TerraWatch Space

Today, I am speaking with Chiara Solimini, Space Downstream Market Officer at EUSPA, the agency that manages the space programme of the European Union.In this episode, we discuss what EUSPA is and its activities, the role of EUSPA in promoting the use of data from the Copernicus programme, the European Green Deal and how Copernicus enables its implementation, how EUSPA encourages research and entrepreneurship and more.If you don't know much about EUSPA and want to learn more about how it can support your company or research project, then this episode is for you.And now, I bring you, Chiara Solimini.EUSPA - WebsiteEU Space for Green Transition - ReportEU Space for Sustainable Development - Report---01:06: Intro02:09: Overview of EUSPA and its role in promoting the uptake of Copernicus data10:40: What is the EU Green Deal and how Copernicus enables its implementation15:53: EU Space for Sustainable Development18:51: What is coming up for EU Space and how EUSPA supports research and entrepreneurship?23:52: Wrap-up

Today, I am speaking with Rhiannan Price, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer at DevGlobal.DevGlobal is a consultancy that works in the development sector on impact projects with the world's leading non-profits, companies, philanthropies, multilateral agencies, and government agencies. Rhiannan has been working in Earth observation for a while, especially on the impact side of things. Prior to her role at DevGlobal, she led the Sustainable Development portfolio at Maxar, where she helped found their Open Data Program, among other initiatives. In this conversation, Rhiannan and I talk about the use of Earth observation in the development sector, the journey of imagery from space to impact on the ground, the challenges of using Earth observation data, its potential in creating impact and more.Rhiannan Price - LinkedInDevGlobal - WebsiteDevGlobal's project with the Gates Foundation---Thanks to Development Seed for being one of the contributors to the podcast.Development Seed - Website---01:45: Intro06:31: DevGlobal - Overview09:30: What is the development sector?13:59: What is the use of EO in the development sector?18:15: The journey from imagery to impact24:48: What does Rhiannan wish was easier with EO?28:26: What does the best-case scenario look like for the use of EO for impact?37:54: The state of adoption of EO in development42:30: SatSummit conference47:52: The evolution of EO and what to look forward to50:29: Pricing and licensing challenges in EO54:58: Wrap-up

Today, I am speaking with Thijs van Leeuwen, Director of Product at Planet. Most of you should be aware of Planet, the company that operates the largest fleet of earth imaging satellites. A couple of years ago, Planet acquired VanderSat, a Dutch startup offering data products like soil moisture derived from various sources of satellite data.Today, VanderSat's capabilities are integrated into Planet and the fruit of that collaboration is what Planet calls Planetary Variables (PVs), a set of products that are directly usable by end-users without the need to process satellite imagery. As an advocate of making EO mainstream, I have been quite excited about PVs ever since the announcement. So, I decided to have a chat with Thijs, who was the CEO of VanderSat before the acquisition, on the podcast. In this episode, we discuss VanderSat's journey, what are Planetary Variables, what data sources they use, the black-box problem, Planet's vision for Planetary Variables and more.Planet acquires VanderSatPlanetary Variables---01:17: Thijs' Intro and Overview of Planet06:53: VanderSat: Founding journey13:07: Acquisition by Planet15:23: What are Planetary Variables (PVs)?18:57: Examples of PVs and what data they use22:44: Are PVs data-agnostic or do they use only Planet data?23:59: How do PVs fit into Planet's vision and existing set of customers? 29:11: How do you come up with a PV?30:48: The black-box problem: What is the methodology to derive a PV?35:26: The future of PVs after the acquisition of Sinergise38:34: The state of EO and why EO is not mainstream yet43:07: Wrap-up questions

Today, we are zooming out from Earth observation a little bit and going to focus on a subject that I think is very important for the future of EO: space sustainability.We are launching more Earth observation satellites than ever before, and the progress in space tech has meant that any individual, organisation or country can put up an instrument in space to collect data for scientific, commercial, environmental or strategic purposes. But how sustainable is that? To discuss this I had Krystal Azelton, Director of Application Programs at the Secure World Foundation, a non-profit organisation whose aim is to develop and promote ideas and actions to achieve the secure, sustainable, and peaceful uses of outer space benefiting Earth.In this episode, Krystal and I discuss the state of the space environment, the threats and worst-case scenarios, what regulations exist and how effective they are, the similarities with climate policies, why every stakeholder in the Earth observation sector should care about this topic and more.Secure World Foundation - WebsiteSummit for Space Sustainability---01:23: Intro02:59: An overview of the Secure World Foundation06:35: The state of the space environment today09:56: Status quo of regulations and similarities with climate policies16:38: The worst-case scenario19:41: What are the solutions?22:19: Why this matters for the EO sector33:43: Are there risks to the adoption of EO because of the state of the space environment?37:54: How can we balance spreading awareness in the world of alarmist headlines?41:28: State of EO and why EO is not mainstream yet49:14: What don't we talk about enough in EO?52:11: Wrap-up

Today, I am speaking with Dr Claire Burke, who is the Director of Science at Climate X, a UK-based startup that is building a global climate risk analytics platform to support organisations in their climate adaptation efforts.In this episode, we talk about what Climate X does, their tech stack and how they use satellite data, how they convert scientific results into climate risk analytics, the "black-box problem" challenges in educating end-users and more. This was a thought-provoking conversation with Claire especially as we head into a world where many climate-related policy and strategic decisions could be powered by satellite-driven insights. Climate X---01:04: Intro04:18: Climate X: Overview 07:24: Converting scientific results into quantified financial risks09:51: Tech stack and what type of satellite data is used15:46: The "black-box" problem and challenges in educating end-users23:00: Data gaps and state of EO27:56: What can the EO industry do better33:27: How does Claire keep herself climate-optimistic?---

Today, I have two guests from Asterra, the Israeli startup offering a satellite-based solution for monitoring all kinds of infrastructure, whether it is for monitoring roads, rails, dams, water utilities and even for mining. While Asterra uses analytics derived from synthetic aperture radar (or SAR) imagery in their products, they use a specific type of SAR data in the L-band spectrum. Note: I have had the CEO of Asterra on the podcast before. Check out episode #60 to learn more about the company. This episode is especially about how they use L-band SARL-Band SAR is unique in its own way, in terms of its availability, usability and potential. So, to discuss this further I had two guests from Asterra on the podcast. Jasmin Inbar, who is the VP of Corporate Development and Yuval Lorig, the VP of Research and Development. In this episode, we discuss Asterra's strategy, the advantages of L-band SAR, its availability and applications, polarimetric SAR and its use, how Asterra is using SAR for mining applications and more. If you are curious to learn more about the applications of SAR, specifically L-band SAR, this episode might be a good intro. Asterra's SolutionsAsterra's Mining Application[Thanks to Asterra for  sponsoring this episode]---01:22: Intros03:58: Overview of Asterra06:50: Asterra's customers and product portfolio11:18: L-Band SAR: What, Why and How?15:20: Usability of L-Band SAR and how Asterra uses it17:21: Polarimetric SAR and its applications23:02: Use cases in the mining sector26:35: Is L-Band SAR going to become mainstream soon?30:41: State of adoption of EO for infrastructure monitoring33:24: Worries about the state of EO35:20: Wrap-up

