Establishment of the Methane Plume Remote Sensing Measurements Consortium

NIST is establishing the Methane Plume Remote Sensing Measurements Consortium ("Consortium") to support the rapidly growing field of remote sensing for the detection and quantification of methane emissions, primarily from point sources. This Consortium aims to unite Federal and State agencies, academia, business, and industry to enhance robust transparency, accuracy, reliability, and interoperability of methane plume detection and quantification data products. In this evolving field of measurement and analysis, consistency across products and results, an understanding of the drivers of error, and a well- constructed validation strategy, are important to increase trust in the data products. To achieve this, the Consortium is focused on identifying the strengths and limitations of current methodologies and analysis approaches. The Consortium seeks to foster transparency through improved documentation, consensus building around best practices and the development of documentary consensus standards. In addition, the Consortium seeks to support the coordination and standardization of validation approaches for these measurements and the utilization of controlled releases. By fostering collaboration among business, Federal agencies, local governmental stakeholders, and researchers, the Consortium aims to drive advancements in methane plume detection and quantification and the analysis supported by them. Participants will be required to sign a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA).