Frontierra’s Journey to Overcome Geospatial Data Challenges with Orbify
Frontierra is an innovative Environmental Geospatial Consultancy dedicated to analyzing and addressing nature-related risks, with a particular focus on biodiversity and deforestation. Utilizing advanced geospatial data and satellite technology, they provide specialized consultancy services to financial institutions, corporations, NGOs, and other consultancies. Frontierra’s adaptable approach allows them to tailor their services to meet the specific needs of diverse clients.
The company was founded by two experts in their respective fields—a satellite monitoring specialist with deep experience in sustainable supply chains, and Brigette Reid, an environmental scientist with a background in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) for the financial sector. Frontierra was established to deliver satellite-derived insights to support financial decision-making, with an initial focus on deforestation monitoring in Latin America.
In addition to their consultancy work, Frontierra is actively involved in the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). As members of the TNFD Forum, they align their services with TNFD reporting standards. In 2023, Frontierra was selected as the technical experts for Global Canopy’s TNFD piloting program in Latin America, working closely with financial institutions in Brazil and Colombia to test TNFD’s LEAP Process. Their expertise has since expanded, with Frontierra undertaking numerous TNFD pilot projects for financial institutions across the globe.
This involvement in TNFD has allowed Frontierra to further refine their ability to identify nature-related risks, opportunities, impacts, and dependencies, particularly for financial institutions. The growing awareness and adoption of nature assessments in business operations has been especially rewarding, as Frontierra continues to play a key role in bringing these vital insights into the mainstream.
As Frontierra expanded its services to meet the growing demand for nature-related risk assessments, they encountered several key operational challenges. One of the primary issues was the scalability of their existing process. Initially, they relied on a combination of local systems, Python scripts, and manual GIS processes, which worked well for smaller projects. However, when attempting to apply these methods across a global asset base, the limitations quickly became apparent.
Handling large satellite-derived datasets became increasingly difficult, particularly on local systems that were not designed to manage such volumes of data. This led to inefficiencies and delays, as well as issues with version control and data consistency. Additionally, for online-stored data, there were concerns about where and how the data was accessed and stored, further complicating the process.
Another significant challenge was the lack of an interactive and user-friendly way to present their analysis to clients. Sharing static GIS software and manually navigating through satellite images did not effectively communicate the depth of their analysis. It was a time-consuming process, with difficulties in saving bookmarks, panning, and scrolling through different assets. This made it challenging for Frontierra to provide clear, engaging presentations that demonstrated the interaction between assets and the underlying datasets, as well as the rationale behind their risk and opportunity classifications.
To address the growing challenges in scalability, data management, and client engagement, Frontierra partnered with Orbify to automate and streamline their processes. Orbify provided the much-needed interactive platform that allowed Frontierra to significantly enhance their operations. By integrating a fully customized solution, Orbify enabled Frontierra to deliver high-quality geospatial analysis in a more efficient and scalable manner.
Orbify’s platform complemented Frontierra’s consultancy services perfectly, particularly in guiding clients through the LEAP approach of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), which includes:
1. Locate their interface with nature
2. Evaluate dependencies and impacts on nature
3. Assess nature-related risks and opportunities
4. Prepare to respond to and report on material nature-related issues, in line with TNFD’s recommended disclosures
Previously, these steps were time-consuming and involved numerous manual processes. However, Orbify’s automated platform transformed the way Frontierra operates. By streamlining the handling of large datasets and integrating the LEAP approach into an interactive interface, Orbify allowed Frontierra to not only scale its services but also provide clients with an intuitive tool to explore and interact with the data. Clients can now filter results, navigate through assets, and visualize the risks and opportunities in real-time, all within the same platform.
This scalability and interactivity provided by Orbify has added significant value to Frontierra’s service offering, enabling their clients to make informed, data-driven decisions. By automating much of the analysis and providing a platform that is both powerful and user-friendly, Orbify has become a critical component in Frontierra’s ability to meet the growing demand for nature-related risk assessments globally.
Frontierra now relies on Orbify’s platform as a central part of their service offering, especially for TNFD-aligned services. The scalable solution provided by Orbify allows Frontierra to conduct proprietary analysis on a global scale, handling any number of assets regardless of location. This streamlined approach enables Frontierra to deliver insights and results in a way that enhances their clients’ ability to make informed, data-driven decisions.
Orbify’s platform not only complements Frontierra’s consultancy services but also provides a powerful, interactive tool for their clients to explore and interpret data with ease. Looking ahead, Frontierra plans to expand its use of the platform, incorporating solutions for deforestation-specific analysis, especially in relation to the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and deforestation-free commitments. They also aim to integrate climate risk assessments into their expanding service portfolio, further leveraging the capabilities of Orbify’s scalable platform.
“Partnering with Orbify has been transformative for our operations. Before the collaboration, processing and managing large quantities of geospatial data was limited by a cumbersome, manual workflow. Orbify introduced a powerful, automated solution that streamlined our processes and provided the scalability we needed to handle complex datasets and large client portfolios efficiently. Additionally, the interactive platform has been a game-changer for our clients and the way we present our results to them. It allows them to explore and analyze the data in an interactive manner, apply custom filters, and view the results in an engaging format. Our clients are now better equipped to understand and act on the information we provide, and our consultancy benefits significantly from the platform.”
- Lewis Rattray, Founder of Frontierra
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