California Air Resources Board

Previous research studies supported by CARB have used a novel class of instruments referred to as 'methane plume imagers' onboard planes to identify individual plumes of methane in California. Building on this, CARB has a contract to get similar remote sensing data from satellites. This gives a consistent stream of this type of data. The State can also purchase satellite data to monitor other key environmental indicators relevant to soils and biogeochemistry, geology, urban landscapes, and many other areas. Commercial satellite companies are in the early stages of developing and deploying satellites equipped with similar methane plume imaging instruments. The California State Budget Act of 2022 allocated $100 million for the purchase of methane plume data from a commercial satellite company. The California State Budget Act of 2022 also recognized that commercial satellites may collect valuable measurements of other important environmental indicators. Money from this allotment has been awarded through a competitive request for proposal (RFP) process to Carbon Mapper and their subcontractor Planet Labs who own the satellites.
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