How satellites can root out a natural solution to cutting emissions, thanks to Global Surface Intelligence

A Scottish company is now making its mark in this area, using its expertise in the space sector to help maximise the land use and carbon offset capabilities of forests in the United States.

Global Surface Intelligence provide clients with vital information about the current state, condition, value and sustainable use of natural resource assets and investments.

Originally set up in 2013, GSI now employs 13 people, all currently working remotely. 

With interest growing in the use of forests as carbon sinks, particularly as investments by large corporate entities such as airlines wanting to offset their carbon emissions, its future looks extremely bright.

“What we do is remote sensing and Earth observation”, explains Peter Young, its CEO. “We look down onto the planet from satellites and monitor what’s going on.

“It’s a very exacting science, combining the use of physics, maths, geography and the environment. 

“It’s unusual for a small Scottish company to be able to operate in what is a highly competitive markets,like the US, but our success there is a testament to what we do and our technology.”

The forestry sector in the US is highly distinctive, he says. “Unlike a lot of other countries in the world, it’s primarily commercial, which means it’s privately owned by individuals or corporates.

“Also, the forests are wild. Unlike in Scotland, where we have row after row of neat plantations of spruce, fir and so on, it’s a real mix of trees, species and landscapes.”

This mix, Peter explains, means that the owners need to discover what species are present in the forests so they know what they can be used for and so what their commercial value is. “The trees could be used for logging, paper, pulp or whisky barrels. 

“There is huge value in the forests, but you have to know what is in there to understand what that value is. That’s where we come in.”

By analysing visual data taken from open source satellites, GSI can provide clients with vital information on tree species, height and even diameter. These metrics indicate growth, maturity and commercial potential.

“We give our clients analysis ready data. You have to be an expert to interpret this imagery – to make sense of it and turn it into something useful. If they were to do it themselves, it would take them forever. It’s what we are very good at.”

Having obtained the satellite images. GSI then uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to extract the data, which is then supplied to clients.

“We operate to huge degrees of accuracy, which is one of the things that gives us an edge in the marketplace, and we can do it at scale. 

“You are talking tens of thousands of acres of trees in these forest ranches. In 2019, we surveyed 90 million acres of them. It’s a huge undertaking.

“People are investing in these forests, perhaps to sell that investment on. 

“There is commercial value there, but the trees can also store CO2 so they can be used by big corporates for carbon offsetting.

“However, not every species is as good as the next in absorbing carbon dioxide, so you need the ability to discover which ones are the most efficient. That’s what we can do. 

“We provide the data and the analytics to a carbon trader so they can calculate what they believe to be the offset potential of that particular forest or ranch.”

The electro optical satellites used by GSI can supply visual images to a 10 metre resolution. “However, there is a lot of noise in them. We have to take out all of that. If we’re unlucky, there will be some cloud present – that’s just the nature of the beast. So we may have to wait for the next pass of the satellite, which can be every six to eight days, to get a clearer picture

“It’s hugely complex to come up with the final numbers, but the people buying and selling carbon credits are engaging in transactions worth many millions of dollars. 

“That means they have to know that the accuracy and veracity of the information they are getting is absolutely sound.

“As it’s open source data, we can also look at and interrogate the database at any point in time, which means we can carry out historical analysis and see what the forest looked like six months, a year or two years ago.”

Peter sees huge opportunities for GSI going forward. “Of course, we’re a small Scottish company, and the key thing for us at the moment is to take advantage of the huge market potential – whether we do that by building out our business development, sales and technical ability, or by going into partnership with others.

“I think that the Scottish space sector is unique in that we’ve developed this cluster of capability such as the ability to design and manufacture satellites. We’re also now talking about launching rockets in places like Sutherland.

“We’ve also got the launch vehicles on the downstream side. 

“All of this is underpinned by a fantastic academic backbone with Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities at one end of the M8 and Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt at the other.  Plus of course there are other universities as well.

“It’s a sort of organic cluster that’s grown and now that’s happened, we see that there’s something really special happening here in Scotland. We now need to corral that – to get coherence and take the message out to the marketplace that we have a complete end-to-end space offering here.”

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Scots ‘mission management’ firm reaches new heights with ESA

OPERATING in the space sector is hugely demanding and complex. It requires expertise, partnership and hugely detailed logistics. Getting even CubeSats – miniaturised satellites – into orbit requires painstakingly detailed planning.

Responsive Access is a new Scottish company aiming to service this market. It is offering an end-to-end logistics solution for space industry players, working with spacecraft manufacturers, launch service providers and logistics and even insurance companies.

The company was founded in 2018 and is headquartered at the Higgs Centre for Innovation at the Royal Observatory site in Edinburgh. It has just finished working through the European Space Agency’s business incubation programme, which it has found hugely helpful in carrying out proof of concept work on its offering.

“We are developing as a launch brokerage and mission management company providing satellite services”, says Christina Lenshyna, the Chief Operating Officer. “We aim to simplify all procedures for CubeSat launch campaigns.

“There are a lot of critical procedures that need to be completed and customers can have a lack of awareness about all the deliverables they need to satisfy before entering launch service agreements. 

“Our idea is to save them time and cost by providing transparent solutions.”

Working with the Higgs Centre for Innovation in Edinburgh gives Responsive Access a great opportunity, she adds. “They have great equipment on site related to environmental testing and that is something that is crucial.

“The centre can provide comprehensive services and testing. For us, that’s a great advantage, to learn more about such facilities and how they can enhance UK space capabilities.”

Christina is particularly enthusiastic about the ESA’s business incubation programme. 

“It has allowed us to develop a minimum viable product. It’s a great way for start up businesses to prove their concepts, build their credibility, expand their networks and develop their technology.”

Having now developed a prototype offering, she is now confident about entering the marketplace. “Of course, as we were working during the Covid pandemic, it was quite a difficult time, but we were still able to deliver our product.”

Work carried out by Responsive Access under the programme included a feasibility study and analytical procedures associated with market assessments. 

Christina said: “We have also developed a functional web application and been able to test our product and get feedback.”
The fact that financial assistance was provided also helped, she says.

“Being involved in the programme also meant being a part of the wider space network and that gave us access to technical and business expertise. 

“We took part in an investor readiness programme and that was really helpful for us in understanding the financial side of things. 

“We were also able to participate in several events where we could discuss opportunities and promote our product.

“We’re also developing our own business direction, but this programme offered a fantastic tool and provided us with great support. It also allowed us to prove and implement our ideas, and that’s the most important part.”