Advancing our understanding of earth observation

Greece has become the first nation in the world to integrate a dedicated satellite constellation into its national firefighting system. Four nanosatellites, each smaller than carry-on luggage, were launched into low orbit in May 2026 by German company OroraTech. The satellites carry thermal sensors capable of detecting new blazes as small as four meters across, far smaller than what traditional satellites can spot.

AI models filter out false alarms from sources like solar panels and sunbaked rock faces, then send processed alerts with location, size, and intensity data directly to fire commanders. This allows responders to prioritize action when multiple fires ignite simultaneously. The system fills critical coverage gaps in remote terrain and is especially valuable during Greece's increasingly severe wildfire seasons, which have been worsened by rising global temperatures.

The 200 million euro system is EU-funded and part of a broader European consortium combining thermal, radar, and optical satellites. The initiative reflects Europe's push for technological sovereignty in climate monitoring and disaster response, with future applications planned for border surveillance, crop management, and urban heat island mapping. For earth observation practitioners, this deployment marks a significant milestone in operational use of small satellite constellations for real-time environmental monitoring and public safety.

A comprehensive meta-analysis published in Science Advances reveals that forest degradation releases significantly more carbon than current national reporting typically accounts for, and satellite Earth observation is key to closing the gap. The study, led by researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, synthesised 146 peer-reviewed papers covering tropical moist forests, ecosystems that hold roughly 70 percent of all carbon stored in the world's living vegetation.

The findings are striking. Forest fires emit about 50 percent more carbon relative to undisturbed forest. Selective logging accounts for 34 percent more carbon released. Tree loss at forest edges, driven by wind and drier air, caused 31 percent more carbon loss. After 20 years of regrowth, partially damaged forests held only about 75 percent of the carbon of undisturbed forest, while areas that were completely cleared held just 38 percent. Proximity to healthy forest significantly boosted recovery through seed dispersal.

Advances in Earth observation since around 2015 now make it possible to distinguish carbon losses from degradation versus deforestation, and to track recovery over time. ESA's Climate Change Initiative Biomass project produces open-access global maps of above-ground biomass at 100-metre resolution, using data from Copernicus Sentinel-1, JAXA's ALOS-2 PALSAR-2, and NASA's GEDI lidar instrument.

According to ESA's Clement Albergel, the synthesis provides exactly the evidence base countries need to improve their reporting under the Paris Agreement. Current carbon cycle models and national reports inconsistently account for forest degradation and regrowth, often omitting or simplifying these processes. The study's database is designed for direct use by countries reporting forest carbon budgets to the UN.

Japanese aerospace and defence manufacturer IHI has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Finnish startup Kuva Space to explore adding hyperspectral satellites to IHI's planned 100-satellite sovereign Earth observation constellation. The deal, announced July 21, opens the door for IHI to build and operate Kuva's next-generation Hyperfield-2 satellites in Japan, including potential local manufacturing.

The Hyperfield-2 is a 70-kilogram microsatellite that extends Kuva's existing sensor technology into short-wave infrared, or SWIR, enabling it to identify materials and substances by their unique spectral fingerprints. A first in-orbit demonstration is planned for 2027. Kuva Space aims to deploy 100 satellites by the end of 2030, which would enable sub-daily monitoring across East Asia. Around 20 Hyperfield-2 satellites could provide daily coverage of roughly 20 million square kilometres across Japan, neighbouring countries, and surrounding ocean areas.

IHI is evaluating hyperspectral data for several specific applications, including dark vessel detection, spotting ships not broadcasting Automatic Identification System signals, and land cover and land use change mapping. The hyperspectral sensors complement IHI's existing constellation partners, which include Iceye for synthetic aperture radar and SatVu for thermal imaging, creating a multi-sensor architecture that can see through clouds, at night, and across the electromagnetic spectrum.

The constellation is designed as a sovereign capability for Japan's national security and dual-use applications. IHI has been evaluating data from Kuva's existing Hyperfield-1 cubesats since November 2025, and earlier deployed a hyperspectral demonstrator built by Kongsberg NanoAvionics in 2025. The partnership reflects a broader trend of governments turning to multi-sensor constellations that combine SAR, optical, thermal, and hyperspectral data for comprehensive environmental and security monitoring.

