Howden has secured funding from the UK Space Agency’s ‘Unlocking Space for Business Grant Call 2’ to develop a biodiversity risk monitoring solution that uses satellite data and artificial intelligence (AI).
The project will be carried out in the Howden Resilience Laboratory in partnership with PCI Geomatics, a provider of earth observation solutions. The aim is to create a scalable monitoring system to help insurers, landowners, and developers track ecological changes across land sites.
The use of earth observation data will be integrated into insurance underwriting and risk assessment processes for land sites.
As environmental priorities continue to influence land development, there is a growing need to measure and record nature-related risks such as biodiversity loss, habitat degradation, and ecosystem change. Frameworks like the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and England’s Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) policy require reliable and auditable data.
Traditional field surveys and inconsistent datasets are often costly and challenging to scale across multiple or remote sites.
The new monitoring system will combine satellite data, artificial intelligence, and land classification models to identify habitat boundaries and provide insights into land cover, habitat quality, and ecological change. This approach is expected to increase the speed and efficiency of biodiversity assessments and facilitate the reporting of nature-related risks.
This initiative also comes amid a broader integration of AI within the sector, with recent research highlighting how AI-powered chatbots, virtual assistants, and automation are being used to streamline underwriting, claims, and customer service.
Insurers are deploying machine learning models to improve risk selection and pricing, and early adopters are expected to be better positioned to manage operational challenges and regulatory developments as AI becomes more embedded in the sector.
Moving beyond these usual AI-powered advancements, Howden said that its new solution will support regulatory compliance and give insurers a clearer view of environmental risk. It will be tested on sites identified by DUAL, Howden Group’s specialist underwriting division, to evaluate its accuracy and operational value.
The results will inform further development and a commercial rollout across sectors such as land development, renewables, agriculture, and natural resources.
“This grant allows us to fully activate the capabilities of the Howden Resilience Laboratory, where cutting-edge technology meets world-class expertise to solve our clients’ most complex challenges,” said Matthew Foote, Head of Climate and Emerging Risk Intelligence at Howden.
The UK government’s increased focus on artificial intelligence, as outlined by Prime Minister Kier Starmer, is also influencing the industry. Insurtechs such as Concirrus have noted that AI is expected to automate routine underwriting tasks, allowing underwriters to focus on higher-value decisions and strategic work.
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