Today, I am excited to bring you an episode on a topic that I have been researching for a while - satellite imagery in 3D. The guest I am speaking with is Josh Winer who is a Senior Director for Global Sales at Maxar Technologies.Maxar probably needs no introduction as a company, I think most of you know what Maxar does both within the Earth observation domain and outside that. But, if you had paid attention to the company over the past few years, going private aside, Maxar has been heavily investing in its 3D market strategy - whether it is the initial partnership and later acquisition of Vricon, the acquisition of AI and software development company Wovenware or the recent partnership with blackshark.ai on digital twins.So, I wanted to ask Josh about what Maxar's thinking is and how it sees the potential of 3D satellite imagery to be. In this episode, we discuss Maxar's strategy, use cases for 3D imagery in industries such as telecom, automotive and gaming, complementary/substitute sensors, the differences and similarities of going to market with 3D vs 2D and more.And now I bring you, Josh Winer.Maxar's partnership with blackshark.aiMaxar's acquisition of WovenwareMaxar's acquisition of Vricon---01:28: Intro04:08: Maxar: Overview06:31: Maxar's strategy for 3D satellite imagery 17:25: Use cases for 3D imagery25:06: Complementary and substitute sensors32:21: What is a digital twin and what is the partnership with blackshark.ai all about?37:08: Go-to-market similarities and differences of 3D vs 2D imagery42:41: Is 3D the next big thing? Will Maxar build a consumer device?49:10: Wrap-up

Today, I have two guests: Dan Pilone, co-founder of Element84 and Robert Cheetham, founder of Azavea, which Element84 recently acquired.Both Element84 and Azavea are essentially service companies that focus on building solutions to solve important problems in the realm of processing, visualization, and analysis of geospatial data, with open-source software at their core. I will let you listen to Dan and Robert introduce their companies and what they do, but I think they are solving some very important but boring problems.If you have listened to this podcast before or read my blogs, you know what I mean by boring problems - those that are underrated and underappreciated, but unless we find a way to solve them, there is very less likelihood for Earth observation to go mainstream. Think about creating a standard approach to ingest, process and search for geospatial data or a standard format to use for placing satellite imagery orders from different providers.In this episode, we talk about the two companies and how they came to be, the difference between a project and when it turns into a product, the importance of open source and its financial sustainability and more.Azavea WebsiteElement84 WebsiteElement84 Acquires AzaveaSTAC Standard---01:38: Intros04:01: Element84 and Azavea - Overview16:21: Differentiating between a project and a product 24:56: The importance of open source - why?31:13: The financial sustainability of open source39:40: What is STAC and why is it important?49:20: What more should we be doing in EO to make it mainstream?55:35: Wrap-up

Today, I am speaking with Pooja Mahapatra, who is the Global Lead of Geospatial for Climate at Fugro, a Netherlands-based company focused on geotechnical and surveying services for monitoring infrastructure.As you will hear from Pooja, geospatial data is central to Fugro's strategy and one of the fundamental technologies that power their products and services in the infrastructure, energy and water verticals. As such, they have an interesting approach to using satellite data in combination with other data sources such as aerial, drone and proprietary instruments for in-situ measurements.In this episode, Pooja and I discuss what Fugro does, the role of Earth observation for the company, how they make a decision to use satellite data for solving a problem, building scalable solutions based on EO, the evolution of EO over the years and more.Fugro WebsitePooja's LinkedIn---01:12: Pooja's Intro04:46: Overview of Fugro08:30: Fugro's customers and use cases 12:40: The fundamental role of Earth observation for Fugro20:04: Combining satellite data with other sources of data22:59: Making a case for EO within the company26:27: Picking scalable EO-based solutions29:58: Working with the EO ecosystem34:57: Evolution of EO over the years43:18: Adoption of EO: In-housing vs Outsourcing45:23: Wrap-up - what can the EO industry do better and magic wand wishes

Today, I am speaking with Dr Benjamin Laken, who is the Chief Science Officer at Cervest, a UK-based startup building a climate intelligence platform to support climate adaptation efforts for enterprises, governments and non-profits.Climate risk is an important topic and satellite data has a lot to offer for estimating it. Whether it is the climate risk for an individual, an asset, an infrastructure or even an entire city, understanding the probabilities of scenarios is becoming more and more important. As Cervest is a company that is specifically focused on tracking, quantifying and reporting climate risk, I thought it would be great to speak to someone who is involved in building this important tool.In this episode, Benjamin and I discuss Cervest and what the company is building, what their tech stack looks like, what type of satellite data they use, the challenges of using EO data, the hardest risk to measure and monitor, what the EO sector can do better, and more. Cervest WebsiteEarthScan, by Cervest---01:17: Intro03:23: Cervest: Overview05:38: What are assets and what are the risks (hint: physical, transition and natural capital?12:58: What does the tech stack look like?17:06: Who are the customers? And what is the product portfolio?25:31: What type of EO data is used?29:41: The hardest risk to measure and monitor33:06: Challenges of using EO36:45: Outlook on publishing research and peer-reviewing methodologies40:05: State of EO and what the industry can do better50:07: Differentiation with other datasets53:13: Wrap-up

Today, I am speaking with Grega Milčinski, CEO of Sinergise, a geospatial IT company based in Slovenia. Sinergise is most well-known for their flagship product, Sentinel Hub, which is a platform for accessing, processing and analysing Earth observation data.Grega has been around in the EO sector for a while now and has a ton of insight into the most important problems in EO revolving around making satellite data usable for all. In this episode, Grega and I talk about his company, about Sentinel Hub, the importance of solving the boring problems, about EO Browser, thoughts on some buzzwords in EO, the state of the sector and more.Sinergise WebsiteSentinel Hub WebsiteEO Browser Tool---01:06: Intro - Grega's Story02:56: Sinergise05:22: Sentinel Hub: What does it bring to the table?11:29: Solving boring problems in EO15:01: What is the biggest challenge in EO today - data accessibility, data management and data preprocessing?20:52: Will there be one horizontal platform in EO?23:15: Thoughts on a few buzzwords - analysis-ready data, edge computing, data fusion, data cubes, democratisation29:22: EO Browser: Why Sinergise built it and the vision34:27: Where should we invest $100M in EO, if given the chance?36:33: Descartes Labs and the state of EO38:14: Opening up EO data archives?39:52: Wrap-up

Today, I am speaking with Professor Paul Bates, Chairman and Co-founder of Fathom, a UK-based startup specialising in water risk intelligence.We have already had one episode on floods recently with Floodbase, a company that is working on creating near real-time flood maps, but in this episode with Paul, we discuss how flood risk is measured and modelled, how this data is used to anticipate flood hazards and the role of satellite data in all of this.In this episode, Paul and I talk about Fathom and their products, the state of flood modelling today and the role of satellite data, why the quality of data is more important than anything else for this use case, some findings from Fathom's research and more.Fathom's WebsiteProf. Paul BatesFABDEM (Forest And Buildings removed Copernicus DEM)Research: UK Future Flood MapResearch: Inequality in FloodingResearch: Need for More Investment in Climate Models---01:06: Intro02:32: Fathom - Overview07:21: How is flood risk modeling done today? What is the status today?15:02: The value of satellite data in flood risk modelling and the importance of higher quality observations20:37: Fathom's product portfolio23:02: Importance of collaborating with research community and whether that is the new norm in the industry28:07: Some findings from Fathom's research: "UK Future Flood Map", "Inequality in Flooding" and "Need for More Investment in Climate Models"38:46: State of EO, whether we need more satellite data and Paul's association with the NASA SWOT mission43:41: What can we do to be optimistic about the state of climate?

