In a world where environmental regulations are tightening and sustainability is no longer just a buzzword but a business imperative, a groundbreaking study led by Thomas Blaschke from the Department of Geoinformatics–Z_GIS at the University of Salzburg is shedding light on how geospatial data and workflows are becoming central to compliance reporting. Published in the journal ‘Big Earth Data’ (which translates to ‘Large Earth Data’), the research delves into the intricate relationship between evolving EU regulations and the Earth Observation (EO) and GIS technologies available to meet these requirements.
The study, which includes contributions from the private sector, reviews a range of binding and soft-law instruments such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), the EU Taxonomy, the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), and the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Blaschke and his team analyze which provisions require specific types of spatial information for various business activities, particularly focusing on deforestation-related supply-chain regulations.
“Geospatial data is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have for companies aiming to comply with environmental and sustainability regulations,” Blaschke asserts. The research synthesizes state-of-the-art EO and geospatial approaches that can operationalize these legal requirements, proposing a conceptual framework that distinguishes three families of geospatial workflows: risk screening, attribution, and verification. These workflows are mapped to typical corporate reporting processes, providing a clear roadmap for businesses to follow.
The study identifies recurring gaps between legal definitions and EO-derived classifications, significant uncertainties in global land use/land cover products, and challenges in integrating geospatial data quality metadata into auditable reporting processes. However, it also highlights emerging opportunities from open EO archives, global benchmark products, and AI-enabled processing platforms that can support scalable, transparent, and repeatable geospatial workflows for sustainability reporting.
For the energy sector, the implications are profound. As companies strive to meet sustainability goals and comply with increasingly stringent regulations, the ability to leverage geospatial data effectively can mean the difference between success and failure. “The energy sector, in particular, stands to gain from these advancements,” Blaschke notes. “Accurate geospatial data can help energy companies monitor their environmental impact, ensure compliance, and make informed decisions that align with sustainability objectives.”
The research outlines a research and innovation agenda for standardized reference datasets, benchmarking protocols, and interoperable platforms that involve regulators, data providers, and corporate users. This collaborative approach aims to ensure that geospatial workflows are fit for purpose in environmental and sustainability compliance reporting.
As the world moves towards a more sustainable future, the role of geospatial data and workflows in compliance reporting cannot be overstated. Blaschke’s research, published in ‘Big Earth Data’, provides a comprehensive overview of the current landscape and offers a roadmap for future developments. For the energy sector and beyond, the insights gleaned from this study are invaluable, paving the way for more transparent, accurate, and efficient sustainability reporting.