On Wednesday 23 September 2020, Norway's Ministry of Climate and Environment entered into a contract worth up to NOK 400 million (approx. USD 43) with Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) and its partners Airbus and Planet, to provide universal access to high-resolution satellite monitoring of the tropics in order to support efforts to stop the destruction of the world’s rainforests.
Reliable access to high-resolution satellite imagery has historically been limited. This initiative will be a useful resource for governments, researchers, NGOs and local communities by lowering cost and capacity limitations to data access. It will include free monthly visual optical cloud-free mosaics of all tropical landmasses as a global public good. It will also include free monthly downloadable surface reflectance mosaics that are available upon registration and acceptance of user terms, limited to non-commercial use for the purpose of reducing and reversing tropical forest loss, contributing to combating climate change, conserving biodiversity, contributing to forest regrowth, restoration and enhancement, and facilitating sustainable development.
In addition to new monthly mosaics, historical mosaics stretching back to 2015 will be made available. Until then, a teaser of monthly mosaics stretching from August 2020 to August 2018 has been made available here
