GHG-KIT as part of VINAR

The overall motivation of the “GHG-KIT: Keep it traceable” project is to develop methods and prototype a supporting system for integrated GHG accounting and monitoring based on satellite information products. This system shall support and improve the national Austrian reporting capacities of the main stakeholder, namely the Environment Agency Austria (Umweltbundesamt UBA).

The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), together with the Federal Ministry Republic of Austria Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK), has awarded the first flagship project of the Austrian Space Application Programme to an Austrian consortium under the lead of GeoVille with the research and industry partners GeoSphere, Universität Wien (UNIVIE), Cloudflight, SISTEMA, Earth Observation Data Center (EODC) and Technische Universität Wien (TUV). Our advisory board is a European expert team on satellite data (Claus Zehner, Sentinel-5P and CO2M Mission Manager), inverse modelling (Rona Thompson, NILU), and LULUCF reporting (Kevin Black, FERS), exploitation strategy and digital marketplace (Gerhard Triebnig, EOX). Furthermore, the project is supported by GHG-SAT, Canada which provides data on methane emissions. “GHG-KIT: Keep it traceable” is being developed through a unique cooperation between a multi-disciplinary Austrian industry-science team and international experts. The resulting blueprint for system and service implementation will be a major milestone towards a new national GHG monitoring expertise with high potential for European export.

The initial user requirement phase achieved, the GHG-KIT Consortium is currently finalizing the design of the overall concept of an EO improved GHG reporting, and the method developments of the two prototypes: (i) an enhancement in the LULUCF reporting (bottom-up approach), and (ii) the verification of the currently reported emissions through improved GHG flux estimations (top-down approach)."