Case Study: Environmental Defense Fund locates 4,000+ methane leaks beneath city streets with Google Cloud Platform

EDF: locating methane leaks beneath our city streets

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a large nonprofit tackling climate change, set out to find and reduce methane leaks from aging urban gas pipelines — a major problem since methane is about 84 times more potent than CO2 over 20 years. Identifying hidden leaks beneath city streets was critical to slowing warming and protecting communities.

EDF partnered with Google Earth Outreach and used Google Maps Platform to equip Street View cars with methane analyzers and map detections, working with a Colorado State University scientist to analyze spikes and pinpoint leaks. Across 10 U.S. cities they identified 4,000+ leaks, creating transparent, layered maps (from one leak per mile in Boston to one per 200 miles in Indianapolis) that help utilities, regulators and the public prioritize repairs and infrastructure investments.

Environmental Defense Fund

Cassie Ely

Manager in the Office of Chief Scientist