October 30, 2007

City, Purdue University to partner on climate change project

The system will not only quantify carbon dioxide emissions down to the neighborhood and roadway scale every hour, but also determine the cause of the emissions within a high resolution, 3-D computer visual environment.

"This project will help us understand which activities in Indianapolis are contributing the most to global climate change," said Mayor Peterson. "It also will enable us to simulate the impact changes in zoning, traffic patterns or industrial emissions would have on our overall CO2 contribution."

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 in Indianapolis will use information provided by the city and will offer a pilot example of what Hestia could do on a global basis.

The project will be a universitywide collaboration anchored in the Climate Change Research Center, using resources from Purdue's College of Science, research scientists from the Office of Information Technology at Purdue and multiple Purdue centers, including the Energy Center, Cyber Center and the Center for the Environment.

"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 Kevin Gurney, the Purdue assistant professor of earth and atmospheric science who leads the project. "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."

Jeffrey Vitter, the Frederick L. Hovde Dean of the College of Science and special adviser to the Hestia project, said collaboration among experts and communication with government leaders is imperative for progress.

"The relationship between Purdue and the city of Indianapolis brings researchers together with policy-makers," Vitter said. "Purdue has a pre-eminent climate change research group with extraordinary capabilities. Through this collaboration, Mayor Peterson will be able to create an informed and effective plan for Indianapolis."

At 6 p.m. Tuesday (Oct. 30), climatologist and co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Gurney will give a presentation on global climate change. The hour-long lecture will be at University Place Conference Center on IUPUI’s campus, 850 W. Michigan Street. A 30-minute question-and-answer session will follow the presentation.

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.

The Indy GreenPrint sets a vision for a sustainable Indianapolis that contributes to climate protection and promotes energy efficiency and conservation. The GreenPrint implementation plan includes: encouraging businesses and residents to embrace energy efficiency and conservation; implementing policies and measures within city government; monitoring and verifying improvement in energy efficiency and conservation; and creating a Green Commission to explore new policy areas and make recommendations to achieve a greener Indianapolis.

Contact: Jo Lynn Garing
317-327-4532 (office)
317-664-1823 (cell)