Gamma Remote Sensing
Gamma Remote Sensing is a privately held Swiss firm (founded 1995) that develops commercial SAR/InSAR/PSI processing software, in-house microwave instruments, and consulting services for research institutions, space agencies, and public authorities worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersGümligen, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Gamma Remote Sensing does
Gamma Remote Sensing Research and Consulting AG is a privately held Swiss company founded in January 1995 in Gümligen (near Bern) by Dr. Charles Werner and Dr. Urs Wegmüller. It focuses exclusively on microwave remote sensing, with a portfolio spanning commercial SAR/InSAR/PSI processing software, in-house designed and built microwave instruments (GLSAR, GSSAR, GPRI, ELBARA-II, and ESA-tailored units such as SnowScat and WBScat), and applied consulting and training services. The company serves research institutions, public authorities, and remote sensing service providers worldwide, and holds leadership or technical lead roles on multiple long-running ESA Climate Change Initiative projects (biomass, permafrost, snow, glaciers), as well as collaboration agreements with JAXA, NASA/JPL, ETH Zurich, and the University of Zurich.
The GAMMA Software is the company's flagship commercial asset, organized as a modular processing chain — MSP (raw-to-SLC), ISP/DIFF&GEO (interferometry and geocoding), LAT (land applications), IPTA (PSI and SBAS time-series), MOCOM (motion compensation), and TDBP (time-domain back projection) — operated via command line, Python or MATLAB wrappers, with an ArcGIS plugin for GIS users. The instrument portfolio covers L- and S-band airborne/UAV/automobile SAR, a Ku-band ground-based portable radar interferometer (GPRI), an L-band radiometer (ELBARA-II), and custom ESA scatterometers, enabling end-to-end SAR workflows from raw signal acquisition through to deformation maps, digital elevation models, biomass products, and land-use classifications.
GAMMA makes money primarily through one-time/perpetual software licensing, direct hardware sales of instruments, professional services and consulting (ground deformation, glacier velocity, slope stability monitoring, SAR acquisition planning), and paid training courses. Distribution is predominantly direct and contact-based (no public price list), supplemented since December 2025 by an authorized reseller and cloud-distribution agreement with Earth Big Data LLC and Earth Big Data Germany GmbH, whose SEPPO platform bundles GAMMA Software into cloud-native SAR processing offerings. The company also derives non-cash reputational and pipeline value from its ESA, JAXA, and NASA/JPL project leadership, which validates its algorithms and creates downstream commercial adoption.
Gamma Remote Sensing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Gamma Remote Sensing
- Legal name
- GAMMA Remote Sensing Research and Consulting AG
- Website
- https://gamma-rs.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Gamma Remote Sensing is a privately held Swiss firm (founded 1995) that develops commercial SAR/InSAR/PSI processing software, in-house microwave instruments, and consulting services for research institutions, space agencies, and public authorities worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Gamma Remote Sensing industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Earth Observation / SAR Processing Software and Microwave Remote Sensing Instruments
- NAICS
- Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360), Software Publishers (513210), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)
- SIC
- Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms (BPAMANAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Industry/Domain Analytics Solutions & Accelerators (BPAEAHAK), Military Aerospace Ground Support Equipment (GSE) & Test Systems (IMABAMAL)
Keywords
Where Gamma Remote Sensing is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gümligen
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Gamma Remote Sensing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Software Licensing: GAMMA sells licenses for its professional SAR, InSAR, and PSI processing software. Licenses are sold directly with a price list and specific offers available upon contact. The software is used by researchers, companies, and public authorities worldwide for Earth observation and geoscience applications.
- Microwave Instrument Sales: GAMMA designs and produces advanced microwave instruments including SAR systems (GLSAR, GSSAR), ground-based radar interferometers (GPRI), radiometers (ELBARA), and custom instruments (SnowScat, WBScat). Instruments are sold directly with specifications and pricing upon inquiry.
- Professional Services and Consulting: GAMMA provides specialized consulting and on-demand services including ground deformation monitoring (DInSAR, PSI), glacier surface velocity measurement, slope stability monitoring, SAR acquisition planning, and on-demand implementation of sensor support. Services often involve collaboration with partners including geo-engineering companies and optical remote sensing specialists.
- Training Courses: GAMMA offers paid training courses covering theoretical foundations and practical applications of SAR data processing, InSAR, PS-InSAR, and IPTA. Regularly scheduled small-group courses (e.g., SAR Interferometry in May 2026, IPTA in April 2026) as well as customized ad-hoc courses tailored to specific client needs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Commercial software license (unspecified tiers) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Gamma Remote Sensing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
GAMMA develops and sells the GAMMA Software, a modular commercial suite for SAR, InSAR, and PSI data processing covering the entire chain from raw radar data to products such as digital elevation models, displacement maps, and land-use classifications. The company also designs, manufactures, and sells advanced microwave instruments (e.g., GLSAR, GSSAR SAR systems, GPRI portable radar interferometer, ELBARA-II radiometer) and provides consulting, custom monitoring services (ground deformation, glacier velocity, slope stability), and paid training courses. Revenue is generated through software licenses, instrument sales, and professional services primarily sold to research institutions, government/space agencies, and remote sensing service providers.