Today, I am speaking with Sean Mitchell, Chairman & Chief Commercial Officer at Ubotica, an AI-driven edge computing startup from Ireland.Edge computing is a technology that has started to create a lot of buzz in the Earth observation sector. Enabling some processing of satellite data on-board the satellite before downlinking seems efficient, but the execution may not be straightforward. Ubotica is a startup focused on solving that with their edge computing platform solution, which they have already flown in space.In this episode, Sean and I talk about what edge computing means, what it brings to the table, what is possible today, applications for Earth observation, Ubotica's technology and journey and more. Ubotica websiteUbotica's latest edge computing innovationESA Phi-Sat---01:08: Intro02:52: Overview of Ubotica05:24: What is edge computing and where we today in terms of its capabilities?13:00: Applications of edge computing19:01: Ubotica's offering and go-to-market strategy25:52: ESA's Phi-Sat mission33:55: Are larger satellites more suited for edge computing?37:28: Applications of edge computing beyond EO - in space exploration and space situational awareness42:07: Limiting factors for adoption of edge computing and how not to oversell48:32: Entry of big tech and their role in edge computing for EO49:49: Wrap-up

Today, I am speaking with Brad Bode, CTO & CIO at ATLAS Space Operations, which is a ground software as a service company. Ground segment is an area of the space industry which really doesn't get a lot attention, despite the fact that it is the bridge between data acquired in space and data collected on Earth. So, I had Brad on the podcast to discuss the state of ground segment and the impact on EO sector.In this episode, Brad and I talk about what ATLAS Space Operations does, why ground segment is so underappreciated, how EO companies work with ground segment, the difference between ground station as a service and ground software as a service, the entry of Microsoft and AWS into this space and what it means and more.ATLAS Space Operations - WebsiteBrad Bode - LinkedIn---01:08: Intro06:19: Overview of ATLAS Space Operations14:54: What does the status quo for ground segment in EO look like?22:44: Why is the ground segment appreciated?25:48: Ground station as a service vs ground software as a service33:12: What does the entry of Microsoft and AWS mean for the ground segment?38:10: What does EO companies look for from the ground segment? Latency, and what else?43:07: One thing people will be shocked to learn about the state of the ground segment

Today, I have two guests Bessie Schwarz, co-founder & CEO and Subit Chakrabarti, VP of Technology at Floodbase.Floodbase, which used to be called Cloud to Street, before their rebrand recently, is a climate-tech startup using satellite imagery to build flood data products for use by the insurance sector. In this episode, Bessie, Subit and I discuss what Floodbase does, their tech stack, what types of satellite data they use, why they publish their methodologies and collaborate with the academic community, how EO has evolved over the years and more.Floodbase websiteFloodbase open datasetPublication in Nature---01:00: Intros04:39: Floodbase - Overview08:59: Floodbase products13:51: Tech stack and what types of satellite data Floodbase uses17:40: Publishing the methodologies and datasets and working with the academic community19:48: Secret sauce behind mapping floods in near real-time25:01: Challenges using satellite imagery and wishlist36:02: Backward integration in the insurance industry40:52: Advise for starting a company today 45:51: Floodbase is hiring!

Today, I am sharing an insightful discussion I had with Elly Perets, CEO of Asterra. Asterra is a startup headquartered in Israel, that offers a platform for monitoring all kinds of infrastructure, whether it is for monitoring roads, rails, dams, water utilities or even for mining - based on synthetic aperture radar (or SAR) data.SAR, as some of you know, is pretty hard to process, but Asterra has managed to not only develop a scalable product that derives insights from SAR data but also managed to transform them into performance metrics that can be easily understood by the asset operators. I wanted to learn more about how they managed to do that.In this episode, Elly and I discuss the interesting origin story of Asterra, their product portfolio, the challenges of using SAR, how they managed to transform complex SAR data into actionable information, why adoption of EO in the infrastructure sectors is inevitable, and more.ShownotesElly's LinkedInAsterra's WebsiteLocating Lithium with Asterra's Technology---01:15: Elly's background and how we got involved with Asterra03:22: Overview of Asterra 08:45: Founding story - Spin-off of a Mars project12:39: Product portfolio and use cases17:22: Tech stack and how Asterra uses SAR19:11: Transforming SAR technology into a commercialy scalable product27:15: Challenges in the EO market in transforming science into value30:57: About EO Discover Platform to provide environmental metrics38:23: Distribution model and importance of integrating into other software40:31: State of EO and the need for more SAR data47:08: Why adoption of EO for infrastructure monitoring is inevitable 50:19: Wrap-up

We have got an interesting episode today, I know I say that for most episodes, but this one is actually quite interesting because we are talking about a strategy that not many companies have pursued in Earth observation - starting as a product company and offering solutions based on EO data, then deciding to go up the value chain and launch proprietary satellites. We have got only a handful of companies who decided to go with this approach and SatSure, a startup from India, is one of them. SatSure, based in Bengaluru, develops EO-based products for Agriculture, Banking, financial services and insurance and the Infrastructure sectors. I have already had SatSure's CEO Prateep on the podcast (episode #32), but in this episode, I wanted to dive deep into how and why they decided to launch their own high-resolution, multispectral satellites with on-board processing capabilities.Today, I am speaking with Karthik, General Manager of SatSure and Akash, CTO of KaleidEO, which is a subsidiary of SatSure focused on building payloads. We talk about why SatSure decided to launch its own satellites, the state of pricing of satellite imagery and whether the evolution is suitable for the developing world, on-board processing and what that brings, how all of this relates to the company's existing product portfolio and more.---ShownotesSatSure WebsiteKaleidEORecent investment announcement-----Timestamps01:37: Intros04:53: SatSure: Overview07:21: Why did SatSure decide to launch their own EO satellites16:43: Evolution of the price of satellite imagery and whether it is suitable for the developing world20:47: Making the decision on sensors, resolution and other technological configuration27:51: On-board processing and why it is relevant37:22: Do most downstream companies need to launch their own EO satellites?44:03: Wrap-up questions and what's coming up for SatSure50:37: Recent announcement of investment from three major banks52:17: A question for me

This week, I am sharing an episode from the New Space India podcast where I was invited to talk about all things Earth observation, particularly focusing on India. The New Space India podcast is hosted by Narayan Prasad, the co-founder and COO of satsearch and is the go-to podcast to learn about space tech in India. I thought I will share this episode here as we covered a lot of interesting topics that might be interesting for you. In this episode, Narayan and I discuss the state of EO in India, differences in EO adoption vs the west, the need for vertical-specific EO innovation hubs and more.Hope you enjoy this conversation!Original Podcast Feed: https://share.transistor.fm/s/30d8b965---

Jed is the Executive Director of the Radiant Earth Foundation and used be the Open Data Lead at Amazon Web Services. Jed is an influential thinker in the Earth observation space and he has been part of a number of important milestones in this sector.I wanted to have Jed on the podcast to talk about his thoughts on the future of Earth observation, especially following one of the blog posts he had written last year. I recommend you check it out (linked below).In this episode, Jed and I discuss what the Radiant Earth Foundation does, his experience at AWS, the importance of building data products in EO, analysis-ready data and what that means, Jed's thesis on the future of EO with the three things we need, the future of open source in EO and more.Jed's blog post: https://medium.com/radiant-earth-insights/democratizing-open-machine-learning-technologies-for-earth-observation-cf3fd9f0a432Jed's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jedsundwallRadiant Earth Foundation: https://www.radiant.earth/ML Hub for EO (from Radiant): https://mlhub.earth/---01:09: Jed's background03:11: Overview of Radiant Earth Foundation08:54: Jed's role at AWS and EO milestones15:24: Thoughts on the state of EO20:18: Building data products in EO23:35: Analysis ready data and what that means29:33: Jed's thesis on the future of EO: New data products, new leaders and new institutions35:15: A multidisciplinary approach to building data products39:45: What new institutions for the future of EO?42:33: The importance of browser-based interfaces45:41: The future of open-source in EO and cooperative utilities50:03: Wrap-up questions---

Today I am speaking with with Bill Perkins, Founder of SkyFi and Luke Fischer, CEO of SkyFi.SkyFi, which just recently went live with their product, aims to democratise satellite imagery and make it affordable, accessible and usable for everyone. I recommend checking out their app, which looks pretty cool.In this episode, we talk about the founding story of SkyFi and their vision, the importance of making satellite imagery accessible to 'the hive mind', differences in how the B2C and the B2B segments will use Earth observation, the verticals SkyFi is targeting, the state of EO and more.Check out the SkyFi app: https://bit.ly/TWSxSkyFiBill Perkins: https://twitter.com/bp22Luke Fischer: https://twitter.com/FischerLukeM---01:01: Intros03:02: SkyFi overview 05:09: Founding story and why it took a hedge fund trader to create it14:21: Why a mobile app to access satellite imagery?17:46: Thoughts on targeting both the B2C and B2B segments22:42: Types of satellite data on the platform29:34: Convincing the satellite data providers33:15: The future of distribution of EO data and analytics 38:08: Educating the masses about EO40:46: Thoughts on competition44:34: Outlook for SkyFi49:14: State of EO and how it influences SkyFi54:56: Worries about the state of the industry57:04: Wrap-up---

