This solution, built on IBM Cloud, is a first step towards verified and trustworthy carbon credits that can help prevent fraud and contribute to the traceability of projects.

Quellia is thrilled to announce the creation of a new digital monitoring, reporting and verification (DMRV) Platform. Built on IBM Cloud and leveraging IBM Environmental Intelligence (EI) and IBM Consulting expertise, this AI-powered solution democratizes access to register and manage carbon projects worldwide. This digital platform uses advanced AI tools based on satellite and LiDAR imagery and offers an ecosystem where all the stakeholders in the project have access to the information – which is standardized in a robust registry. The solution was designed to help prevent fraud and ensure that projects generating carbon units effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Carbon credit markets are a key tool in driving progress toward global emissions goals, yet they  face several challenges that can undermine their effectiveness and credibility, such as lack of standardization, demonstration of additionality, risk of double counting, permanence issues, inaccurate measuring and verifying emissions reductions or sequestration – potentially resulting in greenwashing claims.

To address these challenges, Quellia has created a new solution that will guide and support the entire ecosystem through every step of the carbon sequestration project creation and management.

After first creating the DMRV Platform in 2024, Quellia has continued to invest in its growth and development, in three ways:

1. Aligned with the carbon standards organization, Verra, the DMRV Platform can automatically send project data for verification and validation under Verra’s VM0047 methodology, a carbon offset methodology designed for afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation (ARR) projects under Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) program.
2. Collaborating with AENOR, one of the largest certification companies in the world to ensure the platform complies with international standards. AENOR will support this project by adding knowledge, experience and expertise that help ensure the platform is in accordance with the principles of impartiality, objectively and independence.
3. Designing the dMRV platform to be modular and open. In addition, the solution will be adapted with the evolving customer needs and regulatory environment demands.

These improvements build on the end-to-end solution that contributes to:

• Accelerate assessments and monitoring – Leveraging the use of available digital technologies, including electronic databases and geographic information systems, remote sensing artificial intelligence, and machine learning.
• Decrease costs through Scalability – By decreasing the need of human intervention in carbon removal activities such as calculation and audit.
• Increase reputational image – By using a science-based methodology and technological approach, Quellia differentiates itself in the market as a trustworthy reference.
• Help create a reliable marketplace for carbon credits – By using technology to properly verify and track carbon credits creations and sale Quellia will prevent fraud and ensure that projects that generate credits contribute to neutralizing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Quellia DMRV platform leverages IBM Environmental Intelligence, a modernized foundation tool kit (API/SDK) that leverages AI and data sciences to manage the risk of climate-related challenges. The solution uses a Geospatial Foundation Model powered by NASA’s Harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 data to help estimate the Above Ground Biomass (AGB) and carbon content in a geographical area, using a science-based quantification of carbon stored in vegetation at high spatial and temporal resolution, providing a scalable methodology to reduce cost on manual and local assessments. This allows IBM to create unique high-resolution maps of AGB (providing values at each 30m grid point) from sparse measurements and calculate historic and future AGB, carbon units, and carbon dioxide (CO2) capture, making it Quellia’s choice to power this project.

“At Quellia, we’re committed to using technology to create a transparent, reliable, and trustworthy carbon market ecosystem,” said Filipe Vila Nova, President of Quellia. “Our collaboration with IBM brings us closer to this vision, enabling us to provide our businesses with access to advanced technologies, global expertise, and a trusted partner for our digital transformation journey. IBM was our first and only choice”, added Filipe Vila Nova.

“IBM is dedicated in supporting clients such as Quellia in their journey towards a more sustainable future,” added Ricardo Martinho, Country General Manager of IBM Portugal. “By harnessing the power of AI and Cloud, we can transform the way carbon credit projects are managed and verified, driving transparency and credibility in the market.”

Customers who are part of the ecosystem offered in the DMRV platform will get increased transparency thanks to the visibility into the origin, quality and lifecycle of carbon credits and confidence in the authenticity of credits purchased or traded, assuring credits quality and minimizing the risk of double accounting. Clients will have reduced costs for creating feasibility studies for the carbon projects and for monitoring projects throughout its lifecycle.