alongside former
Vice President Al Gore. The Nobel committee cited the IPCC’s
two decades of scientific research and “efforts to build up and
disseminate greater knowledge about manmade climate change and to
lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract
such change.”
Hestia will be a data-driven modeling system
in which all processes that generate carbon dioxide emissions are
quantified at fine space and time scales. Beyond a rich
digital map of emissions, Hestia will provide analysis and
visualizations of climate policy scenarios, connecting emissions to
the activities that cause them. The effort will begin in
Indianapolis using information provided by the city and offering a
pilot example of what Hestia could do on a global basis.
"At Purdue we are working on a method to track
carbon dioxide emissions in great detail and pair that with
satellite imagery, traffic information and census data," said
Gurney. "In the end, we will provide the city of Indianapolis
with a real picture - a literal visual representation - of carbon
emissions in the city, which will include information about
neighborhoods, factories and vehicles."
Initial piloting of the project is being
conducted in Indianapolis as part of the city’s GreenPrint
initiative, an effort to create a sustainable community that
contributes to climate protection, energy efficiency and
conservation. This pilot will provide the groundwork for what will
eventually become a global resource to quantify CO2
emissions and visualize them in a three-dimensional Google earth
environment.
Beyond identifying emission sources, Hestia
will enable researchers to test assumptions about changes in
emission levels and how they impact local neighborhoods. “Not
only will this technology enable policy makers and municipal
leaders to identify where emission problems are located, the data
also will provide insight into how to remedy the problems,” noted
Jeffrey Vitter, Frederick L. Hovde Dean of the College of Science
at Purdue University and special adviser to the Hestia
project.
Ultimately, data provided by Hestia will
assist policymakers and researchers at the national, state and
local levels. The technology will further assist utilities,
environmental quality agencies, transportation and planning
departments in better understanding the impact of emissions across
the planet. “The changes impacting earth’s climate are not
exclusive to any single point on the globe. Hestia will allow the
global community to help share in the ownership of addressing
climate change,” noted Robert Claxton, president of Knauf
Insulation.
Data from the North American Insulation
Manufacturers Association indicates that insulation in buildings is
one of the most sustainable measures for reducing emissions.
By reducing energy consumption, installed insulation cuts pollution
from the utility infrastructure, slashing carbon dioxide emissions
by 780 million tons annually in the United States.
“Being a responsible environmental steward is
a core business value for Knauf. And we recognize that we have the
social responsibility to help address energy efficiency and climate
change through more than just operations improvements and the
products we make. Through our partnership with Purdue, we are able
to address climate change far beyond anything we could ever do as
an individual company,” said Robert Claxton.
Dr. Gurney and Hestia organizers at Purdue
University expect Hestia to emerge as the internationally
recognized state-of-the-art model/data system and interactive
graphical interface for global industrial activity in the form of
quantifiable CO2 missions. “Essentially, Hestia will
quantify and simulate the metabolism of global industrial economic
activity,” Dr. Gurney noted.
The City of Indianapolis announced the pilot
in a local press conference on October 30th. “Our
city’s GreenPrint vision is greatly enhanced through association
with Hestia. We are fortunate to have a good corporate
citizen, Knauf Insulation, to help provide the funding for such an
initiative” noted Deputy Mayor Steve Campbell during the press
conference.
The Purdue Climate Change Research Center is affiliated with
Purdue’s Discovery Park. The center promotes and organizes
research and education on global climate change and studies its
impact on agriculture, natural ecosystems and society. It was
established in 2004 to support Purdue in research and education on
regional-scale climate change, its impacts and mitigation and
adaptation strategies. The center serves as a hub for a range
of activities beyond scientific research, including teaching,
public education and the development of public policy
recommendations.