"We developed this map as part of REmapping the World, a sophisticated renewable energy resource mapping initiative we launched in March 2008 to address the biggest barrier to global renewable energy adoption - the lack of information," says Kenneth Westrick, CEO and founder of 3TIER.

As renewable energy developers identify promising wind resources, they can augment FirstLook's initial wind assessment by purchasing FirstLook assessment reports that provide an in-depth estimate of wind resources in specific locations.

FirstLook Wind Assessment reports includes:

• average annual wind speed for the area around the site,
• average monthly wind speed and standard of error for each month of the year,
• distribution of hourly wind speeds throughout the year,
• average hourly wind speed and standard of error for each hour of the day, and
• daily wind speed patterns for each month of the year.

FirstLook Assessment reports are currently available for the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Reports for additional regions will be made available throughout the year as the data sets are validated to the standard of accuracy established for the U.S.

3TIER ran its model through a 10-year simulation across the world's landmass at a 5 km resolution. The results then were calibrated and validated with observational data to create the final dataset and, ultimately, the world wind map.

For more information, visit firstlook.3tier.com.