Technology

Imagery

True Light uses unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms to image the Earth with very high resolution (2-5 cm GSD). With each mission the database of imagery grows so that more landscapes and forests may be analyzed, and the machines processing the imagery learn more about the forests.

Images looking down at Earth have been generated for decades. Over the years the resolution of these images has become finer and finer. In addition to the extremely high resolution aerial images that True Light is able to generate, we also plan to use high resolution satellite imagery to increase coverage quickly.

Machine Learning

True Light’s team has a background in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Advancements in AI and machine learning have led to increased machine perception, such as computer vision. True Light various machine learning algorithms, including a discipline of machine learning called deep learning. These algorithms allow a computer to examine imagery generated by True Light to analyze the natural world similarly to a human eye. The computer will look for individual trees and analyze species, instead of making generalizations over large areas.

Analysis

True Light’s team has experience in artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, and most importantly forestry. This, combined with our database of imagery, means that analysis of the forest can happen at speeds and scales not previously possible. Species and health can now be examined on an individual basis, and can transform the analysis of our forests.

True Light is working to use the high resolution imagery and machine learning algorithms so that computers can analyze the species of trees and their health over large areas at a time. These data can provide a more detailed picture of the landscape to foresters than ever before.