NTx Ground Truthing Nature with Romain Fau & Victor Allory of Kanop
Event Summary
Today, more than ever before public and private sectors are required to monitor their impact on nature across entire regions and supply chains. In order to do that effectively, they need solutions that are not only highly scalable and cost effective, but that also can measure enough of the nuances of the local biodiversity.
Despite incredible innovation over the last decade, satellite imagery and remote sensing techniques have technical limitations when it comes to measuring the finer details of biodiversity and what happens ‘below the canopy’. Remote sensing needs to be complemented by what we call ‘Ground Truthing’ data, captured on (or below) the ground.
Traditional ‘Ground Truthing’ methods today still depend largely on trained ecologists performing in-person surveys on location. Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, we are facing a shortage of ecology expertise. And looking ahead, there are not enough ecologists in the world to cover even a sliver of what is required to scale the nature capital markets to the degree needed.
So what are the innovative technologies and ventures today looking at this space? What have we learnt about what works and what doesn’t work for various use cases in various regions? How do these technologies integrate effectively with remote sensing to provide more accurate insights on nature impact and risks?
During this workshop series, we’ll look to shed light on some of those questions by hearing from various stakeholders, from consumers of MRV data, to really understand their challenges and priorities, to remote sensing companies and, obviously, innovative solution providers that focus today on ground truth data collection and interpretation.
What to Expect?
Sessions are participatory and interactive, leveraging design methods and visual communication to accelerate shared understanding.
Agenda
Welcome, Arrival, Purpose (10m)
Speaker Spotlight (10m)
Thematic Focus (55m)
Group Activities
Breakouts
Group Synthesis
Closing Reflections & Gratitude (10m)
Event Details
Session 2 – Earth Observation with Kanop, 30 April
Where does earth observation meet in situ data collection? When it comes to nature data, there are various indicators and variables that can be observed remotely, but these have their limits. In this event we'll hear from Romain Fau, CEO and Victor Allory, Ecosystems Scientist of Kanop and explore present techniques combined with ground truth data that can insights and guidance. Join us in discussion and learning about the technical interfaces and patterns that combine the best of both worlds.
Session 3 – In Situ Data with [To be confirmed], 15 May
How is in situ data collection connected to larger platforms? In situ data is crucial for any nature data product which is inherently local and often diverse. What does successful in situ data collection look like in practice, how can we create the conditions for such data to be connected to larger systems where greater insights and decision making can be driven? In this event we'll hear from [TBD] and explore the unique needs and challenges of diverse organizations providing "first mile data" exploring topics such as equitable data contracts, funding models, and tensions between cost, temporality, and resolution.
Session 1 – Drivers of Nature Data with rePlanet, 11 April
What are the drivers of nature data? Some drivers include biodiversity credits, supply chain analysis, portfolio risk mitigation, regulatory compliance such as CSRD, payment for ecosystem services and more. Join this event, to hear from Dr Max Bodmer of rePlanet and Sylvain of Mozaic Earth as we then together explore patterns that can help structure products and services to account for various drivers of nature data collection.
Interested to learn more?
RSVP to receive pre-read materials ahead of each event.
Hosts
This event is led by NTC member Mozaic Earth and community facilitators.
About Mozaic Earth
Mozaic Earth is a nature tech company focused on democratising access to accurate, ground-level nature data by combining large-scale, smartphone-based monitoring with AI. Through the Mozaic platform, people already near areas of interest (farmers, foresters, local communities) can capture precise, geo-located visual and acoustic content from which key insights are automatically extracted for various use cases.
About Nature Tech Collective
The Nature Tech Collective is a non-profit member alliance, accelerator and intelligence unit that is advancing the uptake of nature-based solutions to integrate nature protection into all sectors of society.
Not a member? Learn more here.
About the Facilitators
Gunthar is a software product leader, working at the intersection of research, technology and design creating new products, services, and platforms. Over the last 20+ years he has been involved in dozens of successful product launches for organizations from early-stage startups to those already operating at scale. Currently Gunthar is collaborating with mission-driven organizations focussed on climate- and nature- related technologies and with local organizations putting those services to use. He believes the development of such tools and systems should be informed by and serve the needs of communities, scientists, policy makers, and leaders addressing needs at both a local and international level.
Daniel is an expert in integrating human-centered design and agile methods within high-performing teams globally with a background in software engineering from embedded systems to full-stack development, and cloud orchestration. Over the past 18 months, Daniel co-founded and launched the Nature Tech Collective, an extension of his work to bridge technology and nature, contributing significantly to initiatives such as the TNFD. His work spans numerous domains including work with government agencies such as NOAA and the USDA to international projects with the UN, mangrove reforestation, and the design of financial instruments specializing in design and engineering practices that foster empathy, co-creation, and excellence.