Researchers in South Africa have fitted 23 small wading birds with sub-2-gram satellite transmitters in a first-of-its-kind study to map the migration routes of two vulnerable shorebird species. The project, led by BirdLife South Africa in collaboration with Wetlands International and the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, tracked curlew sandpipers and grey plovers from their South African wintering grounds to Arctic breeding sites.

Both species were reassessed as Vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN in 2024, reflecting rapid population declines. The satellite tags, solar-powered and weighing less than two grams, transmitted location data as the birds flew north. Six birds reached Arctic breeding grounds, six remained in Africa (likely first-year birds not yet migrating), and eight stopped transmitting, possibly due to device failure or predation.

The tracking revealed three main migration routes from South Africa's Western Cape: through central Africa, east via the Free State, or west along Namibia's coast then east across southern and central Africa. Key stopover sites identified include the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans in Botswana, the Sudd wetland in South Sudan, the Mesopotamian marshes in Iraq, and Lochinvar National Park in Zambia. Several of these critical habitats have no formal protection status.

The findings have direct conservation implications. The Luapula floodplain in Zambia, a dense papyrus swamp used by migrating birds, currently has no protected status. BirdWatch Zambia is now prioritizing field visits to update information on 42 Important Bird Areas, some of which have been lost to development. BirdLife South Africa is also working with landowners to rehabilitate salt marshes at the Berg River estuary, where accelerated erosion and habitat degradation threaten the birds' primary feeding grounds.

For the earth observation community, the study demonstrates how miniaturised satellite tracking technology is expanding the frontier of conservation biology. Tags small enough to fit on a bird weighing as little as 50 grams can now reveal migration pathways that were previously invisible, enabling targeted protection of critical stopover habitats across international boundaries.

Olam Food Ingredients (ofi), the Singapore-based agribusiness supplying cocoa, coffee, and other commodities from 2.75 million farmers, is deploying an integrated digital system to combat deforestation in its supply chains. The company has mapped 730,000 farms using in-field smartphone-based polygon mapping combined with satellite monitoring through Google Earth Engine and Global Forest Watch.

The system has reduced manual compliance needs by more than 70 percent since digitizing deforestation monitoring. Farmers work directly with ofi field staff to establish physical land boundaries via a smartphone-based Farmer Information System, and satellite data tracks forest cover changes within those mapped plots. The company has also planted 16.9 million beneficial trees, exceeding its target by roughly 2 million trees.

This effort is directly tied to the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which requires geolocation coordinates to six decimal places for commodity plots larger than four hectares. ofi aims to provide all relevant geolocation data and traceability documentation to its customers by the end of 2026. The company also co-founded the TRACT platform, an industry-wide sustainability data sharing tool with ADM, Cargill, and Louis Dreyfus that raised 18.6 million euros in Series A funding. For the earth observation community, this case demonstrates how satellite monitoring and ground-level participatory mapping can work together at commercial scale to meet regulatory compliance requirements.

The European Commission has proposed the most significant overhaul of the EU Emissions Trading System since its creation, a reform that directly affects how carbon markets interact with forest monitoring and nature-based solutions. The changes, announced on July 17, slow the annual rate at which emissions permits are reduced from 4.3% to 3.7% in 2031 and further to 1.7% in 2036. Free pollution permits for heavy industry are extended to 2038, and the phase-in of the carbon border levy is delayed to the same year.

For the earth observation and conservation community, several provisions stand out. From 2036, companies will be allowed to use international carbon credits to cover up to 2% of ETS sector reductions. High-integrity credits from nature-based projects, including forest conservation and restoration, would become eligible under this mechanism. The Commission also confirmed that permanent carbon removals, such as direct air capture, can now be integrated into the ETS, creating new demand for verified removal credits.

The proposal expands ETS scope to include smaller ships down to 400 gross tonnage and waste incineration from 2031. Aviation coverage extends to flights departing Europe for destinations up to 5,000 kilometres away. A new requirement mandates that at least 50% of ETS auction revenues, which have generated over 260 billion euros since 2013, must be spent on domestic industrial decarbonisation.

Critics including WWF and Carbon Market Watch estimate the slower cap trajectory could allow up to 2.4 billion additional tonnes of CO2 by 2050 compared to the previous pathway. The Commission maintains the proposal is aligned with the EU's 2040 climate target of 90% net emissions reduction. The plan now enters negotiations between member states and the European Parliament, with final approval expected by end of 2026. For organisations developing MRV technologies for carbon credits and removals, the signal is clear: the EU is building a compliance-grade framework that could eventually link to voluntary carbon markets.