Happy new year, everyone. Hope you are having a great start to the year. Back to podcasting after the much-needed break!Today, I am speaking with Dr. Argyro Kavvada, who is the program manager at NASA's Earth Sciences Division for their Sustainable Development Goals initiative, essentially focusing on how to translate Earth observation for sustainable development.It is an area I have always been fascinated about not just for the obvious reasons, but also because it focuses on converting EO to real value, until the last-mile impact. Argyro is a renowned expert in the area of using EO for sustainable development, working with several organisations around the world and helping countries monitor their SDGs using EO. She was also the lead editor for a book published recently on this subject.In this episode, Argyro and I discuss her story, her work at NASA, the use of Earth observation for tracking the SDGs and some examples, the challenges of converting EO data into impact, whether we are exploiting the full potential of EO for policymaking and more.And now I bring you, Argyro Kavvada.---Argyro's  Profile: https://appliedsciences.nasa.gov/about/our-team/argyro-kavvadaArgyro's Book: https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Earth+Observation+Applications+and+Global+Policy+Frameworks-p-9781119536710Argyro's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/argyro-kavvada-ph-d-0470a571/Argyro's Twitter: https://twitter.com/argie_kavvada---01:13: Argie's story and work at NASA07:16: What are the Sustainable Development Goals?10:19: Examples of use in Earth observation for SDGs18:36: Challenges of converting data into impact23:10: Were the SDGs created understanding the capabilities of EO?29:31: An overview of a book on the subject that Argie co-edited: "Earth Observation Applications and Global Policy Frameworks"32:29: Are we exploiting the full potential of EO for policymaking?36:55: State of EO and how it effects sustainable development initiatives39:54: What are we not talking about enough and what can we do better?43:35: Creating an inclusive, diverse future of EO---

Today, I am speaking with Mila Luleva from Rabobank, a multinational banking and financial services company, where Mila heads the remote sensing team.You might wonder what a bank is doing with Earth observation data and how they are going about integrating this technology into their processes. That's exactly why I wanted to have Mila on the podcast.In this episode, we talk about Rabobank and their business, how they use remote sensing, how they make decisions of developing EO solutions in-house vs outsourcing the development, the state of EO and how they benchmark different EO providers, how we can improve the adoption of EO and more.It was a great discussion and very different from the typical conversations you might have heard here on this podcast - mostly from the EO industry. It was insightful to get the views from the user side and hopefully, you enjoy this as much as I did.And now, I bring you Mila Luleva.Rabobank's Website: https://www.rabobank.comRabobank ACORN: https://acorn.rabobank.com/en/They are hiring: https://rabobank.jobs/en/Mila's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mluleva/---[ 01:18 ] Mila's background and overview of Rabobank[ 04:02 ] What does Rabobank has to do with Earth observation?[ 09:21 ] An example use case and the EO adoption process[ 14:35 ] In-house development vs outsourcing EO solution development [ 24:17 ] Focusing on data quality and processes - idealistic or necessary?[ 26:21 ] Roadmap for use of EO within Rabobank[ 28:32 ] Thoughts on the state of EO - focusing on satellite companies[ 31:53 ] Growth in downstream EO product companies and how Rabobank engages with them[ 34:50 ] Benchmarking the different service providers[ 39:36 ] How to make a case for the adoption of EO [ 43:01 ] Wrap-up questions---

Today, I am speaking with Awais Ahmed, co-founder and CEO of Pixxel, a space tech startup founded in India, with offices in the US, that is launching a constellation of Earth observation satellites collecting hyperspectral imagery.I have tracked Pixxel with two lenses over the years - one with my consultant hat analysing how this new startup will position itself and grow in the EO market and second, with my India hat looking at how Awais and his team in India are building India's first commercial EO satellite company.In this episode, we discuss Pixxel's founding journey, what they bring to the EO market, their strategy, how easy it is to use hyperspectral data, early adopters and key use cases, the investment from Accenture, how to grow the adoption of EO and more.Pixxel's Website: https://pixxel.space/Awais' Twitter: https://twitter.com/awaisahmedna---[ 01:11 ] Awais' story[ 07:54 ] Starting a space-tech company in India[ 12:09 ] What is Pixxel bringing to the table?[ 19:38 ] How easy it is use to hyperspectral data?[ 23:44 ] Launch milestones[ 24:49 ] Early adopters and key use cases[ 29:00 ] Rio Tinto (Mining Corporation) and their use case with hyperspectral data[ 32:15 ] Satellite-as-a-service model and Pixxel's space segment[ 35:38 ] Investment from Accenture[ 38:27 ] State of EO, consolidation and outlook[ 43:40 ] Lack of focus on data quality[ 46:51 ] Adoption of EO in India[ 51:10 ] Worries about the state of space tech[ 53:06 ] Wrap-up---

In this episode, I am speaking with Sean Wiid, CEO of UP42, an Earth observation company providing simplified access to geospatial data and processing. UP42 has had quite an interesting journey over the years. I would put in the category of platforms in the rapidly growing EO market, providing access to multiple sources of geospatial data from different providers, along with other sources of complementary data and analytics - essentially making data easy to find, access and use to develop commercial applications.Platforms are a segment of the EO industry that usually doesn't get as much attention as the satellite companies, but I think they have an important role to play in the adoption of satellite data across industries. In this episode, Sean and I discuss UP42, their core capabilities and roadmap, their interesting pricing strategy, analysis-ready data, the state of EO, the future of EO platforms and more.UP42's website: https://up42.com/---[ 01:15 ] Intro - Sean's story[ 02:40 ] UP42 - Overview[ 08:03 ] Pricing strategy[ 15:25 ] What is UP42 is bringing to the EO market?[ 20:40 ] Scalability in EO[ 24:44 ] Core markets and use cases[ 30:27 ] Analysis-ready data and what it means for UP42[ 35:58 ] Towards a future of on-premise platforms and roadmap[ 45:33 ] State of EO and whether we need more EO data companies[ 51:07 ] What don't we talk about enough in EO and some hot takes[ 59:15 ] Outlook for UP42 and the future of EO platforms

In this episode, I am speaking with Arnaud Guérin from Preligens, startup based in France that is building software for the defence & intelligence sector, by applying artificial intelligence to satellite imagery, among other data sources.Preligens was in the news recently as they won a 7-year long, 240M EUR contract from the Ministere des Armees, the French Ministry of Defence , which I thought was a big win for both the company and the EO sector in Europe. The company has an interesting journey because contrary to other EO companies that build cloud-based, scalable products, they deploy software on-premise because that is how the defence sector operates. Also, their product is sensor-agnostic because in its early days, they couldn't get access to imagery gathered by French intelligence satellites. So, I wanted to speak to Arnaud to understand more about their capabilities strategy and where they are headed.In this episode. we discuss about Preligens, what AI brings to EO, how they develop on-premise solutions, the reason for being data-agnostic, verticalisation and more. Preligens website: https://preligens.comFrench MoD contract: https://preligens.com/resources/press/press-release-frances-general-directorate-armaments-dga-contracts-preligens-data---[ 01:35 ] : Overview of Preligens[ 03:34 ] : Core product offerings[ 06:43 ] : What AI brings to Earth observation[ 08:40 ] : On-premise platform vs cloud-based products[ 15:02 ] : About the 240M EUR contract from the French MoD[ 18:44 ] : The importance of being data-agnostic and helping customers answering a question[ 29:11 ] : Verticalisation and expanding to new markets[ 36:42 ] : Are there still data gaps?[ 38:44 ] : Is Preligens an EO company?[ 40:19 ] : SpaceTech in France[ 44:17 ] : What does Preligens mean and outlook for the company[ 47:36 ] : Wrap-up

