Land IQ

What Land IQ does

Land IQ is a Sacramento-based private agricultural and environmental science consulting firm that delivers geospatial analytics, remote sensing, and ground-truthed data products to government agencies, water districts, and agricultural commodity organizations in California and selectively internationally. Its core technology stack combines multi-source satellite imagery (Landsat, Sentinel, MODIS, Planet, Maxar SecureWatch), proprietary AI/ML classification algorithms, GIS analysis, and an extensive ground-truth data collection program (88,238+ data points across 46 crop classes) to produce field-scale land use, crop type, and evapotranspiration mapping. The company's flagship offerings are Statewide Land Use Mapping — covering nearly 15.7 million acres of California across 56+ crop and land use types with 98%+ accuracy — and Land IQ ET, a data-driven field-scale evapotranspiration model deployed across 40+ GSAs and irrigation districts covering 3+ million acres. Supporting products include Flood Mapping, in-season rice acreage estimates (99% accuracy), Custom Web GIS Applications, and a publicly hosted Almond Industry web map.

Land IQ makes money primarily through fee-for-service professional consulting engagements with government and enterprise clients, complemented by licensing of spatial data products and customized web GIS platforms with recurring hosting/maintenance revenue. Pricing is quote-based and negotiated per engagement, with no public pricing. Go-to-market is sales-led and community-led: long-term contractual relationships are driven by regulatory mandates (notably California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act), demonstrated technical credibility, and active thought leadership through podcasts, television appearances (Fox 40, KCRA, Fox Weather), and press coverage. Customer segments are heavily concentrated in water districts and GSAs, agricultural commodity boards (Almond Board of California, California Walnut Board, California Pistachio Research Board, California Dried Plum Board, CAWG), and state and federal agencies (DWR, LADWP, Bureau of Reclamation, USGS), with adjacent segments in agricultural producers, urban water providers, and transportation/government agencies for habitat restoration. The firm operates two offices (Sacramento HQ and Los Angeles), is owned by founding partners Joel Kimmelshue and Mica Heilmann, is bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding, and augments its 11-50 person team with four former UC Cooperative Extension Senior Advisors.

Name

Land IQ

Legal name

Land IQ, LLC

Website

https://landiq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Land IQ is a Sacramento-based geospatial consulting firm that combines satellite imagery, AI/ML, and ground-truthed field data to deliver statewide land use mapping, field-scale evapotranspiration modeling, and regulatory support to California water districts, government agencies, and agricultural commodity organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Geospatial Analytics & Consulting

NAICS

Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (54137), Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)

akta.pro primary industry

Field Mapping, GIS & Remote Sensing Analytics (AFAAAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Soil & Field Mapping Analytics (EC Mapping, Zone Delineation) (AFABAMAH), Remote Sensing & Imagery Analytics (Satellite, Drone, Aerial) (AFABAMAB), Remote Sensing & Earth Observation Analytics (Satellite/UAV/LiDAR, Image Processing) (EUAHAKAD), Decision Support & Agronomic Modeling (Yield, Irrigation, Pest/Disease Forecasting) (AFAAAFAF)

Keywords

• Agricultural land use mapping
• Remote sensing analytics
• Evapotranspiration modeling
• Geospatial consulting services
• Water resource management

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Consulting Services: Fee-for-service consulting engagements with government agencies, water districts, agricultural organizations, and private sector clients for soil science, agronomy, water resources, and regulatory support services.
2. Data and Mapping Products: Sale or licensing of spatial data products including land use mapping datasets, crop classification data, evapotranspiration data, flood analysis, and custom data sets for decision support.
3. Web GIS Applications and Platforms: Customized web GIS applications and platforms for clients providing real-time project data access, reporting, maps, and downloadable results. Revenue from development, deployment, and potentially ongoing platform hosting/maintenance.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Land IQ provides specialized geospatial and agricultural consulting services centered on field-scale land use mapping (covering nearly 15.7 million acres of California into 56+ crop types with 98%+ accuracy) and evapotranspiration-based water use estimation (Land IQ ET). It complements these core capabilities with flood analysis mapping, in-season rice acreage estimates, custom web GIS applications, and advisory services spanning land repurposing, regulatory compliance (SGMA, CV-SALTS, ILRP), and restoration ecology — all delivered through a proprietary platform combining satellite remote sensing, AI/ML, and on-the-ground ground truth data collection.

