Satellite images helping to protect forests

The mission of askEarth AG is to assist companies in the analysis of satellite images for environmental and climate monitoring processes. According to a press release, the spin off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) offers a software solution for the analysis of forestry data from satellite images. This should make it possible to determine whether there is a risk of deforestation in a specific area covered by the satellite’s flight path. This is particularly crucial in view of a new EU deforestation regulation that comes into force at the end of the year. The new regulation stipulates that every company involved in the trading of commodities on the market must report on the deforestation risk linked to its products. This includes products made from wood, but also soy, cocoa, coffee, rubber, palm oil and cattle. To this end, the relevant companies are obligated to use satellites to support their analysis. This data is freely accessible as part of the Copernicus program. The challenge here lies in being able to read the satellite images, as the press release explains.

“It isn’t easy to analyze the images”, comments Gaetan Petit, co-founder of askEarth, in the press release, before adding: “Data science is needed in order to filter out the required information”. The software can be integrated into a company’s existing ERP system to map the its entire supply chain, among other aspects. This then automatically generates a report that can be inspected by the European Commission. ce/eb