Nature-based projects are apparently generating more environmental data than ever before, which is great, except that the satellites up in orbit and the field teams down on the ground have been living in separate silos, like two neighbors who never speak. This disconnect has been limiting the value of all that data for project developers, investors, and carbon markets, who presumably would like to know what's actually happening on Earth.
Enter Phi Earth Technologies and LatConnect 60 (LC60), an Australian Earth intelligence company, who have announced a strategic partnership to bridge this gap by connecting satellite Earth Observation with validated field intelligence for nature-based projects. Because nothing says 'saving the planet' like a good old-fashioned integration.
The collaboration will integrate LC60's Earth Observation capabilities with Phi Earth's audit-ready digital Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (dMRV) platform, laying the foundation for an Earth Observation-enabled Digital Twin. Yes, a Digital Twin - because one Earth wasn't enough. Together, the companies will combine intelligence from space with ground-truthed field data to create a continuous feedback loop, which sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie but is actually just a fancy way of saying they'll talk to each other.
The partnership is designed to support projects from early planning through ongoing monitoring, helping project developers, landowners, and ecosystem partners make better operational decisions throughout the project lifecycle. As projects progress, field observations will continuously validate satellite-derived insights, improving the quality of Earth intelligence while providing more actionable operational intelligence on the ground. In other words, the satellites will see stuff, the humans will verify stuff, and everyone will be better off.
“The value of good data isn’t simply in collecting it. It’s in helping people make better decisions,” said Stewart Gunnery, CEO of Phi Earth Technologies, in a statement that probably sounded more profound in the boardroom. “By connecting what satellites can see with what we’re measuring on the ground, we can build a much clearer picture of how nature-based projects are performing. That helps project developers operate more effectively while giving investors and stakeholders greater confidence in the environmental outcomes we’re all working towards.”
The collaboration will initially support projects in Malaysia and Australia across biomass and regenerative agriculture. Early applications include napier grass, sweet sorghum, and agave - because apparently, we're branching out from your standard corn and soy. This diversity enables LC60 to demonstrate its Earth Observation capabilities across a broader range of biomass systems, while providing Phi Earth with richer ground-truth data to strengthen its digital platform. It's a win-win, unless you're a napier grass plant, in which case, sorry.
“We’re excited to see our Earth Observation capabilities supporting real projects in the field. That’s where Earth intelligence proves its value,” said Venkat Pillay, CEO & Founder of LC60. “Working with Phi Earth allows us to demonstrate how our data can strengthen digital MRV while expanding into new biomass crops and nature-based applications. We want to show the market how satellite-based Earth Observation can help deliver practical outcomes for project developers, landowners and the broader climate economy.”
As demand grows for transparent, verifiable, and operationally useful environmental data, digital infrastructure is becoming as important as the projects themselves. Phi Earth and LC60 are helping build a stronger digital foundation for regenerative agriculture, biomass, and high-integrity carbon projects. LC60's very high resolution Short Wave Infra Red (SWIR) Satellite Earth Observation constellation, also known as the SWIRSAT constellation, will generate unique datasets to drive insights around biomass growth, biomass moisture, and carbon sequestration. LC60's roadmap includes two SWIRSATs launching in Q1 2027 and an 18-satellite constellation by 2029. SWIRSAT is supported by the Australian Space Agency and the Government of Western Australia. So, there's that.