Using Planet Satellite Data, the Antinarcotics Directorate of the Colombian National Police (DIRAN) Work to Eradicate Illicit Crops

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL), a leading provider of daily data and insights about Earth, today announced that they have expanded their contract with Colombia’s National Police. Leveraging Planet’s satellite data, the Colombian National Police monitors and works to eradicate illicit crop growth and harvest in near-real time.

This contract specifically supports the Antinarcotics Directorate of the Colombian National Police (DIRAN). DIRAN uses aerial intelligence information, including Planet satellite data, to monitor and respond to the growth of illicit crops. With satellite data, DIRAN tracks crops, monitors their health and growth, and intervenes when they identify illegal cultivation activity.

Thanks to Planet’s high-resolution imagery and broad land coverage, DIRAN is able to see the full scale of illicit crop operations. This has made it possible to crack down on illicit crops and implement successful eradication plans based on real-time data.

DIRAN leverages Planet’s PlanetScope data feed, providing near-daily satellite imagery of crop fields at approximately 3 m resolution, and Planet Basemaps, offering seamless, cloud free mosaics of Colombia's agricultural lands made of a compilation of the clearest recent satellite imagery collected. Through this contract, Colombia’s National Police also utilize Planet’s SkySat tasking satellites to obtain high-resolution imagery of specific crop areas of interest. After identifying potential illicit crop growth with PlanetScope data, DIRAN employs the tasking satellites to look closer at the fields with the SkySat 50 cm resolution data.

Through this capability, the Colombian National Police are able to swiftly view the change in crops across the country, noting when a field’s plants are indeed illicit crops. By embracing this digital technology over the years, DIRAN has made significant strides in gaining critical intelligence information on the illegal industry and combating this cultivation.

Leveraging Planet data since 2017, DIRAN has been able to estimate the extent of illicit crop cultivation, assessing the size and scale of the issue to determine the resources needed for eradication efforts. The satellite data aids in DIRAN’s operational planning, helping to identify precise locations of the illicit crop growth, plan optimal routes for eradication, and develop targeted strategies to ensure the efficiency of the eradication efforts.

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Planet is a leading provider of global, daily satellite imagery and geospatial solutions. Planet is driven by a mission to image the world every day, and make change visible, accessible and actionable. Founded in 2010 by three NASA scientists, Planet designs, builds, and operates the largest Earth observation fleet of imaging satellites. Planet provides mission-critical data, advanced insights, and software solutions to over 1,000 customers, comprising the world’s leading agriculture, forestry, intelligence, education and finance companies and government agencies, enabling users to simply and effectively derive unique value from satellite imagery. Planet is a public benefit corporation listed on the New York Stock Exchange as PL. To learn more visit www.planet.com and follow us on X (formerly Twitter) or tune in to HBO's ‘Wild Wild Space’.