Product overview
Gamma Remote Sensing offers a platform-plus-modules product architecture consisting of the GAMMA Software (a commercial SAR/InSAR/PSI processing solution) and a portfolio of advanced microwave instruments. The GAMMA Software is organized into modular packages: MSP for RAW-to-SLC processing, ISP/DIFF&GEO for interferometric processing and geocoding, LAT for land applications, IPTA for time-series analysis, MOCOM for motion compensation, and TDBP for agile platform SAR imaging. The instrument portfolio includes GLSAR and GSSAR synthetic aperture radar systems, the GPRI portable radar interferometer, the ELBARA-II radiometer, and custom instruments (SnowScat, WBScat) developed for ESA. Services leverage this equipment and software for ground deformation monitoring, glacier velocity measurement, and slope stability assessment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- GAMMA Software Modular commercial software suite for SAR, InSAR, and PSI processing covering the full chain from radar raw data to products such as digital elevation models, displacement maps, and land-use maps; used by researchers, companies, and public authorities worldwide.
- GLSAR (Gamma L-Band SAR System) Compact, lightweight L-band SAR system operating between 1.2 and 1.4 GHz with 0.75m slant range resolution, supporting up to four parallel receiver channels with single or dual-alternating transmitters; mountable on vehicles, UAVs, and manned aircraft, weighing under 6.5 kg in UAV/car configuration and supporting InSAR, polarimetry, and repeat-pass interferometry.
- GSSAR (Gamma S-Band SAR System) Compact, lightweight S-band SAR system operating between 3.0 and 3.4 GHz with 0.38m slant range resolution, supporting up to four parallel receiver channels with single or dual-alternating transmitters; deployable on the same platforms as GLSAR.
- GPRI (Gamma Portable Radar Interferometer) Ground-based real-aperture radar with rotating antennas at Ku-band (17.2 GHz, 200 MHz bandwidth) offering 360° field of view, rapidly deployable (30-45 minutes to first acquisition), repeat intervals of 60 seconds for full 360° scans, and millimeter-precision deformation measurements; supports repeat-pass or single-pass interferometric DEM generation.
- ELBARA-II Radiometer 1.4 GHz L-band radiometer built for ground-based signature studies and cross-comparison campaigns related to ESA SMOS and NASA SMAP satellite radiometers.
- SnowScat X- to Ku-band scatterometer custom-built for the European Space Agency (ESA) for SAR tomography of snow, installed on rail systems.
- WBScat (Wide-Band Scatterometer) Coherent, polarimetric 1-40 GHz wide-band scatterometer developed for ESA, incorporating a Vector Network Analyzer and wide-band horn antennas for tower-based measurements of snow, crops, and soil.
- GAMMA Training Courses Paid training courses covering theoretical foundations and practical applications of SAR data processing, InSAR, PS-InSAR, and IPTA, including regularly scheduled small-group courses and customized ad-hoc courses tailored to specific client needs.
- Ground Deformation Monitoring Services Services for ground-motion monitoring using satellite or terrestrial radar data with standard DInSAR and/or PSI techniques.
- Glacier Surface Velocity Services Measurement of glacier surface velocity using satellite SAR offset-tracking techniques.
- Slope Stability Monitoring Services Monitoring of slope stability using the GPRI ground-based radar interferometer system.
- Car-Borne L-Band SAR Services Ground deformation monitoring using car-borne L-band SAR for mobile acquisition.
- SAR Acquisition Planning Services Implementation of SAR acquisition planning tools for optimized data collection.
- On-Demand Sensor Support Implementation Services On-demand implementation of support for new sensors, delivered using GAMMA's R&D experience, GAMMA Software, and microwave instruments.
Quantifiable outcome
- Millimeter-precision ground deformation measurements using GPRI (Ku-band, 17.2 GHz, 200 MHz bandwidth)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Gamma Remote Sensing
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Gamma Remote Sensing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability2 records
Feature10 records
Gamma Remote Sensing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Earth Big Data LLCcoreGAMMA Remote Sensing AG and Earth Big Data LLC (along with Earth Big Data Germany GmbH) entered a strategic partnership to deliver cloud-based solutions for highly efficient SAR data processing. The partnership includes mutual authorized reseller agreements: Earth Big Data resells the GAMMA Software and GAMMA resells Earth Big Data's SEPPO platform. The companies also collaborated on a NASA/JPL-funded project producing a global Sentinel-1 coherence and backscatter dataset.
- Eurostars RAMON Consortium (SATIM + ICEYE Polska)coreGAMMA coordinates the Eurostars E!113220 RAMON Project (2019-2022) with partners SATIM (Poland) and ICEYE Polska, designing and developing an innovative radar-based near-real-time landslides monitoring service. The service combines satellite SAR PSI with microsatellite constellation and terrestrial radar monitoring.
