The untapped potential of eco-data

Dear Cardano and SingularityNet community

We are proud to introduce our company, Forestme.

We work towards a world in harmony with nature, helping people find meaning through work that benefits the environment.

Every year hundreds of millions of trees are planted globally in forestry and reforestation. On average, a professional can plant two thousand trees per day, done by hand with a small shovel (see attached video). This vital activity often goes overlooked and is a massive opportunity to positively impact the environment through the use of blockchain and Artificial Intelligence. A vast quantity of ecological data from planting work is generated every day but not collected. We believe each sapling has a critical role to play; and our ability to collect this data per tree and in real-time gives highly granular data. This level of data is unprecedented and may revolutionise our relationship with the natural world.

"Due to a lack of in situ data for ground-truthing, the accuracy of many remotely sensed map products remains unassessed, jeopardizing their applications in timber and carbon accounting, biodiversity research and conservation." 1

Forestme provides ownership of this data, and value is generated and exchanged through the use of blockchain. We incentivise people to do more planting activities and create a way for people to collaborate on projects. By providing people with a way to own and share the incredible work they do in helping the planet, we open the doors to a new era of working with the environment.

"Protecting and restoring forests, and improving forest management practices could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7 billion metric tons of CO2e annually." 2

Carbon Credits are an emerging market, being used to drive finance into environmental regeneration. Collecting and verifying data on the ground is a key component. We plan to work within the current data standards so we may comply with Carbon Credit issuers. Ground truth data may be used to improve the quality of Carbon Credits.

Cultivating strong relationships with tree-planters, existing planting organisations, and new blockchain initiatives, we aim to create a global network. Onboarding millions of new users, Cardano can be the home for this community that grows into a worldwide force for good.

The environmental data collected by the community may be used to solve some of the planet's biggest problems. Cardano provides a blockchain that is secure and ensures data sovereignty. SingularityNet is the infrastructure that can use this data to create Artificial Intelligence with world-changing possibilities. From forest management AI, improving tree growth and preventing deforestation, to an AI farming assistant that helps grow your veg patch at home.

We have been developing a standardised data set, ownership, and collection method we call the Forestme System (FmS). We have completed various MVPs and now seek to start working with Cardano and SingularityNet developers to finalise the FmS. Data sets can be commissioned to accommodate the specific needs of entities such as universities, businesses, environmental agencies, etc.

https://www.forestme.io/forestmesystem

Our connections in forestry and land rehabilitation have supported us on our journey thus far and are potential partnerships. Our website details our progress and provides a more visual explanation.

https://www.forestme.io/

Key metrics and milestones of Stage 1:

1 month:

A functional website with first planter profiles running test data

3 months:

Data Standard (MVP#2)

Data collection procedure standard (MVP#2)

Three Initial partnerships

6 months:

Profitable business model (more partnerships)

Working with Cardano and SingularityNet devs

Community-building initiatives

12 months: 

NFT's launched on Cardano

Currently, we work full-time planting trees for other companies. This has allowed us to develop Forestme System in our spare time and on the weekend. When we get to month 6, with your help, Forestme will be able to land planting contracts and become self-sufficient while providing SingularityNet with more consistent data.

To reach the 6 months goals we require funding for the following:

Equipment (hardware and software) - $7,265

Website front end development - $9,000

Website back end development - $12,000

Data science - $9,000

Initial planting projects costs - $9,000

Marketing and business development - $8,000

Hosting, Tools and services - $2,000

Contingency (reserve) - $3,000

We have attached a spreadsheet of our budget.

We are proud to say that we are looking in the same direction as the Cardano & SingularityNet community and graciously ask for your help. Forestme is a labour of love, and we believe that together great things can be achieved.

Be well, Bodhi & Mike.

Richard Bodhi Perryer

Michael Hayles

References:

 1. Liang, J. (2020b, December 1). The importance of sharing global forest data in a world of crises. Nature. Retrieved June 1, 2021, from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-020-00766-x?error=cookies_not_supported&code=aa60c930-5706-4867-96e6-dea133ebbf0f#Sec2

2. Verra. (2021, July 27). Jurisdictional and Nested REDD+ (JNR). Retrieved September 18, 2021, from https://verra.org/project/jurisdictional-and-nested-redd-framework/