In this episode, I am speaking with Arjen Vrielink from Satelligence. Satelligence is a startup based in the Netherlands that is building solutions to monitor deforestation, track supply chains and carbon stocks using Earth observation data.Arjen has been a twitter friend for a while and I really like his pragmatic takes on the future of the industry and outlook for EO. So, we talked about exactly that!In this episode. we discuss about his company Satelligence, their journey, strategy and tech stack, challenges associated with using satellite imagery and what I found to be a fascinating subject - the four waves of EO companies.Satelligence's Website: https://satelligence.com/Arjen's Twitter:  https://twitter.com/arjenvrielink---[ 01:05 ] : Arjen's story[ 03:48 ] : Overview of Satelligence[ 05:53 ] : Four waves of Earth observation companies[ 13:30 ] : Satelligence's tech stack[ 20:13 ] Challenges with using satellite imagery[ 27:39 ] : Open-source vs proprietary IP [ 31:20 ] : Solving the challenges[ 39:20 ] :Navigating the funding challenge[ 44:02 ] : Roadmap for Satelligence[ 48:08 ] : Arjen's most controversial take on EO[ 49:54 ] : Outlook for EO

Welcome to episode #50. This is a special one and it is been in the making for a while!Today, I am speaking with Simonetta Cheli, the Director of Earth Observation Programmes at the European Space Agency (or ESA).November is an important month for ESA as the Ministerial Council is coming up shortly, scheduled on the 22nd and 23rd of November 2022 in Paris. The Ministerial Council is the meeting that happens once in three years, where ESA's Member States, Associate States and Cooperating States come together to make important decisions on the future of ESA programmes and missions.In this episode, Simonetta and I discuss the proposal from the Earth Observation Directorate at ESA and what is on the table as well as touch on topics such as commercialisation and international cooperation.- ESA's EO Proposal: https://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/corporate/CM22_EO.pdf- ESA's  Ministerial Council: https://vision.esa.int/cm22/- ESA's Vision: https://vision.esa.int/- Simonetta's Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonettacheli---[ 01:23 ] : Simonetta's background and experience at ESA[ 04:42 ] : What's on the table for Earth Observation at the ministerial?[ 11:08 ] : Commercialisation and ESA's InCubed programme[ 13:35 ] : ESA's role in the exploitation of EO data[ 17:03 ] : International collaboration for EO at ESA[ 21:26 ] : Simonetta's message to the EO community[ 22:48 ] : Wrap-up

In this episode, I speak with Paul Counet, Head of Strategy and International Relations at EUMETSAT.EUMETSAT (or)  The European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites is an intergovernmental organisation with 30 Member States in Europe, with an objective to establish, maintain and exploit European systems of operational meteorological satellites. EUMETSAT is one of the key actors that is responsible for maintaining a global meteorological satellite observing system coordinated with a number of other countries.It is safe to say that EUMETSAT's activities have led to millions of lives being saved and billions of euros of economic damage being avoided, thanks to the data collected by their satellites.In this episode, Paul and I talk about EUMETSAT, their core activities, their relationship with other European organisations and their relationship with other countries, about Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) satellites, the global gaps in weather observations, the role of the private sector and more.MTG: https://www.eumetsat.int/meteosat-third-generation---01:31: Overview of EUMETSAT04:56: Satellite missions of EUMETSAT16:34: The relationship with ESA and ECMWF19:19: Relationships with global weather agencies (US, China)27:15: About Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) and its impact35:56: Gaps in observations and the role of the private sector49:20: Importance of communication in weather 52:52 Wrap-up

Today, I have two guests on the podcast - Pierrick Poulenas, co-founder and CEO of Picterra along with Pascal van Dalen, the Chief Growth Officer. Picterra is an Earth observation startup based in Switzerland, providing a platform to train, deploy, and manage geospatial models at scale. Picterra sits at what I call the "Distribution" layer of Earth observation, allowing users to make sense of geospatial data and operationalise it within their organisations. I have been following them for many years and they have an interesting evolution.In this episode, we talk about Picterra's story, their strategy, the meaning of geospatial MLOps, how they resist the temptation to verticalise and build applications, the state of Earth observation and more.---[01:05]: Intro[03:38]: An overview of Picterra[10:42]: Picterra's business model and customers[15:12]: Picterra's pricing model[21:06]: Partnerships and go-to-market strategy [24:26]: What is Geospatial MLOps?[30:45]: What's on the roadmap for Picterra?[34:36]: Why does Picterra not verticalise?[40:12]: The state of Earth observation: Whether we need for big data, the entry of big tech and the advisory service layer[47:01]: Wrap-up

Today, I am speaking with James Slifierz, from SkyWatch. For those who don't know, SkyWatch is a Canadian startup that aims to remove the barriers to accessing commercial satellite imagery, through two offerings - one called EarthCache that is a one-stop shop to acquire commercial satellite data and the other called TerraStream that provides an ideal way for satellite operators to go-to-market with their data.SkyWatch is one of my favourite EO companies. I have been following SkyWatch for years and I am a big proponent of what they are aiming to achieve in the market. I think James has a very fascinating, yet concrete vision both for his company and the EO industry. So, I had him on the podcast to talk about all things SkyWatch and EO.In this episode, James and I discuss the origins of SkyWatch, their attempt to build an API for commercial satellite data, surprising learnings acquired over the years, the state of EO and whether we need more data, the significance of the distribution layer and more.This was one of my favourite conversations on the podcast - we touched on a number of topics and if you are an enthusiast of EO like we both are, you will enjoy this episode. -----01:31: James' background and the origins of SkyWatch13:57: Partnering with satellite data providers16:57: The most surprising learnings from building EarthCache, an API for satellite imagery23:46: The market intelligence acquired by SkyWatch32:48: TerraStream: SkyWatch's product aimed at EO satellite operators45:16: The lack of focus on the data distribution layer in EO49:47: Too much EO data or do we need more data?53:15: The advisory service layer and how SkyWatch fits into this thesis58:50: James' controversial take on the state of EO and what can we do better01:02:30: Wrap-up

Today, I am speaking with Yana Gevorgyan, the Secretariat Director of the Group on Earth Observations (or GEO). GEO is a unique global network connecting government institutions, academic and research institutions, data providers, businesses, engineers, scientists and experts to create innovative solutions based on Earth observation.I wanted to have Yana on the podcast to discuss what GEO does and its role in the global EO sector, especially at a time when the importance of EO is growing around the world. So, it's critical there is a global authoritative voice for EO particularly focused on building impact-driven projects through partnerships both between the global public sector and the private sector.In this episode, Yana and I discuss her story, the significance of an organisation like GEO, examples of GEO-led projects, the importance of partnerships in EO and more.GEO's Website: http://earthobservations.org/Yana's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yana-gevorgyan-8b9249a/GEO Week 2022: https://www.earthobservations.org/geoweek2022.php---Before we get to the episode, a quick note about one of the contributors for the podcast - Geoawesomeness.Geoawesomeness is a community-based platform for all things geospatial and Earth observation. I wanted to mention one of their recent initiatives called Earth Observation Hub. Earth Observation Hub or EO Hub, from Geoawesomeness, is a one-stop-shop for all topics related to geospatial data. It's made for policymakers, business leaders, geospatial experts, and enthusiasts, to showcase how EO is transforming our world. Built in collaboration with UP42, an EO startup, EO Hub has curated articles, podcasts, webinars and much more. I recommend you check out EO Hub at geoawesomeness.com/eo-hub"---01:47: Yana's story - From Armenia to the US to Switzerland, NOAA experience and GEO11:45: GEO and its significance in being the authoritative voice in EO23:42: The role of the private EO sector in creating value28:07: Some examples of impact-driven, GEO projects35:06: Building inclusive local solutions - the case of Digital Earth Africa39:14: How do we make the most impact with Earth observation through partnerships?43:40: What worries Yana about the state of EO and what can we improve46:12: Wrap-up + context on GEO Week in Accra, Ghana

