EarthDaily Analytics, which is currently building a constellation of Earth Observation (EO) satellites to image almost all of the planet daily, is buying SkyForest, a cloud-based platform that specializes in wildfire risk assessment and forestry analytics for industry and government.
EarthDaily is planning to start launching ten of these low Earth orbit satellites — which are in the final stage of testing — starting this year. They will be capable of observing the Earth across 22 spectral bands, including visible light, near-infrared, short-wave infrared, and thermal-infrared spectra. The EO information these satellites gather will be analysed using the company’s AI-driven change detection platform.
“As wildfires increase in frequency and intensity, the need for precise, real-time risk assessment and forest analytics has never been more critical,” explained Don Osborne, CEO of EarthDaily Analytics. “SkyForest brings industry-leading capabilities in wildfire risk assessment and comprehensive forestry insights, enabling EarthDaily to deliver even more advanced geospatial intelligence to industries that depend on accurate environmental monitoring — such as insurance, utilities, forestry, and government agencies. This acquisition strengthens EarthDaily’s position as a global provider of Earth Observation-driven risk management solutions, ensuring our clients have the best tools available to understand and mitigate both wildfire exposure and broader forest health challenges.”
According to Osborne, this acquisition will bolster his company’s usefulness to its EO clients. “The integration of SkyForest expands EarthDaily’s ability to deliver high-resolution, real-time insights into both wildfire risk and overall forest health,” he told SpaceQ. “This is particularly valuable as industries and governments increasingly recognize the far-reaching impacts of wildfire and forest management — affecting not just immediate communities but also critical infrastructure, air quality, insurance risk pools, and biodiversity. By combining SkyForest’s advanced analytics with EarthDaily’s legacy Earth Observation globally, clients will gain access to enhanced monitoring capabilities, enabling them to make more informed decisions, improve sustainability strategies, and proactively mitigate environmental risks.”
EarthDaily is already integrating the SkyForest platform into the services that it already offers EO clients, using space-based imaging from other satellite sources. “The full potential of this acquisition will be realized with the launch of the EarthDaily Constellation in 2025,” said Osborne. “By combining EarthDaily imagery and SkyForest’s technology, we’ll enable improved forestry health monitoring, wildfire fuel assessment, and dynamic wildfire risk assessments supporting more effective forest management and wildfire prevention strategies. The combination of SkyForest’s analytics and EarthDaily’s advanced AI-driven platform will create an unparalleled solution for wildfire risk assessment and sustainable forest management.”
Osborne added that EarthDaily’s practice of acquiring useful companies will continue into the future, so that the company can continually expand its capabilities to provide the most comprehensive geospatial insights available. “The successful integration of Descartes Labs and Geosite, and now SkyForest, demonstrates our ability to identify and incorporate transformative technologies that enhance our risk management solutions,” he said. “While we are not pursuing acquisitions for the sake of expansion alone, we remain committed to selectively adding best-in-class capabilities that align with our mission — leveraging AI, big data, and cutting-edge Earth Observation technologies to empower clients with actionable intelligence for managing the world’s most complex environmental challenges.”