What Lobelia does

Lobelia (LOBELIA EARTH, S.L.) is a Barcelona-based Earth Observation and climate analytics company spun off from isardSAT Group in 2020. It generates high-resolution observational datasets on air, water, soil, and vegetation and packages them into visualization platforms and decision-support products. Core technical assets include a proprietary disaggregation algorithm that produces 1 km resolution soil moisture from SMAP/SMOS data, SAR-based altimetry for global water level monitoring, a computer-vision pipeline for SAR plastic detection (MIREIA), AI-driven tree-level biomass assessment (BiomassTrack) with blockchain provenance, and a proprietary multi-projection mapping engine called TeroMaps. Lobelia also develops and operates flagship EU infrastructure including the MyOcean viewer for the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service, the WEkEO DIAS data platform (with Mercator Ocean, ECMWF, EEA, EUMETSAT), and story hubs for the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Lobelia serves a primarily institutional and governmental client base across more than 150 organizations and 50 countries, including the European Commission, ESA, FAO, ECMWF, the World Bank, UN Habitat, National Geographic, Oxfam, PwC, the Asian Development Bank, Mercator Ocean, KNMI, and SMHI. The go-to-market is a B2G/enterprise field-sales motion with long consultative cycles, competitive tendering for international organizations, and co-development with major space agencies. Distribution is augmented by self-serve web viewers (MyOcean, Soil Moisture Hub, Climate Explorer, AirQast) and APIs that expose soil moisture, water level, climate projection, and marine litter data for programmatic integration. There is no public pricing; engagements are custom multi-year contracts.

Revenue is generated through three principal streams: bespoke climate risk analytics and Earth Observation professional services, data licensing and API access for proprietary datasets, and platform development/maintenance under long-term operational contracts (typically EU-funded). The company is privately held with no disclosed venture funding rounds; growth appears to be financed through EU research and operational grants (H2020, Horizon Europe, Next Generation EU via AGAUR) and operating cash flow from Copernicus-style contracts. Lobelia is ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001 certified, with a 44-person team spanning climate and EO data science, software engineering, product, commercial, and communications functions.

Name

Lobelia

Legal name

LOBELIA EARTH, S.L.

Website

https://lobelia.earth

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lobelia is a Barcelona-based Earth Observation company that builds high-resolution climate, soil moisture, water level, marine, and air quality datasets and visualization platforms for governments, UN agencies, research institutions, and enterprises across 50+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Earth Observation and Climate Analytics Software

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360)

akta.pro primary industry

Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms (BPAMANAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Soil & Sediment Sampling (Contaminants, Nutrients, Metals) (EUAHACAF), Soil & Biomass Carbon Measurement (Soil Sampling, Forest Inventory, Blue Carbon) (EUABACAH), Groundwater Monitoring & Well Sampling (Monitoring Wells, Plumes) (EUAHACAE)

Keywords

• Earth observation analytics
• Climate risk services
• Satellite data processing
• Geospatial data platforms
• Environmental monitoring APIs

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Climate Risk Analytics & Data Services: Lobelia provides bespoke climate risk analytics, Earth Observation data processing, and visualization services to governments, UN agencies, research institutions, and enterprise clients. Projects are contracted through competitive bidding with international organizations (FAO, European Commission, ESA, World Bank) and involve multi-year engagements. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services and managed data services.
2. Data Licensing & API Access: Lobelia monetizes its proprietary datasets (soil moisture, water level, climate projections) through API-based access and data licensing arrangements. Clients can access temporal and spatial data slices via API with 24/7 availability, or integrate Lobelia's visualization platforms into their own systems.
3. Platform Development & Maintenance: Lobelia develops and maintains operational platforms (MyOcean Viewer, AirQast, WEkEO, Climate Explorer) for institutional clients. These are often funded through EU research grants (H2020, Next Generation EU) and long-term operational contracts with agencies like Copernicus, ECMWF, and ESA.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lobelia generates precise, validated Earth Observation datasets covering air, water, soil, and vegetation, and packages them into interactive web viewers, APIs, and bespoke analytics for climate risk assessment, environmental monitoring, and early warning. Products include 1 km-resolution soil moisture monitoring for FAO, the MyOcean marine viewer for Copernicus, satellite-altimetry water level services, SAR/AI marine litter detection, street-level air quality (AirQast), flood forecasting (FANFAR), and tree-level biomass tracking with blockchain.

