What Salo Sciences does

Salo Sciences is a San Francisco-based climate technology company founded in 2018 by forest ecologists David Marvin (CEO) and Christopher Anderson (CTO), with Kyle Gertridge leading business development. The company built the California Forest Observatory, a satellite-based monitoring platform that applies proprietary deep learning models to high-resolution (3m) Planet satellite imagery to produce regularly updated, tree-scale maps of forest structure, carbon stocks, and wildfire hazard across California. Core products include the Forest Observatory (canopy height, cover, base height, bulk density, ladder fuel density, vegetation indices), Wildfire Hazard Data (surface fuels, spread rate, flame length, burn probability, dead tree cover), Tree Mortality Mapping (the company's first product, funded by a USDA SBIR Phase I grant), and Lens for Carbon (a reforestation and carbon MRV product co-developed with Upstream Tech and Planet Labs). The technology stack includes a U-net convolutional neural network for species classification, cloud-optimized geotiffs, a STAC-compliant catalog, Google Earth Engine integration, and a Python SDK (pip install cfo).

Salo's business model is a freemium-plus-commercial-licensing structure: the Forest Observatory is free for non-commercial use by scientists, government agencies, and NGOs, while commercial use requires contacting [email protected]. Distribution combines direct enterprise sales to utilities (PG&E, Pacificorp), government agencies (US Forest Service, CALFIRE, California Air Resources Board), insurance firms (EigenRisk), and conservation organizations (The Nature Conservancy, Minderoo Foundation), alongside self-serve programmatic access via the web app and API. Funding sources included a USDA SBIR Phase I grant (2018), participation in Creative Destruction Lab (2021), and philanthropic grants from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (primary funder of the Observatory), Lyda Hill Philanthropies, Gates Family Foundation, Minderoo, Bloom Foundation, Sierra Nevada Conservancy, Tahoe Fund, and Mighty Arrow Foundation. In January 2023, Salo Sciences was acquired by Planet Labs and its technology was integrated into Planet's Planetary Variables product line.

Name

Salo Sciences

Legal name

Salo Sciences, Inc.

Website

https://salo.ai

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Salo Sciences builds satellite-based forest monitoring and wildfire risk analytics using AI on high-resolution imagery. Its Forest Observatory delivers tree-scale vegetation, carbon, and hazard data to government agencies, utilities, insurers, and conservation organizations, primarily in California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Geospatial Analytics Software

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Forest Inventory, Mapping & Monitoring (GIS/Remote Sensing/MRV) (IMAMAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Monitoring, Survival Surveys & Carbon/MRV Services (Remote Sensing, Field Audits) (AFAMACAO), Remote Sensing & Earth Observation Analytics (Satellite/UAV/LiDAR, Image Processing) (EUAHAKAD), Fire Detection & Early Warning (Lookouts, Sensors, Aerial Patrol) (AFAMAEAG), Natural Hazard & Climate Physical Risk Screening for Sites (Flood, Wildfire, Sea Level) (EUAHAEAM), Remote Sensing & Imaging (Satellite, UAV/Drone, Aerial, Multispectral/Hyperspectral) (AFAGALAC), Natural Resource Inventory & Forest/Woodland Assessments (Timber, Vegetation, Invasives) (EUAHAHAG)

Keywords

• Satellite forest monitoring
• Wildfire risk analytics
• Carbon stock quantification
• Geospatial AI analytics
• Forest carbon MRV

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Satellite Data & Analytics Platform: Providing high-resolution forest monitoring, carbon quantification, and wildfire risk data products to government agencies, conservation organizations, and land managers through direct engagement and partnership channels. Data freely available for non-commercial use by scientists, government agencies, and NGOs; commercial use requires contact.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Salo Sciences builds a satellite-based forest monitoring and analytics platform that delivers tree-scale, regularly updated data on forest structure, carbon stocks, and wildfire hazard. Its core product, the California Forest Observatory, exposes precision metrics (canopy height, canopy cover, base height, bulk density, ladder fuel density, vegetation indices, carbon stocks, and wildfire risk layers) through a web application, Python API, Google Earth Engine integration, and STAC catalog for programmatic access.

