Skip to main content
Forest photo

Saving our forests: Three years into the NICFI Satellite Data Program

The program using high-resolution images to help reduce and reverse tropical forest loss has now close to 25000 registered users from 158 countries.  

The unique satellite data program is led by KSAT, with partners Planet and Airbus. It provides universal access to high-resolution satellite monitoring of the tropics and the aim is to support efforts to reduce and reverse the loss of tropical rainforests.

The first three years of the program have shown the value and impact that opening up commercial satellite data in this unprecedented way has to users from forest country governments, NGOs and civil society, private sector and to the media with over 1400 user stories collected to date (see numbers in the image below).

Slide with numbers

– It has been incredible to see the engagement with this program and the willingness from users to share their experiences and impact so publicly.  This has also helped to drive collaboration between users. Our hope as we move into the last year of the program is to continue that outreach and engagement across the user community, says NICFI Satellite Data Program Lead, Charlotte Bishop.  

The NICFI Satellite Data Program Annual Meeting was held in Berlin recently. Progam Lead Charlotte Bishop in the back middle row, Program Account Manager Laura Abuja Conde on the far right. 
The high-resolution satellite images provide a comprehensive overview across the tropical forest region between 30 degrees noth and south and are updated monthly.  Anyone can become a user and thereby access image archives that include mosaic data back to 2015 and be able to view, download, stream, analyse and make derived products from this data for non-commercial purposes (not in the pursuit of profit).