Norwalk committee reviews ClimateView climate-data platform; director introduced

Norwalk City Ad Hoc Suitability Committee members heard a Feb. 12 presentation from consultant Nick McCreery of Caramida on ClimateView, a cloud-based climate-data and modeling platform the city could use to track greenhouse-gas inventories, model reduction measures and publish a public-facing dashboard.

McCreery told the committee that he does not work for ClimateView and described his comments as “completely unbiased,” then outlined the platform’s two main benefits: interactive public presentation of a climate action plan and a back-end modeling environment that links actions to emissions outcomes. He demonstrated how ClimateView organizes measures into “transition elements” (for example, increased public transit or more walking and cycling) and how the tool can translate targets for those measures into year-by-year emissions projections.

“[ClimateView] has an excellent display feature where you would be able to actually display what your plan is, your progress on the plan, in a public facing way,” McCreery said. He also described the platform’s “target balancing” feature, which adjusts related sector targets automatically as users increase or decrease goals for a specific intervention.

Committee members focused questions on data integration, community engagement and comparators. McCreery said the tool relies on a greenhouse-gas inventory supplied by the city (or uploaded via spreadsheet) and that many parameters and preset assumptions are editable to reflect local conditions. “All of those different variables that it’s using to make those calculations can be modified,” he said.

Council Member Smith asked how the platform helps on measures the city cannot directly control, such as residents’ adoption of electric vehicles and biking. McCreery and Jody, the city director participating in the meeting, answered that ClimateView is also a communications and engagement tool: it makes complex trade-offs visible and can be used in public sessions or working groups to show consequences of different choices.

Council Member Natoskie Agnes asked whether the tool can be used interactively in public meetings to move sliders and show immediate impacts; McCreery confirmed that the dashboard can be used that way in working-group or public presentations and said Caramida uses it in stakeholder workshops.

Committee members discussed the platform’s relationship to existing tools and networks. McCreery said ClimateView is replacing ClearPath through a partnership with ICLEI and that the spring rollout will make basic access available to ICLEI members in North America. He also said discussions were underway to enable direct exports to reporting frameworks such as CDP, but that capability was not yet confirmed.

McCreery told the committee he believed Norwalk already has a greenhouse-gas inventory entered into ClimateView from work completed last year, but said he did not personally lead that effort and that access to the inventory would need to be confirmed with the city project lead, Amber. City staff said Amber was the lead on the inventory and that she was not present at the meeting.

The presentation closed with McCreery offering to send updated cost information by email and to meet with city staff for a deeper follow-up. “For the price, it’s absolutely worth it,” McCreery said of the platform based on his experience using it for other municipalities, while clarifying he receives no commission.

Votes at a glance The committee moved to accept the Jan. 8 meeting notes; Council Member Smith moved the motion. One member said, “I have to abstain. I missed the meeting” (identified in the record as Lisa). The motion was approved; no further tally details were recorded in the transcript.

Ending Committee members requested a follow-up meeting between Caramida and city staff to review the inventory, the platform’s assumptions and pricing. The committee formally adjourned after the presentation.