DATA.AIR
Diagnostic Emissions Data at the Facility Level
High-Resolution Airborne Methane Monitoring
GHGSat’s airborne methane monitoring service provides high-resolution measurements of methane emissions from individual facilities and assets, delivering the granular, source-level data needed to investigate, quantify, and act.
Designed for targeted methane emissions surveys and rapid-response investigations, DATA.AIR is the diagnostic layer in GHGSat’s emissions intelligence framework. Where broad-area satellite monitoring identifies where emissions are occurring, site-level airborne methane detection tells you exactly what is happening and from where.
Targeted Methane Detection Delivered Fast
Airborne Methane Monitoring Performance
Detection threshold
at 90% PoD
Spatial
resolution
Data delivery
from flight completion
From Measurement to Decision
What DATA.AIR Enables
Detection of smaller emissions: With a detection threshold of 3.5 kg/hr at 90% PoD, DATA.AIR captures smaller emission sources that broader monitoring approaches may miss.
Source investigation & identification: When a facility requires closer examination, following a satellite-flagged anomaly, ahead of a regulatory audit, or as part of a structured LDAR program, DATA.AIR provides source-level clarity on what is emitting, at what rate, and from which specific location. Sub-metre spatial resolution enables attribution of methane to individual components, including covers, wells, stacks, and infrastructure.
Mitigation verification: After repair, airborne measurement confirms whether emissions were reduced, providing defensible, measurement-based evidence of mitigation outcomes.
LDAR monitoring & operational decision: Support aerial emissions data feeds directly into LDAR programs, regulatory submissions, environmental reporting, and portfolio-level emissions oversight.
Safe, remote measurement with no site access required: DATA.AIR measures methane from aircraft at altitudes up to 18,000 ft AGL, with no requirement for personnel to access active, hazardous, or hard-to-reach facilities. This eliminates the personal safety risks associated with on-site inspection and removes operational constraints on where and when monitoring can take place.
A Managed Measurement Service
From Survey Design to Delivered Report
Survey Design: Flight parameters are defined based on asset type, geographic extent, regulatory frameworks, and measurement objective. Surveys are configured as periodic flight blocks or mobilized on demand.
Airborne Data Acquisition: DATA.AIR acquires hyperspectral methane imaging across the survey area. No operator site access or ground coordination is required.
Processing & Expert Validation: Each detected emission is quantified, source-attributed, and reviewed by GHGSat’s analyst team. Every deliverable undergoes human expert review.
Emissions Report Delivery: A structured report containing detected emission sources, quantified emission rates, spatial coordinates, and documented measurement uncertainty, formatted for regulatory submissions, certification workflows, and internal emissions management systems. Reports are delivered within 48 hours of flight completion.
How DATA.AIR Works
Airborne Measurement Technology
DATA.AIR sensors are hyperspectral imaging spectrometers that operate in a narrow band of the short-wave infrared (SWIR) region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The instruments have high spatial and spectral resolution, to enable high-precision measurements of the excess methane concentration due to local sources with respect to the surrounding background.
Mounted on a fixed-wing aircraft, DATA.AIR flight plans can be configured as linear surveys, area surveys, or targeted passes covering up to 500 km per day on linear routes and up to 975 km² per day on area surveys. Every emissions report includes documented uncertainty characterization, producing a measurement record that is traceable, repeatable, and defensible.
Within GHGSat’s tiered monitoring framework, DATA.AIR provides the high-resolution diagnostic layer, complementing the wide-area, high-frequency coverage of DATA.SAT satellite monitoring.
Industry Applications
Oil & Gas: Upstream and midstream assets, pipeline networks, remote and hard-to-access sites
Waste Management & Landfills: Municipal solid waste sites, landfill gas collection systems, cover areas and infrastructure
Mining & Extractive Industries: Surface coal operations, mine vents, extractive facilities
Government & Regulators: Enforcement investigations, emissions inventory validation, site-level compliance oversight
Financial Institutions & Sustainability Teams: Asset-level verification, financed emissions accounting, independent disclosure support
Case Study | Oil & Gas
Supporting MiQ Certification with Independent Measurement
Comstock Resources required independently measured methane emissions data to support MiQ certification across Permian Basin assets while maintaining the efficiency of their existing ground-based LDAR programme.
GHGSat deployed DATA.AIR across the relevant asset areas, delivering quantified, source-attributed emissions data within the certification timeline without additional burden on Comstock’s ground operations.
“We were looking for a partner to deliver reliable and timely emissions intelligence that could support our MiQ certification and enhance our established ground-based LDAR programs and GHGSat delivered.”
— Keith Lorenz, Environment Specialist, Comstock Resources
Talk to An Expert
Take Action: Book your Aerial Survey
If you need facility-level measurement data to support operations, reporting, or regulatory requirements, speak with a GHGSat expert. Our team will help you understand how DATA.AIR fits your monitoring programme and what a targeted airborne campaign would involve.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions