Objectives of the service
Many forest carbon projects face challenges related to inconsistent carbon estimation, lack of traceability, and high verification and monitoring costs. These issues weaken credit quality, delay financing, and limit access to certification. Traditional approaches often rely on fragmented data and manual assessments, making it difficult for developers and stakeholders to ensure transparency, comparability, and efficiency across the project lifecycle.
ACT is a cloud-based platform that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and multi-source Earth observation (EO) data to deliver precise, transparent, and verifiable forest carbon credit estimates. We estimate carbon stored in trees across vast areas, from global landscapes to individual trees, enabling organizations to assess and manage carbon stocks with accuracy and confidence. The platform offers three levels of precision tailored to diverse user needs and project scales, supporting project early-stage feasibility assessment and full life-cycle monitoring. ACT is designed to serve a broad range of stakeholders, including project developers, landowners, certification consultants, and institutional buyers, providing them with high-integrity, high-quality insights for the carbon credit market.
Users and their needs
The ACT service targets key stakeholders in forest carbon projects:
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Project Developers and Landowners Responsible for designing and implementing carbon projects. They require accurate, certifier-compatible estimates to evaluate project potential, reduce validation risk, and attract financing.
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Certification Consultants and MRV Advisors Support project validation and monitoring. They need transparent, standardized inputs aligned with methodologies.
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Carbon Exchanges and Corporate Buyers Seek trusted carbon data to evaluate the credibility and value of credits before trading or procurement.
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Government Agencies and NGOs Use carbon estimates for policy design, national reporting, and environmental program monitoring.
User needs:
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High-accuracy estimates comparable to field surveys, suitable for feasibility assessment, baseline estimation, and investor evaluation
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Cost-effective service tiers that adapt to project size, budget, and terrain, enabling broader adoption and reduced upfront costs
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Transparent, traceable, and updatable results to support validation and audit workflows
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Scalable delivery models that provide higher flexibility and increase operational efficiency
Service/ system concept
ACT is a cloud-based platform that delivers high-accuracy forest carbon credit estimation using satellite data and AI. It transforms Earth observation data into certified-aligned carbon estimation outputs that support early-stage feasibility assessment and monitoring across project lifecycles.
Users access the service via an intuitive dashboard. The system is fully automated, capable of processing diverse satellite datasets into clear, actionable insights. Three precision tiers are available, ranging from global landscapes to individual trees. Users can align service levels with their operational needs.
The platform supports both self-service and project-based collaboration, offering flexibility across developer, certification, and institutional use cases. By combining automation, accuracy, transparency, and traceability, ACT helps stakeholders generate credible carbon assets with confidence and efficiency.
Space Added Value
The ACT service uses satellite Earth observation data to generate precise and verifiable carbon credit estimates. It integrates optical imagery, radar data, and spaceborne LiDAR measurements with advanced artificial intelligence models to extract features including canopy cover, tree height, and aboveground biomass.
Compared to traditional ground surveys or aerial inspections, the space-based approach offers consistent geographic coverage, lower costs for large-scale monitoring, and the ability to assess remote or difficult-to-access areas. Satellite data also supports historical tracking, frequent updates, and independent verification, which are essential for building transparency and trust in carbon credit markets.
By combining public and commercial EO data, ACT provides accurate, scalable, certification-aligned outputs that enhance both scientific rigor and operational usability.
Current Status
ACT is currently advancing toward real-world deployment following successful technical and user validation under the ESA Kick-Start. The platform supports three levels of carbon estimation precision - ultra-precise, fine-grained, and coarse-grained - and has been tested using ground-truth datasets across diverse geographies. The core estimation pipeline is operational, and prototype outputs have been used to assess system performance across different forest types. A commercial collaboration with NBS carbon project developer has been established under a signed MoU, forming the basis for local service validation and future business expansion in Colombia. These activities lay the groundwork for an accurate, scalable, cost-effective carbon estimation service that supports early feasibility assessment and continuous monitoring of forest carbon projects.
