Study and design of a Business Model that explore the complementarity of VLEO platforms in the forest monitoring market

Abstract

The need for action to stop the catastrophic consequences that climate change may bring is becoming more evident: from the personal and familiar ambit to the largest companies and government institutions, appropriate and effective measures must be taken as soon as possible. Thus, this study appears in this context of global impact, at the same time that the space sector is becoming more accessible and a promising option. Forest monitoring constitutes a very important part related to carbon emissions, which are quite responsible for climate change; through photosynthesis, forests absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. However, when these ecosystems die or become degraded, they are converted into carbon dioxide sources. Therefore, it is essential that those companies dedicated to this sector are completely aware of the management of their resources in order to ensure that their forests do not become CO2 emitters, both for their good and for the health of the planet in general. DISCOVERER is a European project based on the research and development of technologies placed at very low Earth orbits (VLEO), where the UPC is involved in terms of market analysis and business models. Thus, this thesis aims to analyse the business opportunities offered by different terrestrial observation platforms in the forest monitoring sector, specifically in the control of carbon emissions from forests, betting for the complementarity between these existing platforms and VLEO, since the implementation of the latter can introduce important improvements in terms of resolution and accuracy.