EXCLUSIVE by Scottish Energy News
A global satellite data mapping deal between the UK and USA space agencies has enabled a Scottish environment-forecasting company to agree a £4.5 million data-sharing deal with Edinburgh University.
The company, Ecometrica – which is also based in Edinburgh – will make its mapping suite, a web-based, universal, disruptive geographic information system, available on a limitless basis to the university for for research and teaching purposes.
The Ecometrica Platform – which predicts environmental impacts – collates vast amounts of satellite data and allows users to input their own information gathered on the ground to build detailed interactive maps illustrating complex and changing environmental situations.
An agreement signed earlier this year, involving NASA and the UK Space Agency, has already seen the Ecometrica Platform deployed at the School of Geosciences in a joint project with the Universities of Maryland and Leicester to explore the collaborative use of Lidar technology and earth observation data assets, ahead of the launch of NASA’s Lidar mission on the International Space Station.
Professor Mathew Williams, of the School of Geosciences at the University of Edinburgh, said: “The Ecometrica Platform will enable researchers in the School of GeoSciences to carry out sophisticated mapping of all kinds of geographical and environmental data.
“This will support our research and teaching in areas ranging from health geography to land use, forestry and sustainable agriculture.
Gary Davis, Chief Executive, Ecometrica, said: “This is a big commitment which paves the way for undertaking larger collaborative research involving unprecedented amounts of data from satellites, such as the European Space Agency’s Sentinel missions, and a range of earth observation sources.”
An agreement signed earlier this year, involving NASA and the UK Space Agency, has already seen the Ecometrica Platform deployed in a joint project with the Universities of Maryland and Leicester to explore the collaborative use of Lidar technology and earth observation data assets, ahead of the launch of NASA’s own Lidar mission on the International Space Station.
Ecometrica has experienced a surge in profit and sales as it secured new markets for its environmental reporting tool. With offices in Boston, London and Montreal, its latest annual sales totalled £2.7 million, and – with growth in the value of its intellectual property – the company reported a profit of £5.3 million last month.
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