Frequently Asked Questions

Glossary of Terms and Acronyms

TERM	DEFINITION
Basin	The common name of the geological formation from which oil and natural gas is extracted.
Composition of Emissions	A look at emissions in a specific observation, broken out by dispersed sources and distinct point sources.
Dispersed Sources	Methane emissions spread out over a wide region, represented on a kilometer scale grid (e.g. 5kmx5km, 1kmx1km). These emissions, at rates from 10 kg/hr/km2, paint a picture of an entire oil and gas basin spanning thousands of square kilometers. The grid resolution will decrease as the data processing platform matures. MethaneSAT is the only methane-detecting satellite that can quantify dispersed emissions sources.
Distinct Point Sources	Methane emissions detected at very high levels that stand out from dispersed emissions– at rates from around 500 kg/hour. MethaneSAT pinpoints the geographical origin of these mega-emissions down to a specific location (i.e. longitude and latitude). Methane data collected via aircraft has a lower detection limit and can detect distinct point sources emitting from about 200 kg/hour.
Filter by Operator	A feature on the MethaneSAT web portal that allows data users to see which operators manage the operations of oil and gas equipment within a 500 meter area of detected emissions.
Gas Flare Stack by VIIRS	Flaring sites observed by the VIIRS satellite. Flaring is the practice of burning natural gas and produces significant emissions when malfunctioning.
kg/hr	Kilograms per hour – a standard unit of measurement for the emission rate of oil and gas methane. To understand the climate impact of various emissions rates, see our equivalency calculator.
Km2	Square kilometer – the MethaneSAT web portal visualizes emissions data across square kilometer gridded areas.
Observations Over Time	A view of methane emissions measured in a particular target, organized chronologically.
Oil and Gas Infrastructure Mapping Database (OGIM)	A global, spatially explicit database developed by Environmental Defense Fund and MethaneSAT, LLC used to identify oil and gas infrastructure and operators within a region. These data were acquired, assembled, and quality-assured based on data from various public governmental and academic sources.
Operator	The last known company responsible for managing the operations of a selected piece of oil and gas equipment.
Target	A MethaneSAT target, a geographic area where the satellite will observe, is 200 km x 200 km. The satellite will routinely measure emissions from ~150 targets globally, which cover more than 80% of the world’s oil and gas producing regions and approximately 50 production basins. MethaneSAT will measure emissions from ~20 targets per day and can revisit each target every two to three days.