TOKYO, JAPAN, March 27, 2025 — NTT Corporation, Biome Inc., NTT Com, NTT COMWARE, NTT DATA and NTT DOCOMO announced today that they have jointly begun developing technology enabling the large-scale estimation¹ of vegetation² and biological organisms through remote sensing³. By combining NTT Group's assets, including satellite image data analysis technology,⁴ with Biome's real-time "BiomeDB" database of organisms, one of the largest in Japan with over 8.5 million entries, they aim to establish comprehensive and continuous methods for collecting and analyzing data related to vegetation and organisms. This initiative will support biodiversity monitoring and contribute to achieving a nature-positive⁵ society.

1. Background

Of the total value added⁶ within the global economy, some USD 44 trillion (almost half of global GDP), depends on natural capital⁷ such as forests and soil. However, the degradation of biodiversity, which supports this natural capital, is progressing at an unprecedented rate⁸. Against this backdrop, interest in biodiversity conservation and the nature-positive sector has been rising globally, especially following the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework⁹ at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2022.

In Japan, the government has formulated its Nature Positive Economy Transition Strategy¹⁰, and there is an expectation for diverse stakeholders, including businesses, government, and citizens, to work towards realizing a nature-positive economy. To achieve this, companies need to understand and assess the current state of natural capital and engage in continuous monitoring and conservation activities based on international demands from bodies such as the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD)¹¹. However, relying solely on open data for understanding and monitoring can sometimes be insufficient in terms of update frequency and accuracy, necessitating the continuation of resource-intensive on-site surveys. To address these challenges, the six companies behind this initiative are initiating a demonstration project.

2. Project outline

a. Activities
In addition to utilizing satellite image data, biological data held by Biome and actual field data, such as vegetation and biological data owned by local governments, the project will estimate the vegetation, species composition, and distribution in specific regions based on high-frequency, broad coverage across Japan, with a granularity aligned with international frameworks and standards.

b. Field demonstrations
At “Docomo Sennan Horigo no Mori” forest in Sennan City, Osaka managed by NTT Docomo starting in January 2025
Objective: To verify the feasibility of using satellites to track the condition of forests and surrounding ecosystems.

Through this demonstration, NTT Docomo will explore new methods of visualizing biodiversity and conducting long-term monitoring to promote the conservation of the forest, which has been certified as a "Nature Coexistence Site"¹² by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan. Additionally, they will evaluate the potential for utilizing these methods for future monitoring around Docomo’s base stations.

At the Asahi Forest in Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture, managed by Asahi Group Japan starting in April 2025
Objective: To verify large-scale estimation technology and establish business use cases.
Through this demonstration, Asahi Group Japan will conduct verification to explore new methods for the sustainable visualization of biodiversity and long-term monitoring of the forest based on Asahi Group Environmental Principles.

Concept

3. Roles of each member

NTT Corp:

Overall project management

Biome Inc.:

Provision of ecosystem data, sharing of insights on biodiversity, and exploration of service commercialization

NTT Com:

Implementation of field demonstrations, exploration of business use cases, and consideration of service commercialization

NTT COMWARE:

Comprehensive data analysis and accuracy verification

NTT DATA:

Provision of high-resolution satellite image data (AW3D)¹³

NTT DOCOMO:

Provision of field sites and verification of business use cases

4. Future development

Going forward, the participating companies will explore specific business use cases such as formulating “landscape strategies”¹⁴ for local governments, supporting companies in transitioning to nature-positive management, and assisting in data collection for the preparation of companies’ integrated reports. Additionally, they will conduct discussions with a wide range of local governments and companies with the aim of developing a high-coverage, high-accuracy biodiversity platform that can help support their biodiversity strategy development and quantitative evaluation of natural capital.

In conjunction with the commencement of this development, NTT DOCOMO Ventures, an NTT Group corporate venture capital firm, has invested in Biome through a fund it manages¹⁵. With this investment, the collaboration between Biome and NTT Group will be strengthened, creating new value through the exploration of nature-positive business opportunities and collaborative research.

^1. Broad-area estimation involves analyzing data obtained from instruments such as satellites and aircraft to assess conditions over large areas.

^2. Vegetation refers to the range of plant species in a particular area on the Earth's land surfaces, such as forests, grasslands, croplands, and wastelands.

^3. Remote sensing is a technology used to measure the shape and characteristics of objects from a distance.

^4. NTT Group provides satellite data under its space business brand "NTT C89," which stands for the NTT CONSTELLATION 89 PROJECT, an initiative aimed at expanding its space-related business and contributing to the overall development of the space industry through the provision of solutions. NTT C89 is a trademark of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation.

URL：https://group.ntt/en/aerospace/

^5. Nature-positive refers to the concept of halting biodiversity loss and stimulating recovery.