Today, I am speaking with Nadine Alameh, the CEO of Open Geospatial Consortium, an international organisation dedicated to making geospatial data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR) through consensus-based standards, collaborative innovation projects, and industry partnerships.I wanted to have Nadine on the podcast to speak about the importance of standards and interoperability in Earth observation - an area that I think doesn't get a lot of attention. If you have listened to some past episodes, I have touched on this topic quite a bit. I put this into a category of problems that I call "boring problems" in an ironic way - because they may look boring, but unless they are solved the industry cannot move forward. And I think it is very much the case in EO as more and more satellites with a variety of sensors are launched, but is all that data really useful if they are not accessible, usable or fusable?In this episode, Nadine and I discuss her story, what OGC does, the ongoing gold rush in EO, standards and interoperability, the role of the private sector in developing that and more. Website: https://www.ogc.org/Nadine's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadinealamehNadine's Twitter: https://twitter.com/nadinesa---Thanks to Geoawesomeness for being one of the contributors to this podcast.Geoawesomeness is a community-based platform for all things geospatial and Earth observation. I wanted to mention one of their recent initiatives called Earth Observation Hub. Earth Observation Hub or EO Hub, from Geoawesomeness, is a one-stop-shop for all topics related to geospatial data. It's made for policymakers, business leaders, geospatial experts, and enthusiasts, to showcase how EO is transforming our world. Built in collaboration with UP42, an EO startup, EO Hub has curated articles, podcasts, webinars and much more. I recommend you check out EO Hub at geoawesomeness.com/eo-hub"---02:18: Nadine's story and learnings from her startup experience11:52: What is OGC?15:49: Examples of OGC's projects and activities21:12: The rationale for OGC to exist and its importance for EO26:23: The EO gold rush and working on boring problems31:14: The role of the private sector is developing standards35:01: The similarity and difference with what happened with meteorological data38:03: The role of EO data platform companies and how long we wait for standards42:57: What can we change in EO46:03: Wrap-up

Today, I am speaking with Abe Tarapani, CEO of Atlas AI.I wanted to feature Atlas AI as “Startup of the Month” on the podcast as I believe they are doing something very important and impactful with satellite data. I will let you listen to Abe explaining what Atlas AI does, but to give you an idea, they are attempting to fill the gaps in socioeconomic and environmental data across parts of the world that don't have access to such data, leveraging Earth observation and machine learning, thereby making sure that significant economic and infrastructure-related decisions in those countries can be made efficiently.In this episode, Abe and I discuss the problem Atlas AI is trying to solve and why their approach is different from a typical data company, their product strategy and knowing where to draw the line, why they publish details about their science & methodology, the recent announcement on the project with the Rockefeller Foundation and e-Guide, the need for the advisory service layer in EO and more.Atlas AI's websiteRockefeller Foundation's project with Atlas AI---01:15: Intro & Abe's Story04:29: The elevator pitch of Atlas AI07:44: The problem Atlas AI is trying to solve and why is different from a typical Earth observation company13:28: Atlas AI's technology stack, products and target markets21:12: Product strategy - how to draw the line: Atlas AI's perspective24:42: Do Atlas AI's customers care where the data comes from28:41: Why publish the scientific methodology behind the product and why it could be important33:05: The project with the Rockefeller Foundation and e-Guide40:30: Thoughts on the state of EO and the need for the advisory service layer in EO49:26: Wrap-up

Today, I am speaking with Jonny Dyer, co-founder and CEO of Muon Space. Muon Space is a recently-founded startup based in California that is developing an Earth observation satellite platform that would bring remote sensing capability to organisations that lack the expertise needed to develop it themselves.Jonny Dyer is well-known in the Earth observation world - he was the Chief Engineer of Skybox, the first venture-funded EO company that was bought by Google and then sold to Planet. He then worked for Google and Lyft, before starting Muon with his co-founders.In this episode, Jonny and I discuss his background, how he decided to not built another "EO dataset company", Muon's differentiated approach, the climate narrative, Muon's plans and more.FYI - Muon Space will be first company I will be writing about as part of monthly "EO Company of the Month" series. So, if you want to learn more about Muon, stay tuned for the piece that should come out late September. Subscribe to my newsletter.- Muon Space's website + they are hiring.- Jonny's LinkedIn---01:27: Intro & Jonny's story08:14: Elevator pitch for Muon11:42: Not deciding to start yet another "EO dataset company"15:16: The differentiated model for EO from Muon Space19:33: The climate narrative and why it fits with Muon's approach26:22: The difference with the space as-a-service model31:28: Muon's roadmap and potential customers 38:00: Muon's market positioning 43:21 Thoughts on the state of EO today46:42: Wrap-up---

Today, I am speaking with Prof. Chris Rapley from University College London. From working on Earth observations missions to study the polar regions with radar altimetry instruments to actually researching there as the director of British Antarctic Survey, Prof Chris Rapley is an accomplished scientist. He was also the Director of the Science Museum in the UK for a few years, and is now currently Professor of Climate Science at University College London.Chris is also the member of the European Space Agency Director General's High Level Advisory Group and the UK Parliamentary and Scientific Committee. His current interests actually lie in the communication of climate science and that's why I wanted to have him on the podcast, given communication is something that we need to improve on in the Earth observation sector.In this episode, we discuss the use of satellite data for climate, whether the decision makers and end users care where the data comes from, how we can bridge the gap in communicating Earth Observation, the importance of a multidisciplinary approach, leveraging climate as a narrative to communicate about the significance of satellites and more.Chris Rapley's BioProf. Chris Rapley's Wikipedia---01:33: Chris' (fascinating) story13:17: Use of satellite data on ground, while Chris was researching in Antarctica15:05: Satellite data for climate - does anyone care where the data comes from? 22:22: The importance of a multidisciplinary approach in Earth observation27:47: The dichotomy of the need to communicate about EO vs EO being in the background30:20: Bridging the gap in communication in EO38:43: Leveraging on climate as a communication narrative for EO42:28: What can we improve on as an industry in terms of communication about EO and climate?46:03: What are some reasons to be optimistic about climate?

Today, I am speaking with Daniel Wicks, head of geospatial intelligence at Satellite Applications Catapult in the UK. Satellite Applications Catapult is an entity set up by the UK, and is one of nine Catapults, aimed at building innovation and driving economic growth. I was interested to speak with Dan because I believe the organisation is doing important work in being the bridge between the satellite data producers, which is Earth observation industry and the rest of the world, who are the users of the data. I also wanted to dive deep into the challenges in using satellite data today and things that needs to be done to make EO mainstream. In this episode, we discuss the state of adoption of Earth observation, the pilot project problem, importance of standards and interoperability, whether the Catapult-model can scale around the world and more.- Dan's LinkedIn- Satellite Applications Catapult---01:08: Intro01:54: About Satellite Applications Catapult and their work in Earth observation03:13: State of EO and the adoption of satellite data09:48: What's going on in the UK EO ecosystem?14:20: The "pilot project problem" in EO17:16: Data availability, standards, interoperability 24:40: The role of space agencies and Catapult-like entities in pushing the adoption of satellite data31:05: Similarities with weather and the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach34:14: The outlook for EO and key markets39:37: Wrap-up

