EIE’s Preview Insights: Data Available for Everyone
By Akshay Sriprasad, Product Manager & Joakim Quach, Software Engineer
Google is committed to making information accessible for everyone. That’s why we are excited to announce that Google’s Environmental Insights Explorer (EIE) has released Preview Insights. This newest update allows everyone to view a sample of environmental data for more than 40,000 cities and regions across the globe.
For cities and regions whose data is only available in EIE’s Insights Workspace, EIE’s City Summary pages now include a sample of Transportation, Building, or Rooftop Solar Potential data to help everyone learn and understand more about their city. See our newest update in our latest video, or read more below.
Transportation: Understanding mode splits
Transportation consumes the most fossil fuels of any sector, according to the International Energy Agency. Therefore, continuing to invest in more eco-friendly modes of travel, such as walking, biking, EVs, and public transit, helps accelerate the reduction of carbon emissions in cities globally.
EIE’s Transportation sample data enables decision makers to view their city’s transportation mode splits at scale. In EIE’s Insights Workspace, cities can also view their transportation emissions categorized by in-bound, outbound, and in-boundary trips and perform year-over-year mobility analyses.
“For cities to have accurate data on modal share, it is important to base the data on on-site annual observations, not only for the estimation and mitigation of greenhouse gasses, but also for the improvement of commuting, which is vital for the quality of life within cities.”
-Dr. Eleftheria Alexandri, Civil Engineer, City of Athens
Buildings: Understanding building types
A building’s type directly affects its energy usage and carbon emissions, due to the way it’s used and its total floor space. For example, residential buildings — typically houses, apartments, or other living quarters — may use energy for heating and cooling, powering lights, or cooking, among other activities. Non-residential buildings, which range from offices, warehouses, and mixed-use developments, may be used in a similar way as residential buildings but at different intensities. Understanding the distribution of building types can support cities’ emission reduction initiatives.
EIE’s sample Buildings data shows the split between residential and non-residential buildings. And, in EIE’s Insights Workspace, cities can take a deeper dive into their data by exploring their interactive building type map, view where their buildings are located in relation to one another, and see their estimated annual Building Emissions data.
“Decarbonizing the building stock is one of the key challenges that cities currently face. Having a new source of data such as Google’s EIE is great, as cities can combine this data with their own sources to better understand building types, their environmental impact and thus the potential to reduce emissions.”
- Alis Daniela Torres, Senior Officer at ICLEI Europe
Rooftop Solar Potential: Understanding renewable energy generation potential
Rooftop solar panels are a great way for cities to generate renewable energy. Optimizing solar panel placement depends on dynamic factors like the sun’s angle throughout the day, shadows caused by taller buildings or tree coverage, and available rooftop space, among others. However, this can be difficult for cities without the necessary technology or resources to analyze rooftops at scale.
EIE’s sample Rooftop Solar Potential data offers cities insight into their estimated renewable energy production, based on total sunshine exposure, weather patterns, roof size, and orientation. And, in EIE’s Insights Workspace, cities can also explore rooftop solar capacity distributions, yearly generation potential, and more.
“Access to reliable and consistent data yearly is crucial for communities to gauge the progress of their climate action plans. The buildings and solar datasets available through Google’s EIE offers valuable insights for community practitioners, enabling them to take necessary policy and program actions, such as prioritizing building retrofits and implementing renewable energy installations.”
- Hannah Miller, Program Officer at ICLEI USA
Curious for more? Sign up for EIE’s Insights Workspace!
EIE’s Insights Workspace offers in-depth data that can help cities evaluate their current emissions, view trends over time, and plan for a more sustainable future. If you’re government-affiliated, sign up today to explore your city’s annual carbon emissions data, analyze year-over-year mobility trends, evaluate scenarios based on adjusted values, and more. Or, fill out this form to stay informed about EIE’s latest updates.
