Interested in hearing more about the topic? Join Matti Irjala for a presentation at ADIPEC, 3-6 November 2025 at Abu Dhabi.
In June 2024, during a landmark controlled release test in France led by International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) and Stanford University, Aeromon faced an unexpected challenge that became a catalyst for innovation in airborne methane monitoring.
The test was part of a blind, controlled release exercise designed to evaluate the accuracy of methane quantification technologies. Participating teams, including Aeromon, were challenged to estimate emissions without access to the true values. This setup provided an objective way to assess the performance of different monitoring methods under real-world conditions. Aeromon used its drone-assisted mass balance method. However, after submitting its results, a surprising mismatch appeared. The company’s reported methane values were significantly lower than the actual release rates. This discovery triggered a full investigation.
Finding the Problem and Learning from It
We quickly discovered that a key piece of equipment, a faulty onboard wind sensor, was responsible for the inaccurate readings. Accurate wind data is essential for quantifying methane emissions, so any distortion in wind readings directly affects emission estimates.
Rather than seeing this as a failure, Aeromon treated it as a valuable opportunity. A full systems review was conducted, and their results were independently validated using wind LIDAR data provided by TotalEnergies. Once high-quality wind data was used, Aeromon’s calculations closely aligned with the actual values. This experience proves that Aeromon’s approach is fundamentally reliable when it has good wind data. In fact, the ability to adapt the method to LIDAR data was a breakthrough. It had never been tested in this way before, and it worked.
From Lessons to Leadership: Raising the Bar for Monitoring Standards
To prevent similar issues in the future, Aeromon made several improvements to its processes. A new pre-deployment validation protocol now checks all onboard wind sensors against calibrated weather stations. Backup systems, such as stationary sensors and LIDAR, are being used more systematically to cross-check wind data. The company also introduced an automated system to flag anomalies in real time, allowing faster responses in the field. These steps, along with stricter guidelines for acceptable weather conditions, ensure higher reliability and data quality in future campaigns.
A Step Forward for Climate Monitoring
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, and accurate measurement is key to controlling its impact. This campaign revealed a problem—but more importantly, it demonstrated how scientific resilience and transparency can lead to meaningful progress. Aeromon responded quickly, improved its methodology, and shared its learnings with the broader environmental monitoring community. Aeromon didn’t just correct the issue, we raised the bar. By proactively sharing these learnings, we’re contributing to stronger global methane monitoring standards and proving that transparent innovation is key to climate leadership.
Instead of a setback, this became a turning point. The lessons from this test helped Aeromon raise its standards, refine its tools, and reinforce its position as a leader in reliable airborne methane monitoring.
Setbacks like this are inevitable, they test more than just equipment; they put systems, processes, and trust to the test. Aeromon’s response turned a field error into a practical opportunity to improve how methane emissions are measured and verified. This experience strengthened internal practices and supported the larger goal of producing data that is transparent, traceable, and accurate, an essential foundation for effective climate action.