Product overview

Lobelia offers a comprehensive Earth Observation and climate analytics platform with specialized products for climate risk assessment, environmental monitoring, and decision-support. The core offerings include the MyOcean marine data viewer, Soil Moisture Service, BiomassTrack with blockchain transparency, Water Level Monitoring via satellite altimetry, AirQast air quality platform, Ocean Scan marine litter database, and MIREIA SAR-based plastic detection. Supporting analytical tools include the Past Climate Explorer (ERA5-based), City Resilience Profiling Tool, Thermal Stress Story Hub (UTCI), and Climate Engine for projections. Technical infrastructure includes the TeroMaps proprietary mapping engine. Services are delivered through interactive web viewers, APIs, and custom installations such as Science on a Sphere. The company serves clients including FAO, Copernicus Marine, European Space Agency, National Geographic, and various municipal and international organizations across 150+ organizations in 50+ countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MyOcean Viewer (CMEMS Viewer) Interactive marine environment viewer developed and maintained by Lobelia for Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service. Provides multi-projection maps, time-series graphs, depth profiles, and time-depth plots covering 150 products, 650 datasets, and 3,500 layers for users in 120+ countries.
• Soil Moisture Service (Locust Hub) Operational soil moisture monitoring service providing daily data at 1 km resolution using a disaggregation algorithm based on SMAP and SMOS satellite missions. Monitors more than 40 countries daily and enables FAO decision-makers to anticipate locust outbreaks 2-3 months in advance.
• Water Level Monitoring Satellite-based altimetry service for monitoring hydrological evolution of rivers and lakes globally using Jason-2/3, Sentinel-3, CryoSat-2, and Sentinel-6 missions. Creates accurate Level-3 water level time series for ungauged basins with SAR-based, all-weather operation.
• BiomassTrack Individual tree monitoring technology using satellite imagery and AI combined with blockchain for transparent carbon sequestration and Payments for Environmental Services traceability. Designed for reforestation monitoring in drylands and nature-based solutions.
• AirQast Air quality service derived from satellite data offering street-level resolution products. Includes monthly emission inventories at 1 km resolution, hourly air quality forecasts up to 3 days ahead, and scenario simulations for NO2, PM2.5, PM10, and O3.
• Ocean Scan Global labeled database integrating in-situ marine litter observations with matching satellite imagery. Accessible via web portal, mobile application, and API. Integrated with Zenodo for DOI generation and data provenance.
• MIREIA (SAR-based Marine Litter Detection) Pioneering project using Synthetic Aperture Radar combined with AI to identify and monitor plastic signatures in marine environments. Enables all-weather, all-day monitoring independent of cloud coverage and sunlight.
• Past Climate Explorer Interactive map-based tool for browsing global climate data based on ERA5 reanalysis datasets. Covers temperature, precipitation, warm nights, rainy days, relative humidity, wind speed, and cloud cover with max/min/average aggregations by year or month for 1981-2010.
• Climate Engine Climate processing system integrating 18 Global Climate Model ensembles with downscaling and bias correction to produce high-resolution, locally-adapted climate projections from 1970 to 2100 under different emission scenarios for any city or region worldwide.
• City Resilience Profiling Tool (CRPT integration) Climate engine integration with UN-Habitat's City Resilience Profiling Programme providing climate trend analysis and projections for cities worldwide, including Asuncion, Yakutsk, Maputo, Dakar, and Port Vila.
• Thermal Stress Story Hub (UTCI) Interactive platform for exploring Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) evolution across the world from 1980 to 2100, developed on behalf of Copernicus Climate Change Service. Covers 10 thermal stress categories from extreme heat to extreme cold.
• FANFAR Flood Forecasting and Early Warning System EO-based flood forecasting and early-warning system for West Africa, co-implemented with SMHI. Produces satellite-based water level products for the Niger River basin assimilated into the HYPE hydrological model for 10-day flood forecasts delivered via web, SMS, email, and API.
• WEkEO Data Discovery Platform EU Copernicus Data and Information Access Services platform built by Lobelia in collaboration with Mercator Ocean, ECMWF, EEA, and EUMETSAT. Provides single distributed access to 220+ Copernicus datasets and 3,700+ layers with virtual processing environments, Jupyter Notebooks, and APIs.
• Science on a Sphere Installation Interactive oceanographic data visualization installed at ICM-Institut de Ciències del Mar in Barcelona, projecting 20+ climate datasets onto a 3D globe using NASA's Science on a Sphere datasets with paired ocean stories.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,500 lives saved in September 2020 through FANFAR flood early warning system in Nigeria
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability10 records

