Researchers from Arizona State and Purdue Universities recently unveiled a new computer model for calculating the carbon footprint of individual cities.  Focusing their initial efforts on the city of Indianapolis, the U.S.’s 12th largest metropolitan area, researchers say they can analyze carbon emissions down to the individual building or street segment.  Aggregating the detailed data provides an overview of regional emissions and identifies areas for targeted reductions. Monitoring carbon emissions will help cities baseline carbon contributions, set carbon goals, target energy inefficiencies, and reduce energy costs.  The specialized software, called Hestia, seeks to be more user friendly than current methods for calculating carbon footprints of urban areas, and will provide “interactive, photorealistic, three-dimensional visualization.”

For more on the Hestia Project.

Photo Credit: The Hestia Project, Arizona State University