Google is in the process of rolling out a map-based data tool that lets users assess variables like carbon emissions and rooftop solar power potential for individual cities.

The company released a "beta" version of its Environmental Insights Explorer last month. For now it features five cities, including two in the U.S.—Mountain View, California and Pittsburgh. The project is designed to make it easier for people to access and use climate-related datasets that could prove useful for local government planning.

Google says it intends to eventually expand the tool to provide data for thousands of cities and towns around the world.

The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, an international alliance of city leaders and others focused on addressing climate change, last week announced it is partnering with Google and Bloomberg Philanthropies on an initiative that will incorporate the Environmental Insights Explorer platform.

Cities could make a sizable dent in reducing carbon emissions over the coming decades, the group says. 

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