sarmap
sarmap is a Swiss Earth Observation company developing SARscape software and specialized services for Synthetic Aperture Radar and optical satellite data processing, serving government agencies, international organizations, and researchers worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersCaslano, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What sarmap does
sarmap SA is a Swiss Earth Observation company founded in 1998 as a spin-off of the University of Zurich and Politecnico di Milano, headquartered in Caslano, Switzerland. The company develops and commercializes specialized software for processing Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and optical remote sensing satellite data, with a portfolio anchored by the SARscape suite — supporting intensity processing, interferometric SAR (InSAR), polarimetric SAR (PolSAR), polarimetric-interferometric SAR (PolInSAR), interferometric stacking (SBAS, PS), and SAR stereo processing across 32+ spaceborne SAR sensors. Complementary products include Opticalscape (stereo optical processing for DSM generation), SARscape Analytics Toolbox (streamlined workflows on ENVI and ArcGIS Pro), SAR Essentials, and an Airborne Interferometric SAR Processor. Distributed globally on an exclusive basis by NV5 Geospatial Software and integrated with ENVI, ArcGIS Pro, and QGIS platforms, the software underpins operational services in topography/DEM generation, land displacement monitoring (DInSAR with mm/year precision), rice crop monitoring (RIICE program operational in five countries covering 12 million hectares at ~90% accuracy), forest monitoring (TransparentForests), enhanced pollution monitoring (EPM), and water resource management (ResEau).
The business operates through three revenue streams: one-time software licensing via NV5 Geospatial Software distribution, project-based R&D services (with the European Space Agency funding approximately two-thirds of sarmap's 100+ projects, complemented by the World Bank, EC Joint Research Centre, JAXA, Swiss Development Cooperation, and InnoSuisse), and managed services delivered through public-private partnerships such as RIICE (with IRRI, SwissRe, and SDC). The company is led by co-founders Francesco Holecz (CEO, PhD University of Zurich, former NASA/JPL) and Paolo Pasquali (President and Technical Director, PhD Politecnico di Milano). The team of approximately 25 specialists is multidisciplinary across signal processing, GIS, geology, and software engineering. Customer concentration is high in terms of institutional funders — particularly ESA — which both validates the technical capability and creates exposure to public-sector budget cycles.
sarmap firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- sarmap
- Legal name
- sarmap SA
- Website
- https://sarmap.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- sarmap is a Swiss Earth Observation company developing SARscape software and specialized services for Synthetic Aperture Radar and optical satellite data processing, serving government agencies, international organizations, and researchers worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
sarmap industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Earth Observation / Geospatial Analytics Software
- NAICS
- Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms (BPAMANAM)
Keywords
Where sarmap is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Caslano
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
sarmap business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Software Licensing and Distribution: sarmap develops and commercializes SARscape, Opticalscape, SARscape Analytics Toolbox and SAR Essentials software products distributed worldwide through partnerships with major geospatial software companies like NV5 Geospatial Software. The software is sold as packages and distributed via the ENVI platform and ArcGIS Pro platforms. Contact with local distributors is required for obtaining licenses.
- Project-based R&D Services: sarmap generates revenue through approximately 100+ R&D and product development projects funded by European Space Agency (approximately 2/3 of projects), World Bank, EC Joint Research Centre, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Swiss Development Cooperation, Swiss Innovation Promotion, InnoSuisse, and private sector clients including re-insurance, investment, and forestry sector companies.
- RIICE Rice Monitoring Services: Remote sensing-based information and insurance services for crops in emerging economies. The RIICE program monitors rice cultivated land using satellite SAR systems and provides seasonal rice area and phenology monitoring, yield forecasting, and rice damage maps. Implemented through public-private-partnership between sarmap, IRRI, SwissRe, and SDC.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
sarmap product offering
Product offeringCore offering
sarmap develops and commercializes proprietary software for processing Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and optical satellite remote sensing data, distributed globally through NV5 Geospatial Software as SARscape, Opticalscape, SARscape Analytics Toolbox, and SAR Essentials. The company also delivers project-based Earth Observation services including Digital Elevation Model generation, land displacement monitoring, rice crop monitoring (RIICE), pollution/mining monitoring (EPM), forest monitoring (TransparentForests), and water resources management (ResEau) for governments, international organizations, and research institutions.
