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Advanced Monitoring
GMAP - Field Monitoring
NEIC's Field Support Capabilities

Key Applications:

•	Area emission source
assessments and identification

•	Facility emission source
assessments

Capabilities:

•	BTEX at ppb levels

•	SO2 at ppb levels

•	CH4 at ppm levels

•	Total VOCs at ppb levels

•	Meteorological data

•	Location information

•	Software integration

Highlighted Results:

•	Identified the specific source of
hundreds of odor complaints,
which allowed Region 7 to
negotiate a decrease in
emissions that also dramatically
reduced complaints

•	Surveyed more than 200 facilities
for emission sources in six days,
which allowed the Colorado
Department of Public Health and
the Environment to issue 65
immediate findings in eastern
Colorado

•	Located a benzene emission
source, which led to a $2.5
million settlement payment to
the state of Texas

Instrumentation:

•	Cavity ring-down spectrometer
for methane

•	Differential ultraviolet
absorption spectrometer
(DUVAS) for BTEX and S02

•	Photo-ionization detector (PID)
for total VOCs

•	Global positioning system

•	Weather station for wind speed
and direction, temperature, and
pressure

Key Personnel:

•	Bill Squier-project manager

The adjacent figure provides
an example of GMAP results
from mobile monitoring for
hydrocarbons. These results
present the wind direction
and speed that are used to
identify the location of the
emission source, as well as
the relative concentration
(represented from low to
high by green to red) of the
emissions at each geo-
spatially identified location.

Geospatial Measurement of Air Pollution (GMAP)

The National Enforcement Investigations Center (NEIC) has a mobile air monitoring
vehicle, or GMAP, that is equipped with analyzers for methane; benzene, toluene,
ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX); total volatile organic compounds (VOCs); and
meteorological and global
positioning system (GPS)
equipment. This combination
of equipment allows for real-
time monitoring and mapping
of pollutants while the vehicle
is in motion or stationary. The
mobile platform can evaluate
large geographic areas in very
short timeframes to identify
emission sources. GMAP can
also be used to take stationary
measurements at facilities.

NEIC can use the GMAP
data collected from
stationary monitoring to
generate polar plots. An
example is overlaid on
the adjacent figure. Polar
plots illustrate both the
direction to the source
and the relative
concentration of
emissions. NEIC
inspectors analyze the
polar plots to isolate and
attribute emissions to specific facilities.

NEIC | Denver Federal Center, Building 25 | Denver, Colorado | 303.462.9000


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NEIC's investigation support with GMAP: Since 2012, GMAP has been used across the country providing support to
EPA's regions and headquarters, other federal agencies, and the states. NEIC has conducted mobile area emission
source assessment surveys with GMAP at large industrialized areas to assess potential emissions and determine
their sources. GMAP has also been used for facility emission source assessments for various industries including
refineries, chemical plants, energy extraction wells, and landfills.

Select GMAP investigation results:

•	In 2016 in Region 7, GMAP identified elevated levels of methane at a landfill. Region 7 used the data to
negotiate with the facility to lower emissions, resulting in a reduction of odor complaints from more than 300 in
October 2015 to less than 50 in December 2016.

•	In 2016, NEIC partnered with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and
conducted GMAP surveys at more than 200 facilities in six days in eastern Colorado. The CDPHE staff used NEIC's
interpretation of GMAP's real-time monitoring data, in conjunction with infrared camera surveys, to issue 65
immediate findings.

•	In 2017, NEIC support was requested to provide additional data on a leaking tank at a tank terminal in Texas to
support stalled settlement talks. GMAP identified high-level benzene emissions, which compelled the facility to
settle and resulted in payments of a $2.5 million civil penalty and $40,000 in attorney fees to the state of Texas.
The settlement also provided injunctive relief that included the installation of a flare, implementation of an
advanced tank inspection program, and requirements for third-party audits.

GMAP method validation: GMAP currently provides relative concentration data that are confirmed by laboratory
analysis. However, NEIC is developing test methods so GMAP can provide validated data with known detection limits
in the future.

How GMAP can support your investigation:

•	BTEX, S02, CH4, total VOCs and other compounds that are under development

•	Real-time results

•	Mobile and stationary monitoring

•	Ability to monitor wide areas or multiple facilities quickly

•	Identify new or screen existing inspection targets

•	Identify unknown sources

•	Estimate mass emission rates

•	Low detection limits

How to obtain NEIC's support

To request a deployment of GMAP, or if you would like to learn more about GMAP or NEIC's other advanced
monitoring capabilities, please contact us at neic project requestsffiepa.gov.

NEIC | Denver Federal Center, Building 25 | Denver, Colorado | 303.462.9000


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