Housekeeping: This is the first episode after the break, after officially launching my business TerraWatch Space. As I mentioned in the blog post, I am going to be changing the format of the podcast a little.The "Startup of the Month" is where I will have an interesting startup in Earth observation on the podcast to give them a platform for highlighting what they are building. Today's episode with Blue Sky Analytics is the first of that series.If you like your startup to be on the podcast or want to nominate one, stay tuned for an announcement on social media. I would like to give the chance for any EO startup to be on my podcast. Thanks for the support!Now, onto today's episode. -----The startup I want to highlight this month is Blue Sky Analytics, an Indian startup building climate intelligence solution using satellite data, for insurance and banking firms. I am speaking with Abhilasha Purwar and Kshitij Purwar, the co-founders of Blue Sky, who also happen to be siblings. I wanted to have Blue Sky because I think they have an interesting outlook in EO but more importantly, centered on impact. In this episode, we discuss what Blue Sky Analytics is building, their API-first approach, their data agnostic strategy, the business model and whether EO companies are SaaS companies, the benefits of building the company in India and more.https://blueskyhq.io/-----01:35: Intros05:01: About Blue Sky Analytics and their vision to be the Bloomberg for environmental data14:08: An API-first strategy for democratising satellite data for climate19:07: Blue Sky's satellite data strategy and the importance of being customer-obsessed, problem-driven and data-agnostic37:06: Blue Sky's business model and whether EO are SaaS companies49:41 Building an EO company in India - the challenge vs the opportunity55:23: Blue Sky's roadmap and outlook01:06:04: Wrap-up: Descartes Labs and potentially having Mark Johnson on the podcast

Looking back at the journey of TerraWatch Space podcast and its future - some gratitude, some learnings & some thoughts on how I want to see the podcast grow, as I go full-time on TerraWatch Space with the goal of making satellite data mainstream.Usual episodes should start on Wednesday. Thank you!-Aravind

Today, I am speaking with Thomas Ormston, Deputy Spacecraft Operations Manager for the Sentinel-1 mission at the European Space Agency. Thomas has over 15 years of experience in spacecraft operations from being part of the operations team for the Mars Express mission to then becoming the spacecraft operations engineer for EarthCARE and Sentinel-1 missions. In this episode, we discuss the role of a spacecraft operations engineer, his experience flying a spacecraft in Mars orbit, the differences with operating Earth observation missions, the Sentinel-1B incident, the growth of the space sustainability market and more. - ESA Operations on Twitter - Thomas on Twitter ----- 01:06: Thomas's story and intro to ESA Operations 05:20: The role of a Spacecraft Operations Engineer 11:31: Operating a spacecraft in Mars orbit 17:29: Transitioning to operating an Earth observation satellite 19:12: Rosetta mission 21:14: Working on ESA's EarthCARE mission pre-launch 29:30: Operating the Sentinel-1 mission (Sentinel-1A and Sentinel-1B) 35:10: The Sentinel-1B incident 42:00: The growth of the space sustainability market 47:01: The impact of satellite megaconstellations 51:08: Wrap-up

Today, I am speaking with Julia Wagemann, an independent consultant and project manager in the Earth observation sector. Julia works in the intersection of data providers and users aiming to make large volumes of EO data better accessible and used. She has several years of experience in EO and she has worked with organisations including ESA, EUMETSAT, ECMWF and more. For me, "boring problems" are categories of problems very few are interested in working on, but unless they are solved, the industry cannot grow. I call them "boring" in an ironic way - because there is more attention given to launching more satellites and getting more data down, than figuring out how to work with all that data together. In this episode, Julia and discuss the similarities & differences between imaging data and meteorological data, the role of platforms in EO, the significance of standards and interoperability and diversity in EO, particularly focused on Women+ in Geospatial, an initiative that was co-founded by Julia. Julia's Twitter Julia's LinkedIn Women In Geospatial Speaker Database ----- 01:45: Julia's story 04:55: What encompasses Earth observation data - imaging data vs meteorological data? 10:18: State of adoption of EO data 13:37: What is the role of platforms in EO? 21:01: The significance of standards in improving adoption 28:38: The current state of interoperability in EO 32:22: The role of the private sector in working on interoperability and standards 35:13: The importance of training & workshops in Earth observation 44:41: Making EO more diverse with Women+ in Geospatial 52:04: Wrap-up

Today I am speaking with Dr. Marshall Shepherd, an American meteorologist, professor at the University of Georgia and the director of the university's atmospheric sciences program. Dr.Shepherd was the 2013 president of the American Meteorological Society and a past chair of the NASA Earth Sciences Advisory Committee.Dr. Shepherd is also the host of the popular podcast Weather Geeks and a contributor to Forbes Magazine. In this episode, Marshall and I discuss his story, the fundamentals of weather, the gaps in weather observations and modeling, challenges in communicating weather and more. I have been wanting to do an episode on weather for a while now, and I think this really was the perfect conversation to get started with this subject. I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I did recording it. Marshall's Twitter Weather Geeks Podcast JetStream, by National Weather Service Climate.Gov --- 01:20: Marshall's story 07:21: How does weather work? 11:39: Are people taking weather for granted? 15:08: Explain the following terms in about a minute - i) weather vs climate, ii) meteorology vs atmospheric science and iii) climate modelling 20:08: Gaps in weather observations from space 23:00: Why do we have so many gaps in observations? 26:33: Gaps in weather modeling 30:05: Gaps in weather communication 33:50 Are we going to get tired of weather forecasts? 37:02: Why is weather not discussed a lot within the space industry? 39:42: Diversity and inclusion in the weather industry 43:23: Wrap-up --- My Twitter My LinkedIn

Today, I am speaking with John Murtagh from Airbus Intelligence. I don't think the company requires an introduction - Airbus Intelligence has been delivering value from satellite imagery for over 30 years. John Murtagh is the Head of Strategy for the Intelligence program unit of Airbus Defence and Space. Since joining Airbus in 1992, John has undertaken a wide range of roles, worked in over 30 countries on all continents, and is an executive member driving Intelligence strategies. In this episode, John and I talk about the Airbus Intelligence business unit, the Pléiades Neo mission, the One Atlas Platform, key trends in Earth observation and more. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/airbus-defence-and-space---intelligence/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/airbusspace?lang=en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/airbusds ----- 01:00: Intro 02:45: Airbus Intelligence: Satellites & Activities 09:39: Overview of Pléiades Neo 17:30: OneAtlas Platform 24:12: Key Trends in Earth Observation 31:10: Dealing with Competition and Partnerships 36:23: Commercial Adoption of Earth Observation 40:11: Wrap-up

Quick housekeeping: I am going to go back to a biweekly cadence from June, now that I have published lot of what I had in my backlog. So, you are going to have more time to listen to every episode and I am going to have more time for editing :) Cheers! ---- Today I am speaking with Jonathan Lacoste, General Partner at SpaceVC, a venture capital firm investing in space companies. I was keen on getting Jonathan on the podcast because he has quite an interesting story. In 2011, he co-founded Jebbit, an enterprise software company, built it and scaled it into a multi-million dollar businesses. Following that, he decided to get into the space industry as an investor. In this episode, we discuss the journey of his transition into space tech, his thoughts on state of the space industry, venture capital and space, learnings from enterprise software that are relevant for space tech and more. --- 00:56: Jonathan's journey 06:35: Transitioning from enterprise software to space 12:25: How to navigate the way into space tech 17:25: State of investing in space tech 22:24: Thesis for SpaceVC and the "due diligence" process 28:52: Earth observation 2.0 and transferable learnings from enterprise software 33:23: Markets that Jonathan as a VC is not very optimistic about 35:03: Why "outsourcing of space" will be the next big thing in space tech 38:35: Worries about the state of the space industry 42:30: Wrap-up ---

