Data dictionary: MARS response rates data set
Easily interpret MARS country response rates.
UNEP's Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) is the only public, open and free global system designed to connect satellite-detected methane emissions from the oil and gas sector with on-the-ground mitigation action. Through MARS, large methane emissions identified by satellites are notified to governments and facility operators to support timely investigation and mitigation.
Following notification, stakeholders may provide feedback to UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) with information on the detected emission event. This feedback may include confirmation of the emission source, explanation of the cause, mitigation actions undertaken or updates on the status of emissions. As satellite observations alone cannot always determine whether emissions have ceased, stakeholder feedback plays a critical role in validating and contextualizing detections.
The response rate is an engagement metric that measures the percentage of notified emission sources for which IMEO received feedback from governments or operators.
This data set provides country-level aggregated statistics on notified sources, feedback received and response rates for methane emission sources identified through MARS. The table below describes each variable included in this data set, including its definition, data type and an example value.
| Column name | Definition | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| country | Name of the country where methane emissions sources in the oil and gas sector were detected and notified through MARS. | String (text) | United States of America |
| n_sources_notified | Number of distinct methane emission sources in the oil and gas sector located within a country that were notified through MARS during a defined time window. A methane emission source is a ground location where one or more methane plumes have been detected. Sources are notified to governments and, where applicable, Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0) companies. Each source is counted once within the defined period, regardless of the number of notified plumes associated with that source. | Integer | 68 |
| n_sources_notified_feedback | Number of distinct notified sources within a country for which IMEO received feedback from either the government, the operator or both. Feedback refers to substantive information regarding the emission event, including investigation findings, mitigation actions and confirmation of emission status. Since feedback typically results from a source-level investigation, a single response may apply to multiple plumes associated with the same source. Each source is counted once. | Integer | 50 |
| response_rate (%) | Proportion of distinct notified sources for which IMEO received feedback. | Percentage | 76% |