SISFM | ESA Space Solutions

Objectives of the service

SISFM addresses a growing challenge for forest and land managers: large areas must be monitored, documented and managed efficiently, while relevant information is often fragmented across satellite imagery, field observations, maps and specialist systems. Turning this data into useful information for day-to-day management can be complex and time-consuming.

The service integrates satellite imagery, drone data and specialist analytics directly into the Forsler forest and land management platform. Rather than providing users with additional standalone datasets, SISFM turns these technologies into actionable information that can support forest inventory, change detection, biodiversity monitoring, environmental documentation and management decisions.

Through a modular Technology Store, users can select an area, activate relevant monitoring or analytical services and receive the results directly within Forsler. This approach connects operational management with specialist technology providers in one environment, making advanced environmental monitoring more accessible, scalable and useful for forest owners, managers, public authorities and environmental professionals.

Users and their needs

SISFM targets organisations and professionals responsible for managing, monitoring and documenting forests, nature and land. The initial geographic focus is Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, with the service designed for wider European and international scalability.

The main user communities are:

Forest owners and estates – need simple access to reliable and up-to-date information about forest condition, inventory and changes over time.
Professional forest managers and forestry companies – need scalable monitoring across many properties and integration of information into operational workflows.
Public authorities and infrastructure managers – need efficient monitoring and documentation across large and geographically dispersed areas.
Environmental consultants and nature/biodiversity projects – need structured baselines, registrations and repeatable monitoring of environmental development.

Users engaged during the project have included representatives from professional forestry, large estates, environmental consultancy, public-sector/infrastructure management and international nature projects.

The main challenge is to provide relevant and actionable information rather than additional raw data, while accommodating different user needs, geographic conditions and data availability. The service must therefore be easy to use, scalable and flexible enough to combine satellite, drone, field and specialist analytical information.

Service/ system concept

SISFM will provide users with actionable forest and environmental information directly within the Forsler platform, combining existing management data with satellite imagery, drone data and specialist analytics.

When deployed, users will be able to:

Monitor forest and land condition over time, including changes, disturbances and vegetation development.
Access forest inventory information, including tree-level information, height, crown cover and other relevant indicators where available.
Establish and monitor environmental and biodiversity baselines and document changes over time.
View historical and current satellite-based information together with existing property and management data.
Activate specialist monitoring and analytical services for selected areas through the Technology Store.
Receive analytical results directly in Forsler, including maps, geographic objects, statistics and management-relevant information.
Combine remote sensing with field observations and other geographic datasets in one operational environment.
Use results for planning, documentation, reporting and operational decision-making.

The service is designed to make advanced monitoring technologies accessible without requiring users to operate separate specialist systems or interpret complex raw data.

Space Added Value

SISFM primarily uses Earth Observation data from the European Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites and Landsat, providing frequent, consistent and historical coverage of forests and land areas. Cloud-free imagery and derived vegetation indicators can also be provided through specialist data services.

The key added value of space-based data is the ability to:

Monitor large and geographically dispersed areas consistently and at relatively low marginal cost.
Detect and document changes over time, including forest vitality, vegetation development and disturbances.
Access historical observations, enabling comparison of current conditions with previous years.
Reduce dependence on frequent field inspections by identifying areas where closer investigation is required.
Combine satellite observations with drone data, field registrations and other geographic information to provide more complete environmental insights.

Compared with traditional approaches based mainly on periodic field surveys or standalone imagery, SISFM integrates space-derived information directly into operational forest and land-management workflows. This makes satellite data more accessible and actionable for non-specialist users and enables monitoring to become a continuous part of management rather than a separate analytical exercise.

Current Status

The SISFM KickStart has progressed from initial concept to practical technical and commercial validation.

Key achievements include:

Interviews and engagement with forestry, public-sector, environmental and land-management users across several countries.
A commercial agreement with a large UK forestry customer, combining the Forsler platform with satellite and drone imagery for forest inventory.
A working Technology Store demonstration with Koordinat, where an area is submitted for external tree analysis and individual trees, tree crowns and statistics are returned directly to Forsler.
Testing of cloud-free Sentinel-2 and Landsat imagery with ClearSky Vision.
Development of a nature and biodiversity baseline with NIRAS.
Preparation of a potential 6,400-hectare nature-monitoring pilot in Botswana.

The project is now concluding the KickStart activity and preparing the next development and demonstration phase, with the ambition to validate the service with multiple customers and technology providers during 2027.