The short answer. Every result we report carries its accuracy. Real soil samples anchor the result, satellite imagery and AI extend it across the field at 100 readings a hectare, and the error of that extension is measured against samples the AI never saw, then deducted in full, so the numbers hold up to all audit standards.
Reviewed by David Wright, founder and CEO of Ecometric. Last reviewed September 2026.
Why a single number is not enough
You already test for P, K and pH, and you already know your fields are varied: the headland, the light patch, the corner that goes first in a dry year. A standard soil test averages all of that into one number, and the variation disappears. Measuring field by field, with the accuracy stated, increases field level quantification accuracy to report change you can act on, rather than an average that tells you nothing about the underlying variability.
How the error is measured
Physical samples from your fields are analysed by dry combustion in an ISO-accredited laboratory. Our AI ties those results to satellite imagery to give a value every 10 metres. To find out how good that step is, some samples are held back and the AI never sees them. Its estimate at those points is then compared with what the laboratory actually found. The difference is the error, measured on your farm, on your soil, in that year, rather than taken from a textbook or assumed from a model.
The physical samples are the anchor. The satellite never replaces them; it fills in the variation between them. That is what increases field-level accuracy enough to report change you can act on, rather than an average that tells you nothing about the underlying variability. The full method is described in how soil carbon is measured.
Deducted in full
The measured error is then deducted in full before the change is reported. This ensures the most conservative result, and every round is measured the same way whichever tier you are on. What remains on the report is the change we can evidence.
For you, it shows whether this year’s decisions built or lost soil resilience, in time to correct. For a buyer in your supply chain, it is supplier-specific data to the standards their auditors will use from 2027. For lenders and insurers pricing your business, it is measured resilience.
The same standard on every tier
Our method went through four rounds of independent scientific review to earn Regen Registry accreditation and its own credit class. It is audited by Carbon Direct and Nova-Cert, verified to ISO 14065 and rated by BeZero in the global top 30%. Registry-accredited methodology, third-party verification and an immutable ledger, so the numbers hold up to all audit standards. Every round is measured to that standard whichever tier you are on, so if a credit market opens that is worth your while, the measurement history is ready and compliant, and stepping up is a decision rather than starting again.
What it looks like on your report
Change against your own baseline, field by field, with the accuracy stated alongside it, and a map of each field at 10-metre resolution showing where carbon is being held or lost. Because we track annual change in soil carbon, management practice, yield and emissions across every project we monitor, the report can also show what turned the same pattern around on comparable farms.
Questions we are asked about accuracy
Is a satellite estimate as good as a sample?
No, and it is not asked to be. The samples are the anchor. The satellite fills in the variation between them, and the error of doing so is measured against held-back samples and deducted. A sample-only result would give a field average from the sample points, with no map of what lies between them.
Why not just take more samples?
Physical sampling is time consuming and costly to deliver at a density that takes account of the significant in-field spatial variation. This is where the additional spectral sampling of Ecometric’s system at a density of 100 points per hectare adds significantly to the total sample numbers, improving quantification accuracy over a soil sampling-only system.
Does the deduction make my result smaller?
Yes. Error is carefully evaluated through the methodology and deducted in full to ensure the most conservative result, so buyers can trust the number.
How do I get my fields measured?
Send us your SBI number and your hectares and we will send a written quote within two working days. Minimum project area is 150 hectares. Contact us.
Part of our guide to soil carbon measurement for farms. Related: soil carbon testing for your farm · how soil carbon is measured · soil carbon and yield · the science behind the method.
