Case Study

Satellite measurements of woodland carbon stocks can achieve 98% accuracy

AiDash

Assessments align to professional carbon methodological standards  

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Company: Forestry conservation organization 
Location: United Kingdom
Solution: AiDash Intelligent Sustainability Management System (ISMS)
Methods: UK Woodland Carbon Code as baseline protocol 

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HIGHLIGHTS  

Sample scale: assess 100% of forest stock (compared to less than 10% with existing protocols)
Value proposition: remote sensing significantly reduces cost for carbon measurements
Accuracy: 98.5% congruent with manual sample and protocol-based carbon measurements
Validation confidence: 2 independent remote-sensing models applied for assessments
Applicability: temperate or boreal woodlands   

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CHALLENGE 

Examine AiDash carbon measurements against ground surveys  

In its latest round of testing with a U.K. forestry conservation organization, AiDash has developed methodologies applied within its Intelligent Sustainability Management System (ISMS Carbon) to quantify the carbon stock and annual flux values of woodlands and forests.  

Having commercially deployed tree growth measurements and tree health identification across 5 continents, AiDash’s remote sensing technology was challenged to detect individual trees (common species recognition), determine the diameter at breast height (DBH), canopy coverage, and stump elevation, and calculate the associated carbon value.  

Historic imagery can be applied to establish annual growth rates and the carbon flux and growth cycle (approximate age range). Further, a separate model has been developed to measure woodland biomass density using a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensor, to validate woodland carbon valuations. 

AiDash was looking for results that ensure the alignment with the U.K.’s Woodland Carbon Code (WCC) voluntary carbon offset standard. The standard protocol remains consistent with other voluntary offset codes, such as Verra, CAR, and so forth. The WCC database provides access to annual tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) based upon the species, age range (in 5-year increments, from 0-5 years to 200+ years), DBH, and elevation. 

AiDash initially assessed 40 acres of replanted ancient woodland — 2,089 mature mixed broadleaf and coniferous trees — and later increased the study to some 6,900 acres to verify model scalability. As ISMS tackled these evaluations, AiDash wanted to see how the solution’s remote sensing stacked up against traditional professional assessments in terms of time, effort, and cost.  

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SOLUTION 

Remote sensing solution supports full assessment and cost savings 

AiDash recognized that carbon offset developers spend as much as 25% of current voluntary offset prices to baseline and verify carbon forest data. Developers often verify carbon every 3-5 years (confirming carbon forecasted levels were accurate) and hold 10% of forecasted carbon offset volumes as a buffer until validation has been reported to the market registry.  

By bringing satellite remote sensing and AI resources into the assessment, ISMS creates an accurate, multifaceted view of up to 100% of the woodlands. ISMS delivers at a cost level that remains significantly below conventional assessments and provides annual validation (reducing the non-tradable buffer volumes under management). 

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RESULTS 

Assess via satellites and AI to add clarity, precision, and support decisions 

AiDash operates across the world and accurately measures both vertical and horizontal tree growth using Earth observation data. AiDash is deployed as part of ongoing operational processes across 800,000km (about 497,097 miles) of linear infrastructure. Health monitoring has also been deployed to detect potentially hazardous trees, and since the launch at COP26, AiDash has been helping organizations meet biodiversity net gain and natural capital targets. By combining ISMS Carbon with AiDash’s ISMS Biodiversity it is possible for organizations to better understand how effectively they store carbon within woodlands and align and optimize organizational biodiversity net gain and net-zero plans to address climate change. 

The ISMS platform acts as an organisation’s nature-based data repository, providing planning tools, program management, and disclosure functionality. The ISMS Carbon solution adds the abilities to develop and monitor carbon insets (a DIY solution for managing woodland offsets on land managed by the organization) and also undertake analysis on purchased offsets (validating third-party REDD+ or afforestation projects).  

 “Our vision is to allow anyone with land to create and enable a carbon ‘inset’,” said Dr. Stephen Marland, Director of Product Innovation and Strategy at AiDash. “In this study, we have proven that we can measure and provide the assurance that you are genuinely creating a carbon inset — that is, a carbon offset that you’ve created on your own land that wasn’t there before. We can quantify carbon sequestration in a more cost-effective manner as well as provide the solutions to enable an organization to manage its own inset programs.” 

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DISCOVER MORE

About AiDash  

AiDash is an AI-first vertical SaaS company on a mission to transform operations, maintenance, and sustainability in industries with geographically distributed assets by using satellites and AI at scale. With access to a continual, near real-time stream of critical data, utilities, energy, mining, and other core industries can make more informed decisions and build optimized long-term plans, all while reducing costs, improving reliability, and achieving sustainability goals. To learn more about how AiDash is helping core industries become more resilient, efficient, and sustainable, visit www.aidash.com.