Feature13 records

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• isardSATcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLobelia was originally created as the downstream-services unit of isardSAT Group, which was founded in Barcelona in 2006 to extend the knowledge of the Earth through Remote Sensing. isardSAT is a leading expert on satellite technologies, satellite mission design and implementation, and proprietary algorithms. Lobelia spun off as an independent company in 2020 but maintains a deep operational relationship with isardSAT. Albert Garcia-Mondéjar (Senior R&D Engineer) and Lluís Vinyals (Administrative Director) have @isardsat.cat email addresses, indicating continued close ties.
• Mercator Océan InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLobelia developed and maintains the MyOcean viewer for Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS), provided by Mercator Océan International. This is a flagship operational platform covering 150 products, 650 datasets, and 3,500 layers used by 120+ countries. Lobelia also co-built the WEkEO DIAS platform with Mercator Ocean.
• European Space Agency (ESA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESA is a key data provider and project partner. Lobelia participates in ESA-funded projects including the MIREIA SAR plastic detection project, Ocean Scan marine litter database, and FANFAR hydrology platform (powered by ESA Hydrology Thematic Exploitation Platform). ESA provides satellite data (Sentinel missions) and funding for research collaborations.
• ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts)coreTechnology or IntegrationECMWF is a key data provider through the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). Lobelia developed the UTCI Thermal Stress Story Hub for C3S and uses ERA5 reanalysis datasets in its Climate Explorer. ECMWF also co-built the WEkEO DIAS platform with Lobelia and Mercator Ocean.
• European Environment Agency (EEA) & EUMETSATcoreTechnology or IntegrationEEA and EUMETSAT co-built the WEkEO DIAS platform with Lobelia and Mercator Ocean, ECMWF. WEkEO provides access to over 220 Copernicus datasets from all major EU environmental data programmes.
• Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLobelia and SMHI co-implemented the FANFAR flood forecasting and early-warning system for West Africa. Lobelia produces satellite-based water level products for the Niger River basin, which are assimilated into SMHI's HYPE hydrological model to generate 10-day flood forecasts used for early-warning alerts. The system saved ~2,500 lives in Nigeria in 2020.
• NERSC (Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center, Norway)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNERSC collaborated with Lobelia on the Digital Twin Ocean precursor project, specifically for the sea ice break-up study in the Beaufort Sea. NERSC provided neXtSIM sea-ice model simulations. Funded by ESA.
• Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute (KNMI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKNMI is the Lead Investigator of the TROPOMI instrument on ESA Sentinel-5P satellite. Lobelia has collaborated with KNMI for more than 4 years to offer air quality products through the AirQast platform. KNMI provides atmospheric gas monitoring data essential for Lobelia's air quality monitoring services.
• Royal HaskoningDHVcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRoyal HaskoningDHV is Lobelia's partner for climate risk assessment projects, specifically using Lobelia's flood modelling data to provide adaptation strategies to clients such as the World Bank. The partnership combines Lobelia's EO and climate data with Royal HaskoningDHV's engineering expertise.
• UN HabitatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLobelia's climate engine is integrated into UN Habitat's City Resilience Profiling Programme (CRPT), helping national and local governments measure and increase resilience to multi-hazard impacts including climate change. Lobelia provides climate trend analysis and future projections for cities including Asunción, Yakutsk, Maputo, Dakar, and Port Vila.
• Global Penguin Society & Global Fishing WatchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFor the National Geographic Pristine Seas project, Lobelia analyzed penguin location data from the Global Penguin Society and fishing pressure data from Global Fishing Watch to support marine protected area designation in Argentina's Frente Valdés.
• Asian Development BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed among Lobelia's trusted partner organizations. The nature and scope of collaboration is not detailed in available sources.
• European CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor institutional partner providing funding and project mandates through Horizon Europe, H2020, and Next Generation EU programmes. Projects include FANFAR flood early warning system, AirQast air quality platform, and various climate monitoring initiatives.
• World BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLobelia's climate risk assessments inform World Bank adaptation investments. The Sao Tomé coastal infrastructure project and Banjul port resilience project were specifically conducted to inform World Bank financing decisions for climate adaptation.
• Copernicus ProgrammecoreTechnology or IntegrationCopernicus is the EU's Earth observation programme providing free, full, and open data. Lobelia builds operational services on Copernicus data (Marine, Land, Climate Change, Atmosphere) through official partnerships with Copernicus service providers (CMEMS, C3S, CLS).
