Lanworth tailors its satellite-based tools to estimate biomass potential

A growing number of remote sensing service companies is finding opportunities in the emerging bioenergy sector, by providing detailed data about the availability of biomass in a given region and the feasibility of harvesting it for commercial use. Similarly, several governments and international organisations are drawing on earth observation data that drive GIS-tools which allow policy makers and investors to assess biofuels potential, make investment and management decisions and allow for estimates of impacts on local economies, ecosystems and populations.

Such tools - which often come in the form of an interactive GIS-based biomass atlas - can be as simple or as complex as one wants them to be, depending on the types of data that are connected to each other (environmental, social, infrastructural, etc) and on the desired level of detail. They can be static or dynamic and allow projections well into the future. Ultimately, a global biomass atlas of sorts should emerge, that can be used as the basis for discussions about the long-term sustainability of the sector (previous post on the FAO's recently unveiled bioenergy assessment tool).

An Illinois-based company has now joined the growing group of data providers who may contribute to the creation of such an atlas, by tailoring its satellite technology to help clients figure out how much woody biomass is available in a given area. Lanworth Inc. is an information technology company that specializes in the application of aerial and satellite remote sensing for natural resources management.

For the past seven years, Lanworth has enabled companies in the forest products industry to estimate pulp and timber volumes. Now, it has added another module that will help clients figure how much woody biomass can be extracted beyond sawmill and pulp extractions.

It has been a natural extension for us to deploy our tools to organizations pursuing wood-pellet plants, biomass boilers, cellulosic ethanol or other woody biomass-based facilities. - Shailu Verma, vice president of Lanworth

Lanworth has records of global forest covers that date back to the 1970s. It tracks growth of forest covers and is able to put the trajectory of growth of any forest in the world.

On the basis of these EO data, it then builds proprietary models that can tell how much woody biomass is available. The models use soil, elevation, slope, wetlands and other data layers to estimate extraction costs, as well as the total delivered cost of fiber to a processing site. The models also show the environmental impacts of additional biomass harvesting:
energy :: sustainability :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: satellite :: earth observation :: remote sensing :: GIS ::

I believe we can help make these significant investment decisions, which not only have an important impact on the economics of fiber supply in a region, but also help manage the region’s environmental balance. - Shailu Verma

Lanworth also performs similar analyses for crops. It assesses how many acres were planted, and how much yield would come out of corn, soy and wheat across the world.

The company's presence right now is largely in the United States, but it also has clients in Brazil and Argentina. Very soon, it will be working in the Baltic states, where a large bioenergy potential exists. The imaging is also used by clients to understand acreage and yield expected in the palm plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Verma said the woody biomass technology is used by pellet manufacturers, while the crop technology is utilized by large agribusinesses and hedge funds that are actively trading commodities.

Image: On multiple sites in Brazil, Lanworth analyzed satellite and aerial images to identify conflicts between planned and actual harvest zones. Additionally, conservation plots were examined to detect illegal logging. Also in Brazil, an appraisal project involved the verification of Eucalyptus harvest. Credit: Lanworth, Inc.

References:
Biomass Magazine: Satellite-based tools estimate woody biomass supplies - February 12, 2008.

Biopact: FAO unveils important bioenergy assessment tool to ensure food security, shows global biofuels potential - February 11, 2008

Biopact: India prepares 'Biomass Atlas' to map and tap bioenergy potential - November 26, 2007

Biopact: India to roll out real-time data on all standing crops - towards 'planetary biomass management' - October 02, 2007

Biopact: Satellites play vital role in understanding the carbon cycle - April 26, 2007