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NEWS
Terresense, Inc. Now Scanning the Forest for the Trees Chicago Climate Exchange Gives Nod to New Airborne Remote Sensing Methodology
Fairfax, VA – Terresense, Inc. has developed and fielded a new high-tech airborne technology designed to provide remote sensing of biomass and carbon in heavily wooded areas. Faster, more accurate, and less expensive than the standard manual timber cruising methods, the Terresense solution is now the first such technology approved by the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX).
Terresense, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Zimmerman Associates, Inc. (ZAI). The R&D group at ZAI designed, developed, fabricated, and patented the Terresense sensor suite. The sensor suite, installed in a dedicated Terresense aircraft, includes a new type of downlooking radar, an optical laser radar, a hyperspectral imaging camera, a color video camera, and an inertial navigation system coupled with a dual channel Geographical Positioning System (GPS). All of the sensors look out of the bottom of the airplane at the same patch of ground directly beneath the aircraft.
The airborne collected sensor data is processed and combined to produce data such as tree volume, tree biomass and carbon in tons per acre, tree height, and the percentage of canopy closure. The data is downloaded to a DVD into a Geographical Information System (GIS) format with each type of data forming a different layer in the GIS data stack.
The Terresense aircraft can survey 20,000 acres or about 30 square miles per day with a 100% sample of the survey area. The resulting surveys are very accurate since the entire area is surveyed as opposed to all other manual methods that take small samples and extrapolate to estimate biomass and carbon.
Dr. Patrick Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Terresense, Inc., is pleased by the recognition his new technology has received. Our airborne methodology is the first remote sensing system approved by the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) for establishing baseline inventories of carbon content in forested areas. The Terresense technology is the first remote sensing methodology to be approved by the CCX or any other carbon trading exchange. All other forestry carbon credit projects use manual, on the ground, methods which are much more expensive, take much longer to complete, and are not as accurate in mixed and hardwood forest, said Johnson.
The Terresense, Inc. business plan is aimed primarily at the potential forestry carbon credit market. This market is expected to greatly expand with the passage of federal Carbon Cap and Trade legislation, and standard inventories are routinely required by forest land owners and timberland and lumber companies. Terresense, Inc. has already flown several operational missions and is now taking orders for August 2009 and beyond. Interested parties may obtain more information by calling Dr. Johnson at 301-371-3584.
About Terresense, Inc.
Terresense, Inc.(www.Terresense.com) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Zimmerman Associates, Inc (ZAI). Terresense, Inc is a Maryland company formed in 2005 to transfer and commercialize the technology developed by the ZAI Research & Development Group. In 2008, the company introduced the advanced remote airborne sensor technology to the forestry market through its Terresense Sensor Suite. Terresense, Inc. is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia and may be reached at (301) 371-3584.
About Zimmerman Associates, Inc.
Zimmerman Associates, Inc. (www.ZAI-inc.com) has been operating records management centers and libraries, building information technology solutions, managing engineering programs, coordinating technical conferences, and solving complex engineering problems for more than 28 years. Zimmerman Associates, Inc. is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia and may be reached at (703) 883-0506.