Product overview
sarmap offers a comprehensive Earth Observation software and service portfolio centered on SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) and optical satellite data processing. The core products include SARscape (main SAR processing platform), Opticalscape (optical imagery processing), SARscape Analytics Toolbox (streamlined workflows for ENVI and ArcGIS Pro), and SAR Essentials (operational toolbox). Services span topography/DEM generation, land displacement monitoring, rice crop monitoring (RIICE), pollution monitoring (EPM), and forest monitoring (TransparentForests). The company provides software distributed by NV5 Geospatial and offers capacity building/training services. The product ecosystem supports multiple SAR missions (including Sentinel-1, NISAR, BIOMASS, PALSAR-3) and integrates with ENVI, ArcGIS Pro, and QGIS platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SARscape: Modular software for processing SAR data including intensity processing, interferometry, polarimetry, and interferometric stacking techniques
- Opticalscape
- SARscape Analytics Toolbox
- SAR Essentials
- Airborne Interferometric SAR Processor
- Topography
- Land Displacements
- RIICE
- EPM
- TransparentForests
- ResEau
Products and services
- SARscape Comprehensive modular software suite for processing all spaceborne and selected airborne SAR data, supporting intensity processing, InSAR, PolSAR, PolInSAR, SAR stereo, and interferometric stacking techniques (SBAS, PS, E-SBAS, E-PS). Designed for remote sensing professionals, researchers, and enterprise geospatial analysts who need production-grade SAR processing.
- Opticalscape Modular software for processing optical satellite, UAV, airborne, and terrestrial stereo imagery to generate Digital Surface Models (DSMs) and automated spectral band/index mosaics with temporal descriptors. Available under ENVI and within the QGIS environment.
- SARscape Analytics Toolbox User-friendly collection of pre-defined workflows for processing SAR data to obtain thematic and quantitative maps, distributed under the ENVI and ArcGIS Pro platforms via NV5 Geospatial Software. Includes Change Detection, DEM Extraction, Displacement Mapping, Flood Mapping, Geocoding, Persistent Scatterers, Sentinel Multidownload, Ship Detection, and Time Series workflows.
- SAR Essentials Dedicated toolbox for operational SAR users working with SAR data alongside other geospatial data sources. Features streamlined workflows including Basic Data Processing, Compatibility Check, Download Sentinel-1, Radar Cross Section, Height Estimation, 3D Point Estimation, Change Detection, DEM/DSM Height Estimation, Moving Target and Sub Aperture Analysis, and Target Detection (Ship Detection).
- Airborne Interferometric SAR Processor Operational software for processing airborne SAR data including navigation data computation, motion compensation, geocoded Digital Surface Model generation using X-band single-pass interferometric SAR data, geocoded Digital Terrain Model generation using P-band repeat-pass interferometric SAR data, radiometric and polarimetric calibration, and mosaicing.
- Topography Digital Elevation Model (DEM) generation service using SAR Interferometry (InSAR), SAR stereo/radargrammetry, and optical stereo techniques from space, airborne, and drone platforms. Delivered to governments, researchers, and private sector clients requiring terrain mapping.
- Land Displacements Land displacement monitoring service using Differential Interferometric SAR (DInSAR) and interferometric stacking techniques (Persistent Scatterers and Small Baseline Subset) for detecting subsidence, landslides, and seismic deformations with mm/year precision.
- RIICE (Remote sensing based Information and Insurance for Crops in emerging Economies) Rice crop monitoring and insurance service using SAR and optical satellite data combined with rice growth models to predict yield, estimate harvest at season end, and produce flood and drought damage maps for smallholder farmers in emerging economies. Validated at approximately 90% accuracy across 12 million hectares in the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, and Thailand.
- Enhanced Pollution Monitoring (EPM) Remote sensing service for mapping and monitoring artisanal small-scale mining (ASM) operations, abandoned mines and repositories, and assessing environmental impacts and mining compliance for regulators, NGOs, consulting companies, and certification bodies.
