Mapping Methane Emissions Using Maxar’s WorldView-3 Satellite

Methane is emitted as a byproduct of many industrial processes, including oil and gas production, waste management and agriculture. It is a significant contributor to global warming. Methane gas has 20-80 times the atmospheric heat-trapping greenhouse impact of carbon dioxide, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. Reducing methane emissions can lower the effects of greenhouse gases on the global climate but doing so requires knowledge of methane sources. Maxar is using specialized imaging technology on its WorldView-3 satellite to identify and quantify methane emissions around the globe and to enable responsible parties to take corrective action.

Maxar's WorldView-3 satellite hosts the only commercial high-resolution, 8-band shortwave infrared (SWIR) sensor on orbit. While Maxar's SWIR imagery is most often used to look through smoke to pinpoint where a wildfire is burning or to help identify types of material on the ground, the sensor can also detect methane emissions using spectral bands invisible to the human eye.

Maxar recently developed an algorithm to process SWIR imagery to map methane plumes at 3.7-meter spatial resolution, which is higher than any current or planned space-based system. This algorithm enables the end user to precisely locate emission sources within 5 meters CE90 of the methane emission location. Currently, our team is refining the algorithm and characterizing its accuracy under a wide range of environments and associated clutter noise from man-made materials, soil and other features such as asphalt or dirt roads.