Press Releases

March 27, 2025

Five NTT Group Companies and Biome Inc. Start Joint Development of Large-scale Estimation Technology for Vegetation and Organisms using Satellite Image Data
— Demonstration project aimed at developing solutions to support local governments and companies in formulating nature-positive strategies —

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NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
Biome Inc.
NTT Communications Corporation
NTT COMWARE CORPORATION
NTT DATA Japan Corporation
NTT DOCOMO, INC.

TOKYO, JAPAN, March 27, 2025 --- NTT Corporation, Biome Inc., NTT Com, NTT COMWARE, NTT DATA and NTT DOCOMO announced today that they have jointly begun developing technology enabling the large-scale estimation^*1 of vegetation^*2 and biological organisms through remote sensing^*3. By combining NTT Group's assets, including satellite image data analysis technology,^*4 with Biome's real-time “BiomeDB” database of organisms, one of the largest in Japan with over 8.5 million entries, they aim to establish comprehensive and continuous methods for collecting and analyzing data related to vegetation and organisms. This initiative will support biodiversity monitoring and contribute to achieving a nature-positive^*5 society.

1. Background

   Of the total value added^*6 within the global economy, some USD 44 trillion (almost half of global GDP), depends on natural capital^*7 such as forests and soil. However, the degradation of biodiversity, which supports this natural capital, is progressing at an unprecedented rate^*8. Against this backdrop, interest in biodiversity conservation and the nature-positive sector has been rising globally, especially following the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework^*9 at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2022.

   In Japan, the government has formulated its Nature Positive Economy Transition Strategy^*10, and there is an expectation for diverse stakeholders, including businesses, government, and citizens, to work towards realizing a nature-positive economy. To achieve this, companies need to understand and assess the current state of natural capital and engage in continuous monitoring and conservation activities based on international demands from bodies such as the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD)^*11. However, relying solely on open data for understanding and monitoring can sometimes be insufficient in terms of update frequency and accuracy, necessitating the continuation of resource-intensive on-site surveys. To address these challenges, the six companies behind this initiative are initiating a demonstration project.

2. Project outline

   a. Activities
   In addition to utilizing satellite image data, biological data held by Biome and actual field data, such as vegetation and biological data owned by local governments, the project will estimate the vegetation, species composition, and distribution in specific regions based on high-frequency, broad coverage across Japan, with a granularity aligned with international frameworks and standards.

   b. Field demonstrations
   At “Docomo Sennan Horigo no Mori” forest in Sennan City, Osaka managed by NTT Docomo starting in January 2025
   Objective: To verify the feasibility of using satellites to track the condition of forests and surrounding ecosystems.

   Through this demonstration, NTT Docomo will explore new methods of visualizing biodiversity and conducting long-term monitoring to promote the conservation of the forest, which has been certified as a “Nature Coexistence Site”^*12 by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan. Additionally, they will evaluate the potential for utilizing these methods for future monitoring around Docomo's base stations.

   At the Asahi Forest in Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture, managed by Asahi Group Japan starting in April 2025
   Objective: To verify large-scale estimation technology and establish business use cases.
   Through this demonstration, Asahi Group Japan will conduct verification to explore new methods for the sustainable visualization of biodiversity and long-term monitoring of the forest based on Asahi Group Environmental Principles.

   

3. Roles of each member

   NTT Corp:	Overall project management
   Biome Inc.:	Provision of ecosystem data, sharing of insights on biodiversity, and exploration of service commercialization
   NTT Com:	Implementation of field demonstrations, exploration of business use cases, and consideration of service commercialization
   NTT COMWARE:	Comprehensive data analysis and accuracy verification
   NTT DATA:	Provision of high-resolution satellite image data (AW3D)*13
   NTT DOCOMO:	Provision of field sites and verification of business use cases

4. Future development

   Going forward, the participating companies will explore specific business use cases such as formulating “landscape strategies”^*14 for local governments, supporting companies in transitioning to nature-positive management, and assisting in data collection for the preparation of companies' integrated reports. Additionally, they will conduct discussions with a wide range of local governments and companies with the aim of developing a high-coverage, high-accuracy biodiversity platform that can help support their biodiversity strategy development and quantitative evaluation of natural capital.

   In conjunction with the commencement of this development, NTT DOCOMO Ventures, an NTT Group corporate venture capital firm, has invested in Biome through a fund it manages^*15. With this investment, the collaboration between Biome and NTT Group will be strengthened, creating new value through the exploration of nature-positive business opportunities and collaborative research.

1. Broad-area estimation involves analyzing data obtained from instruments such as satellites and aircraft to assess conditions over large areas.
2. Vegetation refers to the range of plant species in a particular area on the Earth's land surfaces, such as forests, grasslands, croplands, and wastelands.
3. Remote sensing is a technology used to measure the shape and characteristics of objects from a distance.
4. NTT Group provides satellite data under its space business brand “NTT C89,” which stands for the NTT CONSTELLATION 89 PROJECT, an initiative aimed at expanding its space-related business and contributing to the overall development of the space industry through the provision of solutions. NTT C89 is a trademark of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation.

URL: https://group.ntt/en/aerospace/

1. Nature-positive refers to the concept of halting biodiversity loss and stimulating recovery.
2. The total added value refers to the total amount of value created by companies through their business activities.
3. Reference: Nature Positive Economy Transition Strategy, Ministry of Environment, Government of Japan
4. Reference: Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, IPBES
5. The “Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework” is a new set of global biodiversity targets adopted in December 2022. Its mission for 2030 is to “halt and reverse biodiversity loss,” essentially aiming for a “nature-positive” outcome, which involves the restoration and enhancement of natural ecosystems.
6. Japan's “Transition Strategies toward Nature Positive Economy,” approved by the Cabinet in March 2024, outlines a vision and pathway for transitioning to an economy that conserves nature by changing the behaviors of businesses, financial institutions, and consumers.
7. TNFD is an international initiative aimed at developing a framework for companies and organizations to assess and disclose the impact of their economic activities on the natural environment and biodiversity.
8. Nature Coexistence Site is an area recognized by the Japanese government where biodiversity conservation is achieved through private initiatives and other efforts. These designated areas, excluding overlaps with protected areas, are registered in the international database as OECM (Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures). Source: Ministry of Environment of Japan.
9. AW3D: a 3D digital world map - see https://www.aw3d.jp/en/
10. A landscape strategy is an approach that comprehensively addresses various human activities and the natural environment within a specific region or space, based on land and spatial planning, to solve challenges.
11. Press release: March 27, 2025 NTT & NTT DOCOMO VENTURES “ Investment in Biome Inc., Biodiversity Big Data Platform Operator”