- TransparentForests Forest monitoring service using synergistic multi-sensor SAR and optical satellite time-series data (Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, Landsat-8, ALOS PALSAR-1) for mapping forest status, regeneration, and detecting land cover changes under cloud cover conditions. Targets re-insurance, investment, and forestry sector companies.
- ResEau Water resources management program in Chad aimed at improving resilience to climate change effects through active management of water resources using Earth Observation data.
Quantifiable outcome
- 90% accuracy rate in rice monitoring validated across diverse ecosystems
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use sarmap
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
sarmap technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
AI capability16 records
Feature11 records
sarmap partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- IABGcoreIABG is part of the EVIDERI consortium with sarmap SA and Janes Group UK Limited. The EVIDERI project, funded by ESA, aims to promote the use of Earth Observation (EO) and Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) data as legal evidence in investigations related to crimes of international concern. The final meeting took place at ESA ESRIN headquarters in Frascati, Italy.
- Janes Group UK LimitedcoreJanes Group UK Limited is part of the EVIDERI consortium with sarmap SA and IABG. The project aims to standardize investigative procedures and promote the utilization of EO and OSINT data as legal evidence for the International Criminal Court.
- NV5 Geospatial SoftwarecoreNV5 Geospatial Software is the exclusive distributor of SARscape products worldwide. sarmap works with NV5 to distribute SARscape 6.3 and other software products. NV5 team was supported by sarmap at EUSAR 2026 conference booth.
- European Space Agency (ESA)coreESA is the primary funder of sarmap's R&D projects, having funded approximately 2/3 of the company's 100+ projects. ESA ESRIN headquarters in Frascati, Italy hosts project meetings. Key projects include EVIDERI, STEADY (Marie Skłodowska-Curie funded), and numerous operational system developments.
- International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)coreIRRI is a key partner in the RIICE (Remote sensing based Information and Insurance for Crops in emerging Economies) public-private-partnership. Founded in 1960, IRRI is an autonomous nonprofit agricultural research organization with offices in 15 nations, focused on reducing poverty and hunger through rice research.
- SwissRecoreSwissRe is a partner in the RIICE public-private-partnership, contributing insurance expertise to the rice monitoring and crop insurance program for emerging economies.
- Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC)coreSDC co-finances the RIICE program and multiple development projects in Chad, India, Pakistan, and other countries. SDC is a key funding partner for sarmap's humanitarian and development-oriented projects.
- AgrileverminorAgrilever is listed as a business partner. It is a social impact company transforming how smallholder farmers and fisherfolk across Asia are seen, valued, and served through digital services.
- Privateers NVcorePrivateers NV is an R&D partner with continuous scientific research and applications development activity in remote sensing. They have developed proprietary advanced scientific methods integrated into sarmap's software products including Gamma and Gaussian Filtering capabilities.
- World BankcoreWorld Bank has funded weather index insurance projects in Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, and flood risk management assessments. Represents approximately 1/3 of sarmap's non-ESA project portfolio.
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)coreJAXA has partnered with sarmap on the ALOS Kyoto & Carbon Initiative for radar remote sensing applications and forest monitoring.
- EC Joint Research CentrecoreEuropean Commission's Joint Research Centre has partnered with sarmap on rice radar investigation projects in South East Asia and Central Africa, developing operational SAR processing chains.
- Swiss Innovation Promotion / InnoSuissecoreSwiss Innovation Promotion and InnoSuisse have funded multiple R&D projects including SAR imagery simulator development for automated target recognition and various machine learning modeling projects.
- Cole BakerAssociésminorPart of the EPM (Enhanced Pollution Monitoring) team along with sarmap and CreaLinQ, focused on artisanal and small-scale mining monitoring services.
- CreaLinQminorPart of the EPM (Enhanced Pollution Monitoring) team along with sarmap and Cole BakerAssociés, focused on mining monitoring and environmental assessment services.
- International Criminal Court (ICC)coreICC is the end user of the EVIDERI project, using EO and OSINT data as legal evidence in investigations and proceedings related to crimes of international concern. ICC provided invaluable feedback throughout the project development.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
sarmap competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- ICEYE: SAR satellite operator and analytics provider offering both own-constellation imagery and derived products for flood, deforestation, and infrastructure monitoring. Comparable in the downstream SAR analytics value chain, overlapping with sarmap's Land Displacements, flood mapping, and ship detection capabilities.