Product overview

Salo Sciences offers a climate technology platform comprising multiple interconnected products: the Forest Observatory (core satellite-based forest monitoring platform) delivers California-wide vegetation fuels and structure data at tree-level resolution; Lens for Carbon (developed with Upstream Tech and Planet) provides tree-scale carbon tracking and reforestation monitoring; Tree Mortality Mapping identifies dead trees using AI analysis of high-resolution satellite imagery; and Wildfire Hazard Data delivers precision risk metrics including fuels, spread rate, and burn probability. The platform is accessible via web application (forestobservatory.com), API (Python package), Google Earth Engine integration, and STAC catalog. All products leverage high-resolution satellite data and AI analytics to support natural climate solutions for conservation, restoration, and wildfire risk mitigation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Forest Observatory (California Forest Observatory) Satellite-based forest monitoring platform delivering California-wide vegetation fuels and structure data at tree-level resolution. Provides precision metrics on canopy height, canopy cover, base height, bulk density, ladder fuels, and vegetation indices for scientists, government agencies, NGOs, and commercial users.
• Lens for Carbon Conservation monitoring system for tracking reforestation and forest carbon projects with precision tree-scale analytics. Delivers tree counts, carbon measurements, tree height, canopy cover, and dynamic reporting tools for documenting and sharing monitoring progress with project stakeholders and auditors.
• Wildfire Hazard Data High-resolution wildfire risk data products including surface fuels, spread rate, flame length, burn probability, wildfire hazard, dead tree cover, and wind/weather metrics. Supports wildfire risk mitigation in fire-prone landscapes for utilities, insurers, and emergency services.
• Tree Mortality Mapping Statewide tree mortality mapping service using high-resolution satellite data and AI to identify dead and drought-stressed trees. First California-wide mapping completed in 2019, with planned expansion to other drought-stressed forests in the Pacific Southwest.
• CFO Python API Python package (cfo) for programmatic access to Forest Observatory datasets, including canopy height and cover. Supports searching datasets, fetching Cloud-Optimized Geotiffs, querying pixel values, clipping with vector files, and integration with Google Earth Engine and the STAC catalog.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tree density increased by 30% in California forests since 1930, with average tree diameter decreasing by 19%
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability6 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Planet LabscoreTechnology or Integration · 20 August 2019Strategic partnership to develop the California Forest Observatory (CFO). Planet provides daily, high-resolution satellite imagery; Salo applies AI-powered analytics; the Observatory dynamically maps forest structure and fuel loads statewide. This partnership was the foundation for Planet's subsequent acquisition of Salo in January 2023.
• Vibrant PlanetcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 August 2019Co-development partner for California Forest Observatory with responsibility for stakeholder engagement, strategic communications, and product experience design. Led ethnographic research with over 70 interviews to characterize wildfire response community needs.
• Upstream TechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed Lens for Carbon, a next-generation conservation monitoring system for forest carbon projects with rich quantitative analysis and dynamic reporting features. Salo contributes satellite analytics and forest health expertise.
• Planet Labs (Product Integration)coreTechnology or IntegrationPlanet provides satellite imagery data and platform for Lens for Carbon product. Integration enables precision analytics and high-resolution monitoring for reforestation tracking.
• EigenRiskminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership announcement for wildfire hazard data integration. EigenRisk integrates Salo wildfire hazard data into their risk modeling platform.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pachama: Pachama combines satellite remote sensing with forest carbon project verification for the voluntary carbon market. Like Salo, it sells high-resolution forest analytics to carbon credit buyers and developers competing for the same MRV spend.
• Vibrant Planet: Vibrant Planet is Salo's co-development partner on the California Forest Observatory and serves the same land management, wildfire planning, and forest resilience buyer base. The two platforms are deeply integrated in Salo's flagship product.
• Overstory: Overstory provides satellite-based vegetation and wildfire risk analytics to electric utilities (the same buyer segment as PG&E and Pacificorp). Both companies deliver tree-level hazard and fuel data for utility wildfire mitigation and grid risk planning.
• RS Metrics: RS Metrics provides satellite-derived environmental and ESG data, including vegetation and emissions monitoring, sold to financial, commodities, and corporate customers. Its offerings overlap with Salo's forest structure and carbon analytics use cases.
• Upstream Tech: Upstream Tech is Salo's direct co-development partner on Lens for Carbon and operates in the same satellite-based forest carbon MRV category. Both companies serve carbon project developers, NGOs, and landowners with tree-level analytics on forest carbon and reforestation.
• Sylvera: Sylvera provides satellite-based forest carbon monitoring and rating for carbon credit markets, directly overlapping Salo's Lens for Carbon and tree-counting capabilities. Both target voluntary carbon market buyers and project developers requiring independent MRV.

Broad incumbents

• Maxar Technologies: Maxar is a major satellite imagery and geospatial analytics incumbent serving government and commercial customers. Its high-resolution imagery and analytics overlap with Salo's tree-scale forest and wildfire products at the broader enterprise/government level.
• Planet Labs: Planet Labs (NYSE: PL) is Salo's parent company post-acquisition and the source of all underlying imagery; Planet's Planetary Variables line now incorporates Salo's analytics. As an Earth observation incumbent, Planet competes broadly with the wider satellite analytics stack Salo relies on.
• Descartes Labs: Descartes Labs is a geospatial analytics platform applying satellite imagery and ML to agriculture, forestry, and sustainability use cases. It is a broader incumbent with overlapping capabilities to Salo's forest monitoring and carbon analytics.

Emerging players

• NCX (Natural Capital Exchange): NCX uses satellite and forest inventory data to quantify forest carbon and connect landowners to carbon buyers. It is an emerging player in the same forest carbon MRV market that Salo targets with Lens for Carbon and tree-counting products.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/salosciences
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/salosciences

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Salo Sciences