A pioneering Scottish company is at the forefront of the race to save remote forests<br />and endangered apes - by mapping trees from space.<br /><br />Edinburgh-based Space Intelligence uses different types of satellite images<br />combined with artificial intelligence and ecological expertise to create detailed maps<br />with insights about tropical forests.<br /><br />These data are used to monitor change, helping conservationists prevent<br />deforestation and reduce carbon emitted into the atmosphere.<br /><br />The work also protects the habitats of species like orangutans, as seen first hand by<br />Space Intelligence chief executive Dr Murray Collins while working in Northern<br />Sumatra’s Gunung Leuser National Park <br /><br />Dr Collins said: “It really was a defining moment for me. I had only ever seen<br />orangutans in a conservation setting, so to witness orangutans as they should be in<br />their natural habitat was a real privilege. It underlined to me what’s at stake and why<br />it's so important to develop sophisticated technology in the fight against climate<br />change.”<br /><br />Dr Collins has spent his career working to help save the rainforest, measuring<br />thousands of trees and setting camera traps in remote areas, before moving into<br />monitoring trees from space.
