In a Co.EXIST article by Stan Alcorn, Arizona State University researcher Kevin Gurney discusses his tool, the Ventus Project, an online portal that allows everyday citizens to record nearby carbon-emitting power plants.
People around the globe can identify power plants and then input data like location and name into Ventus. About 90 percent of carbon emissions from power plants is recorded, but that other 10 percent is what Gurney's team is after.
"We try to do this ourselves in Google Earth and it can be done," says Gurney. "It’s just so unbelievably labor intensive; it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack."