The Hestia and Radioisotope Carbon project is a critical component of the Southwest Integrated Field Laboratory (SW-IFL), designed to address information gaps in greenhouse gas (GHG) emission hotspots across the Arizona Sunbelt corridor. By leveraging advanced modeling techniques and community-driven data collection, this initiative seeks to enhance urban climate action strategies.
Hestia is a high-resolution modeling approach that maps fossil fuel CO2 emissions at the road segment and building level, allowing cities to pinpoint emission hotspots and track progress toward climate goals. Despite its precision, the model's accuracy is limited by the availability of detailed fleet information, such as the distribution of vehicle types across specific locations.
To overcome this limitation, a user-friendly traffic app was developed at Northern Arizona University (NAU). This innovative tool promotes community engagement in environmental monitoring by collecting localized and dense traffic data. The app is designed to enhance the understanding of on-road emissions, which are among the largest contributors to GHG emissions and local pollution in urban areas.
Through the integration of Hestia's advanced modeling and the new traffic app, the project aims to improve the accuracy of on-road emissions data within the SW-IFL domain. This work is essential for empowering cities to make informed decisions, reduce urban emissions, and build resilient, climate-forward communities.