Planet LABS is the leading provider of daily satellite data about the Earth.

The company's mission is to make global change visible, accessible and actionable through their +200 satellites.

Greenpeace is a well-known global network that fights to preserve the environment.

Flying Guardians is the solution to a challenge: how to make environmental abuse more tangible?

The project went far beyond this initial objective.

Not only did it get people to see what was going on in the Amazon, it also created an entirely new way to protect the environment.

And all without leaving gameplay.

For Greenpeace, specifically, Flying Guardians also solved other long-time problems.

It brought a brand with a 50-year history closer to new generations, generated an unprecedented database of reports about environmental threats in the Amazon (user-generated content) which is the first step for a formal investigation. Also resulted in an increase in petition signatures and donations.

Planet LABS and Greenpeace teamed up to turn Microsoft Flight Simulator into a real-life environmental defense platform.

This innovative MOD updates the game’s original map with near real-time satellite data from Planet Labs.

Using it, players can fly over updated satellite imagery of Amazon. In other words, the satellite footage itself is now gamified.

And, most importantly: players make a direct impact on the real world.

Using an innovative in-game feature, gamers can issue reports about threats to the authorities, attached to real coordinates.

This database can help in investigations about illegal mining, deforestation, indigenous land invasions, and more.

Without leaving the platform, players can also sign Greenpeace's petition and donate to the cause.

Flying Guardians is a seamless integration between the gaming entertainment, Greenpeace's activism, and Planet LABS' main service: near-real-time imagery from cutting-edge satellites.

Planet Labs is the world's leading provider of satellite daily data about Earth.

The company operates 200+ cutting-edge satellites that provide an unprecedented dataset of Earth observation imagery. With a unique combination of coverage, frequency, and resolution, the company delivers geospatial insights in near real-time.

Flying Guardians turned that data into an entertainment experience.

By editing Microsoft Flight Simulator’s open code, the game's map was updated with Planet Labs’ near real-time satellite imagery.

This data integration was executed by an exclusive API.

The gameplay's image quality was guaranteed by an automated process : Planet Labs’ AI model selects the best frames of satellite images and removes clouds and other interference.

The Flying Guardians' main output is also data: user-generated reports about threats in the Amazon.

All this data was then cataloged and delivered to the local authorities.

Flying Guardians is the perfect match between environmental data and gamification.

The Flying Guardians development process took 8 months.

First came the programming. Given the unprecedented nature of the project, it took months of trial and error before we were able to link the stream of near real-time imagery from cutting-edge satellites to the game.

Flying Guardians also includes a number of exclusive functions in the game, such as radio stations transmitting information, a tool for reporting incidents (which feeds straight into a Greenpeace database), an in-game shortcut for signing a petition and donating, and different themed planes.

The launch included a video and a suite of messaging in a variety of formats,and was boosted by 40-plus Brazilian streamers, specialists in MFS and in other games as well.

The Flying Guardians platform can easily be scaled up and expanded to any other part of the world – all you have to do is select a new region to receive updated imagery.

By turning a game into a real-life environmental defense platform, Flying Guardians turned players into real-life environmental defenders.

This is an unprecedented change in gaming behavior.

Most games can bring awareness to real-world issues. But with Flying Guardians, the main goal is for users to have a concrete, real-world impact.

Direct from the game, players reported real threats to authorities.

That's why the project spilled over, out of the gaming world. Journalists, researchers, teachers, environmental inspectors, and environmental influencers shared the project in the mainstream media and on social networks.

+325h of live streaming watched

+1800 players became Amazon protectors

2933 overall threats reported to the authorities (1096 illegal mining sites, 992 deforestation areas, 608 invasions of indigenous lands, 237 other)

(Greenpeace only) +30% donations and +240% petition signatures

75M earned Media (approximately)

This was just the first flight. This partnership between Planet LABS and Greenpeace will soon go global.