EAASI company: Hexagon
Project Overview
The Green Cubes project by R-evolution, Hexagon's green-tech subsidiary, exemplifies how advanced geospatial technology can support rainforest conservation. Located in Costa Rica’s La Gamba region, the project aims to create a digital twin of the rainforest, enabling detailed, ongoing monitoring and protection of the ecosystem.
In collaboration with La Gamba Tropenstation, a research facility linked to the University of Vienna, R-evolution is mapping 500 hectares of forest. The initiative not only supports conservation but also offers forest owners sustainable income opportunities by creating "Green Cubes" as sponsorable assets for corporations looking to meet Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) targets.
The use of Lidar allows for the generation of highly detailed 3D models of the trees. By capturing multispectral data, the camera allows the classification of tree species and the assessment of their health status. Image courtesy: Hexagon
Technical Details
By employing cutting-edge airborne technology from Leica Geosystems alongside terrestrial Lidar scanners, the project accurately measures and virtually visualizes the rainforest, ensuring continuous conservation efforts. This initiative not only encourages collaboration between scientists and the local community but also offers forest owners sustainable income opportunities.
The project utilizes the Leica CountryMapper hybrid airborne system, which uniquely combines Lidar and large-format imagery within a single sensor to generate a comprehensive 3D digital landscape of the rainforest. This system facilitates the quantification of forest volume and the monitoring of vegetation changes over time. By capturing image data across multiple spectral bands, the system registers these with Lidar data to create detailed representations of the rainforest canopy, constructing an index of various species. The data is further refined through integration with high-resolution ground-truthing data from the Leica BLK2GO terrestrial Lidar scanner, setting new benchmarks for analysing tree biomass volume and diameter.
The Leica CountryMapper’s ability to simultaneously capture imaging and Lidar data results in foundational geospatial products that are ideal for understanding forest structure. Image courtesy: Hexagon
Supporting Sustainable Conservation Efforts
Green Cubes promotes sustainable rainforest management by blending scientific expertise with local knowledge. Corporate sponsors can purchase Green Cubes, directly supporting conservation while gaining a measurable ESG impact. This initiative exemplifies how geospatial technology can drive ecological stewardship, aiding both preservation efforts and sustainable economic growth for local communities.
This case study appeared in the article Crewed aerial surveying: a key tool in modern forest monitoring published by GIM International.
Learn more about how other EAASI members utilize crewed aerial technology to address global challenges in our Use Cases series, a dedicated section showcasing real-world applications, and achievements by EAASI’s diverse members.
This collection of use cases highlights the unique advantages and capabilities of crewed aerial surveying in various fields, from environmental monitoring to infrastructure planning.
Each success story presents a featured project by an EAASI member, illustrating how their expertise and technology drive impactful solutions. From collecting high-resolution aerial imagery to leveraging AI for advanced data analysis, these stories emphasize the value of crewed aerial technology for accurate, large-scale geospatial data.
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