Twenty Years

Discovery.
Conservation.
Action.

For twenty years, the Global Airborne Observatory has pioneered airborne imaging technology that reveals what no satellite can see—the chemistry of life in 3-D. From coral reefs to rainforest canopies, our maps drive conservation decisions at the speed ecosystems require.
See the Historical Timeline→
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20
Pacific Mission

Updates From the Field

Follow the Pacific campaign as it unfolds — aerial mapping, dive surveys, and ground operations across the Western Pacific.

November 10, 2026

Yap Island: Mapping Begins

GAO took a three-day break from mapping Palau to fly Yap Island, working hand in hand with Yap’s government and OneReef.
View Mission Update→
Aerial view of a large forested volcanic mountain under a clear blue sky.
November 1, 2026

Mapping Palau

GAO turns to Palau, a compact reef region home to about half of the world’s coral species, to map living coral and calibrate the Tanager satellites.
View Mission Update→
Aerial view of a large forested volcanic mountain under a clear blue sky.
June 27, 2026

Guam Dive Calibration Complete

915 seafloor surveys. 131 dives. 10-15 foot seas. The Guam dive calibration is complete — and the data covers the entire CNMI.
View Mission Update→
Aerial view of a large forested volcanic mountain under a clear blue sky.
May 1, 2026

Guam & CNMI Mapping

After months based out of Guam, GAO has completed aerial mapping across the full CNMI island chain — and the team is heading underwater next.
View Mission Update→
Aerial view of a large forested volcanic mountain under a clear blue sky.
May 1, 2026

DLNR Kona Low Storm Response

Following severe storm systems earlier this year, GAO rapidly deployed across Oʻahu, Maui, and Kauaʻi to map reef impact for Hawaiʻi's Department of Land and Natural Resources.
View Mission Update→
Aerial view of a large forested volcanic mountain under a clear blue sky.
January 1, 2026

The ʻĀkoʻakoʻa Coastline Survey

A 120-mile contiguous reef survey along West Hawaiʻi — from ʻUpolu Point to South Point — mapping one of the longest unbroken coral corridors in the state.
View Mission Update→
Aerial view of a large forested volcanic mountain under a clear blue sky.
January 1, 2026

Securing the Hawaiian Launchpad

The Pacific campaign launches from Hawaiʻi — coral surveys, water quality runs, and a first-ever satellite ground-truth with Planet Labs.
View Mission Update→
Aerial view of a large forested volcanic mountain under a clear blue sky.
Breakthroughs

The Discoveries That Changed Conservation

Oceania/Pacific

From Mapping to Restoration

Identified coral refugia along the West Hawaiʻi coast — areas that survived the 2015 marine heat wave intact — at one-meter resolution.
Africa

What the Savanna Was Hiding

Male lions hunt aggressively in dense vegetation — not lazy as assumed. Elephant habitat destruction was caused by overconcentration, not overpopulation.
South America

The Forest That Wasn't on the Map

Discovered an entirely undocumented forest type with unique species assemblages found nowhere else in Peru.
The Science of SpectrAnomics

We see the chemistry of life itself

The chemicals in leaves and coral do four things: vibrate, bend, stretch, and rotate. These molecular harmonics create unique spectral signatures across the visible and invisible spectrum. Where satellites see green, we see species. Where others see reef, we see living corals.
Explore Spectranomics →
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Explore

Go Deeper

Meet the people, the science, and the global reach behind two decades of airborne discovery.

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People

The People of GAO

The scientists, engineers, and collaborators who built GAO from the ground up — and continue to push the boundaries of what airborne science can do.
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ABOUT

The Observatory

The discoveries, the datasets, and the moments that changed how the world understands ecosystems from the air.
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Mission map

The Global Reach

From the Amazon to the Arctic, from Hawaiian reefs to African savannas — every place GAO has flown, mapped, and measured over two decades.