Today, I am speaking with David Henri, co-founder and chief product officer of Exotrail. Exotrail is a French NewSpace startup that is focusing on space mobility meaning, enabling small satellites to move in space, optimising their deployment, and increasing their performance. I was interested in Exotrail because I thought that they have a pretty interesting strategy. I first heard of Exotrail as a propulsion company few years ago. So, obviously I put them in the satellite subsystem bucket in the space industry. But then, they started evolving as a company - they started offering satellite constellation design and operation software. And finally, last month, they announced their on-orbit transfer vehicle, called SpaceVan - for last-mile delivery in space. So, essentially they are one company that can help design satellite constellations, launch them and then operate them, which I thought was pretty cool - because each of them can be its own space company. In this episode, David and I talk about what is going on in the French NewSpace ecosystem, the differences between US and European startups, the last-mile delivery market (in space), Exotrail and their strategy and more. ----- 01:24: Intro 02:54: Exotrail: Overview 09:18: What's going on in the French NewSpace ecosystem? 13:54: The last-mile delivery market 21:15: NewSpace: US vs Europe 24:45: Exotrail: Founding journey 30:27: From a propulsion company to a space mobility company 39:40 Exotrail's go-to-market strategy 44:05: Launch brokers vs last-mile delivery operators 48:08: Worries about the state of the space industry 51:01 Wrap-up

Today, I am speaking with Max Gulde, co-founder and CEO of ConstellR, Cassi Welling, COO of ConstellR and Guerric de Crombrugghe, Chief Product Officer of ConstellR and former CEO of ScanWorld. ConstellR is an Earth observation startup, focusing on collecting thermal infrared data from space for agriculture. I find them interesting because, even though infrared data has applications across industries, they decided to focus on building products for the agriculture sector. This is what I call, "verticalization" - a growing trend in EO. What's also interesting is that ConstellR acquired ScanWorld, a couple of weeks ago. ScanWorld is a hyperspectral Earth observation startup, also focusing on the agriculture sector This was an example of another growing trend in EO - "data fusion." In this episode, we discuss ConstellR and their plans, the importance of thermal infrared imagery and of course, their acquisition of ScanWorld. Sit back and enjoy! PS. Guerric was on the podcast a few months ago - check out episode #27 to learn more about hyperspectral imagery and ScanWorld! ----- 01:20: Intros 05:00: State of Earth Observation Market 09:27: ConstllR: Elevator Pitch 11:30: Thermal Infrared Imagery - Overview & Significance 21:26: Is ConstllR a spacetech or agritech company? 24:25: ConstllR's go-to-market strategy - data vs insights 27:16: Recent ISS milestone and satellite plans 32:07: Acquisition of ScanWorld (welcoming Guerric de Crombrugghe) 46:12: Worries about the state of the EO today 47:33- Wrap-up

Today, I am speaking with Prateep Basu, co-founder and CEO of SatSure, an Earth observation company from India, that just closed a $5M pre-series A round earlier this year. In this episode, Prateep and I discuss the state of Indian space ecosystem, being a space tech entrepreneur in India, SatSure's plans and the Earth observation market. ----- 01:20: Intro 03:34: Being a space entrepreneur in India 08:43: Thoughts on the Earth Observation market 15:33: Overview of SatSure 19:33: Use of satellite data in Indian financial sector 23:42: Why SatSure wants to launch satellites 30:48: SatSure: Roadmap & Plans 34:09 What could go wrong in EO?

This episode has been in the making for a while, as I was really interested in understanding the Earth observation market in China. So, it was great to have Blaine and Tianyi, two experts on the space industry in China, on the podcast to discuss this subject. Blaine Curcio is the founder of Orbital Gateway Consulting, a Senior Affliate Consultant at Euroconsult and the co-host of Dongfang Hour, a podcast and YouTube channel devoted to the Chinese space sector. Tianyi Lan is the founder of Ubnebula, a consulting firm focused on the space industry in China. In this episode, we discuss everything from how EO industry works in China, the emerging private sector, the users of EO data, external collaborations etc. ----- 01:03: Intros from Blaine and Tianyi 04:42: Why don't we hear more about Chinese EO companies? 10:40: Overview of Chinese EO missions 17:55: Is the EO data collected from those missions open source? 24:35: Overview of the private EO sector 33:28: EO analytics companies in China 37:25: Public-private partnerships 41:55: Awareness of the western EO ecosystem in China 45:12: Market expansion to the west? 48:25: Collaborations and partnerships 53:39: Overall outlook for the Chinese EO ecosystem

Today I am speaking with Alex Greenberg, Co-founder & COO of Loft Orbital. Loft is actually one of my favourite companies in the space industry. I will let you listen to Alex explaining about what they do, but what got me interested in Loft is - they are actually trying to solve something that I have been asking myself over the last couple of years, which is whether we can "outsource space" especially the part of building, launching and operating satellites. In this episode, Alex and I discussion that question, talk about Loft's journey, how they manage to become a household name both in the US and in France, their go-to-market strategy and more. One small request: Do you like listening to this podcast? What do you like? What don't you like? Please get in touch with me on Twitter and LinkedIn and let me know. I would love some feedback! --- 01:24: Intro from Alex 04:12: Loft Orbital - Overview 05:30: Some surprising trends in the space industry 15:00 Can space be outsourced today? 24:24: To vertically integrate or not? 28:55: Becoming a US company and a French company 32:30: Who are Loft's customers? 39:30: The EarthDaily case study (an Earth observation company that "outsourced space" to Loft Orbital) 42:47: Loft's go-to-market strategy and business model 50:10: Wrap-up

In this episode, I am speaking with Emiliano Kargieman aka EK. EK is the founder and CEO of Satellogic, an Earth observation company founded in 2010 that just trading in the public market, about a month ago. EK and I discuss the founding story of Satellogic, the early challenges and learnings, the state of the Earth observation market, Satellogic's strategy, their roadmap and more. Please note, this was recorded before the 24th of February - so there is no mention of any current events. ----- 01:28: Intro 05:08: Satellogic's founding story 08:25: Early challenges, successes and learnings 20:38: Was there a market for Earth observation in 2010? 25:44: The important factors in the growth of the EO market 34:41: Vertical integration and verticalization 37:44: Satellogic - roadmap and plans 44:01: What could go wrong in the industry? 46:12 Wrap-up -----

We are going to discuss something that is usually not discussed as much in the space industry. And that's the topic of cybersecurity. As we continue to launch more and more commercial satellites, I guess it is not a question of if we will see the first big satellite hack, but when. To explore this subject further, I invited Mathieu Bailly, VP of Space from CYSEC, a cybersecurity startup from Switzerland. CYSEC is not a space company per se, but they do offer cybersecurity solutions for space tech. Check out their satellite hacking event: Hack CYSAT. In this episode, Mathieu and I delve into why cybersecurity is relevant for space tech, the status quo of solutions available, CYSEC and what they do, how different cybersecurity for space tech is from cybersecurity for software and more. ----- 01:02: Intro 02:33: Context: Why is cybersecurity relevant for space? 09:30: The cybersecurity solutions available today 15:39: Have there been cyber attacks in space? 23:10: CYSEC: Overview and experience in space tech 31:25: Cybersecurity standards in the space industry 34:01 About "Hack CYSAT" - A live satellite hacking event 37:16: Difference between space cybersecurity and software/IT cybersecurity 39:02: Blockchain for Space 41:02 Best-case/worse-case scenarios for space cybersecurity -----

Welcome to another episode. This one is all about hyperspectral Earth observation. You might have come across this buzzword quite a bit in the last couple of years in the space industry. So, I decided to invite Guerric de Crombrugghe from ScanWorld to understand what all of this means. Guerric runs a startup based in Belgium building products for the agriculture sector using hyperspectral imagery from space. In this episode, we discuss what is hyperspectral data, its applications, how ScanWorld uses hyperspectral data, their plans and roadmap and some interesting topics related to the Earth observation market. Sit back and enjoy! ----- 00:56: Intro 02:47: The "messy" Earth observation market 06:30: What is hyperspectral imagery? 09:16: Applications of hyperspectral imagery in agriculture 20:52: Why ScanWorld focuses on agriculture 24:38: Is ScanWorld an AgTech company? 28:29: ScanWorld's plans and roadmap 33:03: Institutional hyperspectral missions 40:50: What could go wrong in EO? 42:55: Wrap-up -----