AUTHOR PROFILE Joseph Mascaro
Dr. Joe Mascaro is Planet's Director of Science Programs

Joining the Challenge: Planet Labs Partners with the Rockefeller Foundation

News

From the start, we’ve been excited by the potential humanitarian applications of our Earth imaging data. Our lofty ambitions are now real and concrete; we’re humbled to announce our partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation to make global change visible, accessible and actionable for those who need it most.

Our Earth imaging data will be incorporated into the Global Resilience Partnership, funded by The Rockefeller Foundation, Sida, and USAID. Our first joint activity is the Global Resilience Challenge, which recently chose seventeen international teams comprising NGOs, universities, for-profits and government agencies to develop novel solutions to some of the most complex humanitarian problems affecting the Sahel, Horn of Africa and Southeast Asia. Planet Labs will provide high-cadence imagery data and technical assistance to GRC teams tackling everything from crowdsourcing crisis response to monitoring fragile ecosystems.

“The Global Resilience Partnership is dedicated to surfacing innovations that can solve the problems that are standing in the way of progress and prosperity in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and South and Southeast Asia. To create resilient solutions, we need both new thinking and new information, and Planet Labs technology will be invaluable to helping us all on this journey, ” said Sundaa Bridgett-Jones, Associate Director for International Development at The Rockefeller Foundation.

We’re thrilled that some of the world’s most innovative problem-solvers will use our imagery to solve complex humanitarian problems. And we hope to discover meaningful new applications for our unique and growing data set in the process.

Thus, we join the Challenge with open eyes and ears, in service to human welfare. To learn more about our cause-based partnerships visit: planet.com/impact.