Change Analysis for ASC and FSC Certificates

Monitoring of sustainability standards

Challenge

The company ASI (Assurance Services International) is a partner for the assurance of leading voluntary sustainability standards and initiatives and monitors certificates worldwide. To support the monitoring of these certificates, mundialis has selected corresponding Sentinel 1 and Sentinel 2 satellite scenes for two reference points in time in selected certificate areas (ASC and FSC) and carried out a change analysis using indices such as NDVI or NDWI. For the ASC certificate areas, high-resolution SPOT satellite images were also analysed in order to assess the potential of commercially available high-resolution data.

Services

The company mundialis implemented the project comprehensively. The implementation was carried out in the following steps:

Selection and preprocessing of Sentinel-1 scenes in all study areas
Selection and preprocessing of Sentinel-2 scenes in all study areas with minimal cloud cover. This includes:
- For FSC areas in Borneo (high cloud probability): Calculation of cloud masks and their combination with cloud masks provided by L2A products
- Calculation of the NDVI
Selection and preprocessing of SPOT data for ASC-certified areas in Vietnam. This includes:
- Calculation of the NDVI
Calculation of raster change maps:
- Difference maps from Sentinel-1 data VH backscatter coefficients for two reference points (end of 2020 and end of 2023 for all study areas)
- Difference maps from Sentinel-2 data-derived NDVI for two reference points (end of 2020 and end of 2023 for all study areas)
- Difference maps from SPOT data-derived NDVI and NDWI for two reference points (end of 2020 and end of 2023 for ASC areas in Vietnam)
Calculation of vector change maps:
- Change/loss of vegetation for all study areas: Creation of binary change maps based on rule-based threshold calculations
  - Low resolution: Based on Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 change maps
  - High resolution: Based on SPOT change maps
Interpretation of the result maps as a concise guide for tasks such as potential field investigations by on-site assessors
Handover of the data and documentation to the client

Result

Customer-specific process scripts
Raster change maps for:
- Backscatter coefficients from Sentinel-1 data for all areas
- NDVI from Sentinel-2 data for all areas
- NDVI from SPOT data for ASC areas
Vector change maps:
- With changes/loss of vegetation for all study areas
- With changes from forest/vegetation to water bodies for ASC areas
Provision of data and slides with interpretation of the results, as well as documentation

Customer

Assurance Services International (ASI)

Story

Sustainability standards such as those of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) play a key role in protecting global ecosystems and resources. Companies and organisations around the world are increasingly striving to document their environmental responsibility through certification. But how can it be ensured that these standards are actually met in the certified areas and that nature in these regions is used sustainably? This is where remote sensing comes into play. With the help of satellite-based change analyses, it is possible to take a closer look at what is actually happening in large areas that are often difficult to access. The company ASI (Assurance Services International) uses this technology to monitor environmental certificates worldwide and strengthen voluntary sustainability initiatives. mundialis provides support in processing relevant satellite data and visualising changes in the environment.