What is the background story of EOSDA and its relationship with Noosphere Ventures?
EOSDA is the first company in the space portfolio of Noosphere Ventures, both founded by Dr. Max Polyakov, a renowned international space and IT entrepreneur. The plan was to create a vertically integrated privately owned holding that operates across the entire space value chain. Since we already had a solid software background, we started by investing in a cloud-based remote sensing data-analytics-as-a-service platform upon which we built the satellite and sensor manufacturing. There are about a dozen other space-oriented projects in our group, but EOSDA is the most valuable to us given the potential for scalability across multiple industries.
Given the widespread technologies for field monitoring, such as drones or cameras, what are the advantages of using satellite technology in agriculture and who makes use of it?
Agriculture is an omnipresent field around the world and one that could greatly benefit from a planetary perspective that offers more in-depth information on all kinds of metrics. If we were to look at the planet as a living organism, the only way to take care of it would be to measure its vital signs in a holistic manner. In experience, this can only be achieved through a network of satellites that can harness imagery on a large scale over an entire continent. Using AI algorithms, we are able to extract accurate data points that can be used by interested parties to make informed decisions and impact their choices.
We work mainly with agricultural cooperatives, financial institutions, food producers, input suppliers, consultancy agencies, IT companies, insurers, and governmental institutions, because the data that we provide is rather complicated and needs to be "translated" into bite-sized information. We provide, for example, crop monitoring indices/analytics, weather information, vegetation and productivity maps that makes fertilizer application more efficient. Likewise, we also have custom AI solutions that include crop classification, field boundary detection, yield prediction, harvest dynamics monitoring, soil mapping, and soil organic carbon models. Banks can use our metrics to determine the loan eligibility of a certain farming company, and ministries can obtain custom solutions on yield outcome from field level to country level.
What are the limitations of satellite technology and how accurate and affordable is the data it provides?
Although existing satellites can offer important information, there are still limitations in obtaining concrete recommendations based on the data that is gathered.
There is a specific combination of satellite bands that could allow us to obtain that extra level of thorough analysis. It was in this context that we decided to launch our own satellite, having deployed the first out of seven satellites of the EOS SAT, the first agri-focused constellation among companies utilizing remote sensing tech.
After testing every source of available data, we realized that big players are interested in more specialized information (pest or disease models, necessary fertilizers, etc.). We want to give farmers not only a holistic view of what is happening in the fields, but also comprehensive analytics of the factors impacting normal plant development and tools to address the crop-threatening issues. From an AI perspective, these are advanced queries and only with the right set of bands would we be able to offer accurate and, importantly, affordable data.
Traditionally, space was a domain of nation states where companies would first build the satellite constellations (with arbitrary placed bands) and only afterwards identify the potential purpose they could have in the market. We took a different turn and, for several years, we stayed in stealth mode and analyzed all the public and commercial satellite data available across the different spectral bands. During this research, we realized that some bands that are crucial for the agriculture industry are non-existent at a hardware level.
Finding the skilled resources to bring these results to fruition is no easy feat – are you finding it challenging to source and retain the right talent?
Our Ukrainian roots are the secret sauce when it comes to finding skilled professionals. Ukraine was the powerhouse of the Soviet Union for aerospace manufacturing and satellite intelligence operations. Luckily, universities are still producing scientists at the same pace as before. In addition to these, Ukraine is an important agricultural hub that hosts many data scientists and agronomists. Consequently, we were able to tap into both of these talent pools and create a diverse team of over 200 professionals, including 60 scientists and 25 Ph.Ds, without it being cost prohibitive.
What are your main objectives and ambitions for EOSDA for the next couple of years?
Besides the optical sensors that we are already employing across our projects, we plan to also introduce synthetic aperture radars into the mix to obtain a unique combination of technologies that could serve the agri sector at an even higher standard. Part of our revenue consists of white label and API products so, in the following years, we want to pursue a brand recognition campaign to establish a more individualized trademark. Our aim is to become a one-stop-shop that can offer both hardware and software solutions, but we remain open to expanding our network of partners and resellers. In the space of crop monitoring, we wish to integrate drones, farm simulations, and machinery data (uploaded from tractors) into our platforms. We are also seeing value in partnering with the telecom industry, which can integrate agri packages into their services. Last but not least, we are interested in expanding the EOS Data Analytics Academic Outreach Program to help the graduates get real-world experience and share access to our geospatial data analytics tools for researchers, non-profit organizations, universities, and scientists to drive research, innovation, and progress for the benefit of mankind.
