AI combined with Flux Data and Remote sensing generates insightful carbon footprint data for the land-use sector

The Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector accounts for almost a quarter of global emissions. With proper management, the land-use sector can serve as a powerful carbon sink through sustainable practices along agriculture and forestry supply chains and through nature-based solutions (NBS) for carbon removal. However, accounting for the exchange of CO2 due to biological processes (soils, crops, trees, livestock) in the land is difficult, which leads to uncertainty around the exact impact of carbon removal practices and projects.

Current methods for measuring CO2 emissions and sequestration in the land have gaps. Direct measurements (e.g. soil sampling) are too costly and labor intensive. Industry calculators provide averaged data, which masks local variation and individual effort. Remote-sensing solutions focus on detecting the change of select practices but still use standardized formulas to estimate the carbon impact.

These factors limit the ability of companies to track and incentivize the sustainable practices of their suppliers, mislead climate action, and slow down the transition to Net Zero.

In this talk, Dr. Oleg Demidov will discuss the CarbonSpace technology, which provides unique, remotely generated carbon footprint data and insights for global supply chains and NBS projects. The technology core uses machine learning algorithms trained on multispectral satellite imagery and GHG flux data from globally distributed eddy covariance ground stations. This approach requires no on-site operations and provides net ecosystem exchange (NEE) estimates at a resolution of 30 meters. NEE is a parameter that represents carbon stock change in several carbon pools: aboveground biomass, belowground biomass, soils, and dead organic matter. NEE can be positive or negative, meaning total emissions or sequestration. 

Dr. Demidov will cover several case studies demonstrating the proven value of CarbonSpace data. In North Dakota, CarbonSpace showed the impact of varied management practices on carbon sequestration in croplands, and, in Ireland, CarbonSpace provided a new set of data that improved the accuracy of a dairy product LCA. Additionally, Dr. Demidov will discuss progress and challenges with certification and market acceptance for the CarbonSpace technology. 

Join this discussion to learn how CarbonSpace’s disruptive approach enables corporations and NBS project developers to evaluate their carbon removal efforts and guide further climate strategy based on quality, accurate data.