Product overview

Land IQ is a multidisciplinary environmental consulting firm offering a comprehensive suite of geospatial and agricultural technology products and services. The core offerings include Statewide Land Use Mapping (mapping nearly 15.7 million acres of California land use into 56+ crop and land use types with 98%+ accuracy) and Land IQ ET (field-scale evapotranspiration/water use estimation using satellite imagery and ground station data). Supporting products include Flood Analysis and Mapping, In-Season Rice Acreage estimates (99% accuracy), Custom Web GIS Applications, and the California Almond Industry Map web portal. Service offerings encompass Land Repurposing Services, Regulatory Support (SGMA, CV-SALTS, ILRP compliance), and Restoration Ecology. The company also provides Agricultural Land Use Data Sets including historical land use, crop forecasting, permanent crop age, irrigation methods, and groundwater recharge suitability data. All products are supported by remote sensing analytics using satellite imagery (Landsat, Sentinel, MODIS, Planet) combined with extensive ground truthing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Statewide Land Use Mapping Comprehensive field-by-field agricultural land use classification mapping covering nearly 15.7 million acres of California into more than 56 crop and land use types with accuracies exceeding 98%. Provides data on current and historical land use, crop types, multi-cropping patterns, and permanent crop age for government agencies, water districts, and commodity organizations.
• Land IQ ET (Evapotranspiration) Data-driven field-scale water use estimation model calculating evapotranspiration (ET) for crop water consumption. Uses robust ground station data, direct image analysis, and integrates accurate crop mapping to provide more accurate estimates than remote sensing models alone. Covers over 3 million acres across nearly 40 GSAs or Irrigation Districts.
• Flood Analysis and Mapping Field and regional level flood mapping analysis quantifying spatial extent and duration of flooding for agricultural and other lands. Provides duration of inundation (accumulated days of flooding), field area impact (percent flooded cover), and crop distribution identification.
• In-Season Rice Acreage Remote sensing and ground truthing analysis for all rice, wild rice, and fallow acreage in California with 99% accuracy. Delivered in-season with preliminary estimate in late June/early July and final estimate in late July/early August.
• Custom Web GIS Applications Customized web GIS applications bringing GIS analysis and data interpretation to client fingertips. Enables real-time project data access and generation of client-specified reports, maps, and other products.
• California Almond Industry Map External web map application developed and maintained for the Almond Board of California, providing a central means of accessing and evaluating spatial mapping and analysis results for the almond industry.
• Land Repurposing Services Technical support for transitioning agricultural land to other uses including habitat restoration, recreational areas, and low water-use agriculture. Includes soil and land suitability analysis, water quality evaluation, agricultural water use estimation, and dust mitigation.
• Regulatory Support Services Technical review and interpretation of developing regulatory policy including Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long-term Sustainability (CV-SALTS), and Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program (ILRP). Provides customized tools for implementing long-term strategies.
• Restoration Ecology Services Landscape-scale evaluations and analysis, site-specific restoration and revegetation plans, habitat restoration plan implementation oversight, and habitat performance monitoring. Services include upland habitat restoration, riparian and wetland restoration, and biological consulting.
• Agricultural Land Use Data Sets Customized spatial data sets including current and historical land use, land use forecasting and trend analysis, landscape evapotranspiration data, permanent crop age, irrigation method on field-by-field basis, root zone depth, and groundwater recharge suitability.

Quantifiable outcome

• 13% reduction in groundwater pumping in first year, saving approximately $40 million for growers in a 100,000-acre area
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered notable, core and minor.