- Capella Space: SAR satellite operator providing on-demand high-resolution SAR imagery and analytics. Comparable as an emerging SAR-native competitor with growing software analytics offerings overlapping sarmap's SAR-fed agriculture, infrastructure, and maritime monitoring applications.
- ESA SNAP Toolbox: ESA's free, open-source Sentinel Application Platform offering built-in SAR processing workflows (InSAR, calibration, coregistration). A partial substitute that pressures SARscape's pricing and reach with public-sector and research users.
Broad incumbents
- Maxar Technologies: High-resolution commercial satellite imagery and derived geospatial analytics provider (formerly DigitalGlobe). Comparable as an end-to-end EO incumbent delivering both optical imagery and analytics services to defense, intelligence, and government clients overlapping with sarmap's ICC/EVIDERI and topographic segments.
- Hexagon Geospatial: Major geospatial software vendor (ERDAS Imagine, Luciad, M.App Enterprise) serving defense, government, and remote sensing professionals. Comparable as a much larger incumbent platform provider competing for the same enterprise imagery-analyst budget pool that SARscape addresses.
- ESRI: World-leading GIS platform (ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online) integrated with SARscape Analytics Toolbox. Comparable because the ArcGIS ecosystem is one of sarmap's primary distribution surfaces and ESRI could expand its own raster/SAR analytics to compete more directly.
- NV5 Geospatial Software: Exclusive worldwide distributor of SARscape and vendor of the ENVI and IDL geospatial platforms. Comparable because it controls SARscape's commercial reach and competes in adjacent image-processing software (ENVI) for the same geospatial analyst audience.
- Google Earth Engine: Cloud-native planetary-scale geospatial analytics platform with petabyte-scale EO archives and free processing for research/non-commercial use. Comparable as a broadly available alternative vector for SAR time-series and change-detection workloads that sarmap currently solves via SARscape and TransparentForests.
Direct peers
- GAMMA Remote Sensing: Swiss SAR software and research firm (founded 1995, Gümligen) also commercialising interferometric, polarimetric, and differential SAR processing tools. Direct competitor to SARscape in the research/agency segment and the most natural analogue for a small Swiss SAR-IP house.
- GeoVille Information Systems: Austrian EO services company delivering satellite-based environmental, agricultural, and security applications for the European market (ESA, EU, World Bank). Comparable as a similarly sized European EO-services competitor serving many of the same institutional customers (ESA, EEA, World Bank) with adjacent geospatial analytics projects.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
sarmap social profiles
Digital presencesarmap financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
sarmap leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
sarmap funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
sarmap M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about sarmap
What does sarmap do?
sarmap develops and commercializes proprietary software for processing Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and optical satellite remote sensing data, distributed globally through NV5 Geospatial Software as SARscape, Opticalscape, SARscape Analytics Toolbox, and SAR Essentials. The company also delivers project-based Earth Observation services including Digital Elevation Model generation, land displacement monitoring, rice crop monitoring (RIICE), pollution/mining monitoring (EPM), forest monitoring (TransparentForests), and water resources management (ResEau) for governments, international organizations, and research institutions.
Is sarmap a public or private company?
sarmap is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was sarmap founded?
sarmap was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is sarmap based?
sarmap is headquartered in Caslano, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does sarmap make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Software Licensing and Distribution is the primary driver. The others are project-based R&D Services and RIICE Rice Monitoring Services.
Who are sarmap's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are ICEYE, Capella Space and ESA SNAP Toolbox. Broad incumbents are Maxar Technologies, Hexagon Geospatial, ESRI, NV5 Geospatial Software and Google Earth Engine. Direct peers are GAMMA Remote Sensing and GeoVille Information Systems.
Does sarmap have an API?
No public API is recorded for sarmap.
What industry is sarmap in?
sarmap's product category is Earth Observation / Geospatial Analytics Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMANAM, Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms. Its NAICS code is 54136 and its SIC code is 7373.