This document summarises the learning from Rainforest Alliance's Hybrid Community-Based Monitoring pilot project. The goal of this 3-year project was to design and develop a Hybrid Community-based Monitoring System (HCMS) that combines GPS and remote sensing with on-the-ground data from the key landscape stakeholders for data management and reporting at a landscape level.

The Smart Assurance project, supported by the ISEAL Innovations Fund (September 2023 to July 2024), developed and tested a new type of oversight process that combines the use of satellite data, analytical methods, and ground verification supported by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs or drones) with assessment practices to provide enhanced oversight both at scale and with a new level of granularity.

The Smart Assurance project, supported by the ISEAL Innovations Fund (September 2023 to July 2024), developed and tested an approach which leverages Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and drone technology to create cutting-edge insights for assurance systems that ensures accuracy, efficiency, and transparency. This documents the key benefits of the approach, and use cases in two sectors - forestry and aquaculture.