SWIFTForest relies on Planet’s 3 metre, 8-band PlanetScope satellite imagery as the foundation for forestry monitoring and analysis. This imagery is collected at a high revisit frequency, allowing forests to be observed regularly and consistently across growing seasons, harvesting cycles, and environmental events.
The 8-band spectral configuration supports detailed vegetation analysis by capturing information beyond what standard visual imagery can show. These additional bands make it possible to assess canopy health, identify stress patterns, and detect subtle changes in vegetation condition that may not be visible to the naked eye. This is particularly useful for early identification of drought stress, pest impact, or operational disturbance.
PlanetScope imagery also enables reliable change detection over time. By comparing images from different dates, SWIFTForest can track growth trends, harvesting activity, and environmental change at the compartment level, providing a clear spatial history of forestry operations.
For projects that require greater detail, an additional high-resolution satellite image can be added for base mapping and secondary analyses. This higher detail imagery supports tasks such as boundary verification, infrastructure mapping, and targeted investigations where finer spatial resolution is required.