Websites (like Travelfootprint!) that help you to calculate your carbon footprint could become a thing of the past according to Andreas Zachariah, who has developed software which allows individuals to track their carbon output through their mobile phone.
The system, known as `Carbon Diem`, uses global positioning satellites (GPS) to measure the speed and pattern of an individual's movement, allowing it to detect the mode of transport being used at any given time, whether it be walking, driving or flying. The inventors claim that this information, coupled with data on the distance travelled via each form of transportation, puts their product in the unique position of being the world's first automated carbon calculator.
Zachariah, a graduate student at London's Royal College of Art, said that the system will allow people to easily calculate their carbon footprint without having to enter any additional data about their travel patterns.
"The whole process is so painful," he said, referring to websites which offer similar services. "Online methods for calculating personal carbon footprints fall down on the fact that they rely on the user to estimate usage. Carbon Diem uses sophisticated sensors to pinpoint usage thus giving a much more accurate assessment of the user’s impact on the environment."
He believes that given accurate and up-to-date information on their environmental impact, individuals will be more likely to alter their behaviour to reduce their carbon output.
"We're facilitating people to make little changes and allow those changes to be noted and registered and possibly shared. If lots of people realise we're in this marathon [in tackling climate change] and we're not running alone, then we actually think people will be motivated to stick to changes," he said.
Over the past year he has tested the software in Nokia and Blackberry phones. The algorithms used to predict the mode of transport are almost 100% accurate in differentiating between airplanes and trains, and between 65-75% accurate at guessing when people travel by bus as opposed to by car.
The system has won a number of awards over the past year, including the BSi Sustainability award and a European Space Agency regional award for satellite navigation. The product will be commercially available in spring 2009, when Zachariah will initially be looking to businesses interested in more accurately calculating their carbon footprints.