• California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Land IQ conducted a new vineyard mapping project in collaboration with CAWG, providing highly accurate and detailed information on total standing winegrape acreage in California using aerial imagery, AI remote sensing, and ground verification.
• Almond Board of CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024The Almond Board of California voted in December to stop funding the USDA's objective measurement program and is in discussions with technology companies including Land IQ to develop alternative forecasting tools using satellite data, AI, and machine learning. Land IQ has been collaborating with ABC for over a decade on almond acreage mapping.
• San Luis Obispo CountynotableImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 9 October 2024San Luis Obispo County contracted with Land IQ to design the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin Multibenefit Irrigated Land Repurposing Program (MILR Program) to encourage farmers to pump less water from the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin.
• California Department of Water Resources (DWR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLand IQ has worked in cooperation with DWR to complete statewide crop mapping for 2014, 2016, and each hydrologic year beginning in 2018. The mapping categorizes nearly 15.7 million acres of land use with accuracies exceeding 98%. DWR releases the data publicly through its portal.
• Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMWD provided a community grant supporting the Native Wildlife Garden project at Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, a collaboration with Los Angeles Audubon, Friends of Baldwin Hills, and California Native Plant Society. Also involved in the Bonita Creek Interactive Classroom website.
• Los Angeles AudubonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on the Native Wildlife Garden at Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area and the Baldwin Hills Outdoor Resources Enrichment Program with grant from Baldwin Hills Conservancy. Educational programs serve 1,400 students annually from Title I schools.
• Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLand IQ Habitat Restoration Ecologists lead ecological restoration tours sponsored by TCA every spring, showcasing native habitat areas preserved or restored in association with Orange County's public Toll Roads.
• WRC Consulting ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLand IQ collaborated with WRC Consulting Services on the development and final restoration specifications for the 23.6-acre emergent and riparian habitat restoration project within Reach 9 of the Santa Ana River.
• California Walnut BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLand IQ developed a comprehensive suitability index for groundwater recharge potential for the entire Central Valley and surrounding areas with the Almond Board of California and California Walnut Board.
• California Walnut Board, California Pistachio Research Board, California Dried Plum BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst-ever statewide mapping of walnuts, pistachios, and dried plums was conducted through a Specialty Crop Block Grant with these boards in 2014, building on the initial almond mapping work.
• USGS / Landsat ProgramcoreTechnology or IntegrationLand IQ is a significant user of Landsat satellite data on a daily basis for agricultural monitoring, water use tracking, and land use mapping. Joel Kimmelshue is noted as a founding partner actively using Landsat data.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bountiful: San Francisco-based agtech company using satellite imagery and AI for crop yield forecasting and acreage estimation. Directly competes with Land IQ for almond and broader crop forecasting mandates from the Almond Board of California and similar commodity organizations.
• Descartes Labs: Geospatial analytics platform applying satellite imagery and ML to agricultural, commodity, and environmental forecasting. Competes with Land IQ on large-area crop classification, yield forecasting, and sustainability/ESG data products.
• Tule Technologies: California-focused agtech company providing field-level evapotranspiration and irrigation decision-support data. Closest direct functional analog to Land IQ ET for vineyards, tree crops, and high-value specialty crops in California.

Broad incumbents

• Climate Corporation (Bayer): Bayer-owned digital agriculture platform providing field-level agronomic data, variable rate, and decision support at global scale. Adjacent competitor in precision agriculture data and decision-support, though focused on row crops rather than Land IQ's California permanent-crop / regulatory niche.
• Planet Labs: Operator of the largest commercial constellation of high-resolution earth observation satellites. Both a potential data supplier and competitive threat, as Planet and partners build derivative agricultural mapping and analytics products that overlap with Land IQ's core offering.
• Indigo Ag: Agtech platform spanning microbial, digital agronomy, and sustainability/carbon programs that depend heavily on remote sensing-based acreage and practice verification. Operates in the broader ag-data/analytics category where Land IQ competes.

Emerging players

• CropX: Soil-sensor and farm-management analytics platform providing field-level water, nutrient, and irrigation insights. An emerging player in field-scale decision support that intersects with Land IQ ET from the in-field sensor angle.
• Satelytics: AI-driven geospatial analytics firm applying satellite/aerial imagery to environmental, infrastructure, and agricultural monitoring. Competes for environmental and infrastructure-related remote sensing engagements that touch Land IQ's regulatory and habitat restoration work.
• Orbital Insight: Geospatial analytics company using satellite imagery and AI for agriculture, energy, and sustainability intelligence. Provides competitive alternative for large-area land use, commodity, and ESG analytics versus Land IQ's specialty California focus.

Others

• ESRI: Dominant GIS platform provider whose ArcGIS ecosystem underpins much of Land IQ's delivery and custom Web GIS applications. Functions as a critical infrastructure/ecosystem partner and adjacent competitor in serving government GIS buyers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LandIQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/landiqllc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/landiq

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Land IQ