Activity Data
Contents
Definition
Activity Data are quantitative measures of a level of activity that results in GHG Emissions. It is a measure that models what is taking place during a given period of time (e.g., volume of gas used, kilometers driven, tonnes of solid waste sent to landfill, etc.)
Requirements
- Data should be from reliable and robust sources
- Data should be time- and geographically-specific to the GHG Inventory Boundary, and technology-specific to the activity being measured
Data Sourcing
Data Sourcing (Collection) is an integral part of developing and updating a GHG Inventory. This includes gathering existing data, generating new data, and adapting data for inventory use. [1]
Data can be gathered from a variety of sources, including government departments and statistics agencies, a country’s national GHG inventory report, universities and research institutes, scientific and technical articles in environmental books, journals and reports, and sector experts/stakeholder organizations. In general, it is preferable to use local and national data over international data, and data from publicly-available, peer-reviewed and reputable sources, often available through government publications.
It may be necessary to generate new data if the required activity data does not exist or cannot be estimated from existing sources. This could involve physical measurement, sampling activities, or surveys. Surveys may be the best option for most emission sources, given the tailored data needs of entity-wide GHG inventories, although they can be relatively expensive and time-consuming without proper guidance. Land use categories may also have removal factors i.e., the amount of CO2 removed from the atmosphere per unit of activity data (often expressed in hectares).
Documentation Requirements
The following information should be requested and recorded when sourcing data:
- Definition and description of the data set: time series, sector breakdown, units, assumptions, uncertainties and known gaps
- Frequency and timescales for data collection and publication
- Contact name and organization(s) / entities of data providers
Usage
Activity data is multiplied by an GHG Emission Factor to derive the GHG emissions associated with a process or an operation. [2]
Examples
- kilowatt-hours of electricity used
- quantity of fuel used
- output of a process
- hours equipment is operated
- distance traveled, and
- floor area of a building