^6. The total added value refers to the total amount of value created by companies through their business activities.

^7. Reference: Nature Positive Economy Transition Strategy, Ministry of Environment, Government of Japan

^8. Reference: Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, IPBES

^9. The "Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework" is a new set of global biodiversity targets adopted in December 2022. Its mission for 2030 is to "halt and reverse biodiversity loss," essentially aiming for a "nature-positive" outcome, which involves the restoration and enhancement of natural ecosystems.

^10. Japan’s "Transition Strategies toward Nature Positive Economy," approved by the Cabinet in March 2024, outlines a vision and pathway for transitioning to an economy that conserves nature by changing the behaviors of businesses, financial institutions, and consumers.

^11. TNFD is an international initiative aimed at developing a framework for companies and organizations to assess and disclose the impact of their economic activities on the natural environment and biodiversity.

^12. Nature Coexistence Site is an area recognized by the Japanese government where biodiversity conservation is achieved through private initiatives and other efforts. These designated areas, excluding overlaps with protected areas, are registered in the international database as OECM (Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures). Source: Ministry of Environment of Japan

^13. AW3D: a 3D digital world map - see https://www.aw3d.jp/en/

^14. A landscape strategy is an approach that comprehensively addresses various human activities and the natural environment within a specific region or space, based on land and spatial planning, to solve challenges.

^15. Press release: March 27, 2025 NTT & NTT DOCOMO VENTURES “Investment in Biome Inc., Biodiversity Big Data Platform Operator”

About NTT

NTT contributes to a sustainable society through the power of innovation. We are a leading global technology company providing services to consumers and businesses as a mobile operator, infrastructure, networks, applications, and consulting provider. Our offerings include digital business consulting, managed application services, workplace and cloud solutions, data center and edge computing, all supported by our deep global industry expertise. We are over $97B in revenue and 330,000 employees, with $3.6B in annual R&D investments. Our operations span across 80+ countries and regions, allowing us to serve clients in over 190 of them. We serve over 75% of Fortune Global 100 companies, thousands of other enterprise and government clients and millions of consumers.

About Biome Inc.

Biome Inc., one of Japan’s largest biodiversity databases, accelerates biodiversity data collection, real-time monitoring, and species conservation through an engaging and accessible gamified citizen science platform. Millions of data points are validated using state-of-the-art, AI-driven technologies, which are refined and verified by local biologists and experts.
Our services connect species presence and distribution predictions to key metrics such as extinction risks, ecosystem condition indicators, and impact analyses. By doing so, Biome Inc. has supported over 400 projects across Japan and Asia, spanning public, corporate, and financial initiatives, as well as reporting for disclosures, conservation efforts, and nature-positive targets.
biome.co.jp/en/

About NTT Communications

Founded in 1999, NTT Communications provides a comprehensive range of ICT services, leveraging our leading-edge infrastructure and technical expertise. Our solutions span networks, cloud, data centers, applications, security, and AI. In 2022, we became the core provider of enterprise services within the NTT DOCOMO Group. Under the "docomo business" brand, we drive the global-scale transformation of industries by utilizing 5G, IoT, and other advanced technologies. We also support the creation of new workstyles and the digital transformation of local communities. https://www.ntt.com/en/index.html

About NTT COMWARE

NTT COMWARE envisions a future that is friendly to people and society and contributes to the realization of an affluent world where people can connect each other. NTT COMWARE will enhance its network platform for the next generation, bring about social and industrial structural changes, drive business expansion of the DOCOMO Group, and promote DX of the NTT Group based on the quality and reliability that have supported Japan's social infrastructure. For details, please visit here.
https://www.nttcom.co.jp/english/about/value/

About NTT DATA

NTT DATA is a $30+ billion trusted global innovator of business and technology services. We serve 75% of the Fortune Global 100 and are committed to helping clients innovate, optimize and transform for long-term success. As a Global Top Employer, we have diverse experts in more than 50 countries and a robust partner ecosystem of established and start-up companies. Our services include business and technology consulting, data and artificial intelligence, industry solutions, as well as the development, implementation and management of applications, infrastructure and connectivity. We are also one of the leading providers of digital and AI infrastructure in the world. NTT DATA is part of NTT Group, which invests over $3.6 billion each year in R&D to help organizations and society move confidently and sustainably into the digital future. Visit us at nttdata.com.

About NTT DOCOMO

NTT DOCOMO, Japan's leading mobile operator with over 90million subscribers, is one of the global leaders in 3G, 4G and 5G mobile network technologies. Under the slogan "Bridging Worlds for Wonder & Happiness," DOCOMO is actively collaborating with global partners to expand its business scope from mobile services to comprehensive solutions, aiming to deliver unsurpassed value and drive innovation in technology and communications, ultimately to support positive change and advancement in global society.
https://www.docomo.ne.jp/english/