• National Geographic (Pristine Seas)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Geographic's Pristine Seas initiative partners with Lobelia for marine ecosystem analysis, combining satellite data with field observations to support marine protected area designation in Argentina.
• OxfamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOxfam commissioned Lobelia to develop BiomassTrack for monitoring individual trees in drylands, supporting nature-based solutions and CO₂ offsetting initiatives. The project combines satellite monitoring with blockchain technology for transparency.
• FAO – United NationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAO Desert Locust Information Service uses Lobelia's soil moisture data at 1 km resolution as part of its early warning system. This operational service monitors more than 40 countries daily and enables anticipation of potentially devastating locust outbreaks.
• NASA & NOAAcoreTechnology or IntegrationNASA and NOAA are key satellite data providers referenced across multiple Lobelia projects. SMAP (NASA) and SMOS (ESA) satellite missions provide input data for Lobelia's soil moisture products. Jason-2/3 and Sentinel-6 (in partnership with NASA/NOAA) satellites provide altimetry data for water level monitoring.
• Global Center on Adaptation (GCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGCA partners with Lobelia for climate risk assessment projects in Small Island Developing States and coastal regions, including the Banjul port resilience project in Gambia. Combines Lobelia's satellite and climate data with GCA's adaptation finance expertise.
• Oceanographic Institute of the Balearic IslandsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Lobelia and isardSAT on the MIREIA project investigating SAR technology potential for marine litter detection in aquatic environments.
• IOCCG (International Ocean Colour Coordinating Group) Task Force for Remote Sensing of Marine Litter and DebrisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLobelia is part of the IOCCG Task Force for Remote Sensing of Marine Litter and Debris, contributing to international scientific cooperation in this emerging field.
• CCRI (Coalition for Climate Resilient Investment)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLobelia is part of CCRI, the international Coalition for Climate Resilient Investment, working to develop tools to include climate risk into financial decision-making and investments.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Satelligence: Dutch EO analytics firm providing satellite-based forest, commodity, and land-use monitoring for institutional, NGO, and corporate clients. Closely comparable to Lobelia in mission (sustainability via EO), B2G/B2NGO go-to-market, and use of multi-mission satellite data to produce decision-ready outputs.
• Kayrros: Paris-based environmental and energy intelligence company using satellite data, including SAR and optical, to quantify emissions, methane, and asset-level environmental metrics. Highly comparable to Lobelia in satellite-derived environmental analytics sold to institutional and enterprise buyers.
• GHGSat: Canadian satellite operator specializing in high-resolution greenhouse gas (methane, CO2) detection and measurement for industrial sites and regulators. Comparable to Lobelia in applying proprietary satellite + AI analytics to environmental/climate monitoring for institutional customers.
• Descartes Labs: US-based geospatial analytics platform applying ML to satellite imagery for agriculture, climate, and supply-chain use cases. Directly comparable to Lobelia's combination of multi-mission satellite processing, AI/ML pattern recognition, and institutional/corporate customer base.
• Orbital Insight: US-based geospatial analytics company using satellite imagery and AI to deliver insights across environment, infrastructure, and economic activity. Comparable in using multi-source EO and AI to serve institutional and enterprise customers with decision-ready analytics.
• Jupiter Intelligence: Climate physical risk analytics platform serving financial institutions, insurers, and infrastructure operators. Comparable to Lobelia's emerging climate-finance risk analytics work for the World Bank, PwC, and Willis Towers Watson; both turn climate/EO data into quantified financial exposure.
• Sylvera: UK-based carbon credit ratings and MRV company using satellite data and ML to verify nature-based carbon projects. Directly comparable to Lobelia's BiomassTrack initiative with Oxfam, addressing the same market of satellite-based carbon/sequestration verification for voluntary carbon buyers.

Broad incumbents

• Planet Labs: US publicly-traded operator of the world's largest commercial Earth observation satellite constellation, offering imagery plus analytics across agriculture, environment, and government. Overlaps with Lobelia's EO analytics layer at much greater scale, though Planet is infrastructure-first rather than niche-climate-focused.
• Maxar Technologies: Large US/Canadian satellite operator and geospatial analytics provider serving defense, intelligence, and commercial markets. Comparable in delivering EO-derived decision products to government and institutional customers, though at significantly broader scope and scale than Lobelia.
• Airbus Defence and Space (Geo-Intelligence): European EO satellite operator (SPOT, Pléiades) and analytics provider offering geospatial intelligence to governments and commercial clients. Comparable as a Europe-based EO incumbent with institutional customer overlap, though operating at vastly greater scale and across defense/intel in addition to climate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lobeliaearth

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Lobelia