- European Space Agency (ESA)coreGAMMA holds leadership roles in multiple ESA projects: CCI+ Biomass (technical lead for algorithm development and global biomass map production, 2018-2027), CCI+ Permafrost (coordinated by GAMMA, 2018-2027), CCI+ Snow (system design engineering, 2018-2027), CCI+ Glaciers (glacier flow monitoring and system engineering, 2019-2027), Modulate (L-band radar monitoring, 2024-2025), Worldcover (Sentinel-1 pre-processing, 2019-2021), Dragon 4 Cooperation Programme, GlobPermafrost, Snowlab, Biomascat, AALM4INFRAM, SMOS Expert Support Laboratory, and Wide-Band Scatterometer Development.
- JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)coreGAMMA processed the JERS-1 SAR global mosaic dataset (Version 2) for JAXA, released in November 2024. The dataset consists of yearly mosaics of SAR backscatter between 1992 and 1998 and a single global mosaic.
- ETH Zurich (Earth Observation & Remote Sensing Group)coreCollaboration on car-borne repeat-pass differential InSAR SAR system development (2016-2019, funded by Innosuisse). GAMMA developed the L-band SAR hardware; ETH Zurich contributed acquisition and processing expertise using a modified GPRI-II Ku-band system. Feasibility of repeat-pass interferometry with car-borne L-band SAR was confirmed.
- VITO (Flemish Institute for Technological Research)minorGAMMA contributed pre-processing of Sentinel-1 SAR data to the ESA Worldcover project led by VITO, which aims to deliver a global 10m resolution land cover map.
- Aeroscout GmbHminorAeroscout GmbH provided the VTOL Scout B1-100 UAV used in GAMMA's airborne SAR acquisition campaigns demonstrating UAV-borne repeat-pass interferometry.
- NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)coreGAMMA Remote Sensing AG and Earth Big Data LLC, funded by NASA/JPL, produced a global Sentinel-1 coherence and backscatter dataset from 205,000 SLCs acquired between December 2019 and November 2020. The data is freely available via AWS Registry of Open Data.
- University of ZürichminorUniversity of Zürich coordinates the ESA CCI+ Glaciers project, with GAMMA responsible for glacier flow monitoring and service/system engineering.
- Wageningen UniversityminorWageningen University collaborated with GAMMA scientists on Sentinel data forest monitoring, featured in a Copernicus Sentinel Success Story on forest biomass.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Gamma Remote Sensing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SkyGeo: Dutch company delivering InSAR-based ground deformation monitoring and analytics services, with overlapping commercial PSI/InSAR deliverables to the same public-authority and infrastructure-operator customer base.
- e-GEOS: Italian EO company offering SAR-based monitoring services and Earth observation products (including via the COSMO-SkyMed constellation) that overlap with GAMMA's deformation and ground-motion service line.
- SARMAP SA: Swiss remote sensing company providing SAR processing services and products for environmental monitoring, directly comparable to GAMMA's SAR/InSAR analytics and service offerings.
- TRE Altamira: Commercial leader in PSI/InSAR ground deformation monitoring services for infrastructure and mining; directly competes with GAMMA's DInSAR/PSI ground-motion services and software in the operational monitoring market.
Emerging players
- Earth Big Data LLC: Strategic partner in GAMMA's 2025 cloud-SAR partnership; offers the SEPPO cloud-based SAR processing platform and resells GAMMA Software, making it both collaborator and adjacent competitor in cloud-delivered SAR processing.
- ICEYE: Operator of a commercial SAR microsatellite constellation and partner in the Eurostars RAMON project; provides both data and processing services that intersect with GAMMA's software-and-instrument portfolio for landslide and deformation monitoring.
- SATIM: Polish SAR data analytics company and partner in the RAMON landslide-monitoring project with GAMMA; provides SAR-based object detection and classification services that overlap with GAMMA's Land Application Tools.
- VITO: Flemish research center that led the ESA WorldCover project with GAMMA as a pre-processing partner; produces global EO products and services that overlap with GAMMA's CCI-based reference datasets.
Broad incumbents
- Airbus Defence and Space: Major EO incumbent operating TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X and offering commercial SAR-derived products; competes with GAMMA at the upstream data and downstream analytics layers across multiple modalities.
Others
- ETH Zurich Earth Observation & Remote Sensing Group: Academic partner co-developing GAMMA instruments and algorithms (e.g., L-band car-borne SAR, GPRI upgrades) with overlapping scientific output; functions as a research peer and talent pipeline rather than a commercial competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Gamma Remote Sensing social profiles
Digital presenceGamma Remote Sensing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Gamma Remote Sensing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Gamma Remote Sensing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Gamma Remote Sensing 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 Gamma Remote Sensing
What does Gamma Remote Sensing do?
GAMMA develops and sells the GAMMA Software, a modular commercial suite for SAR, InSAR, and PSI data processing covering the entire chain from raw radar data to products such as digital elevation models, displacement maps, and land-use classifications. The company also designs, manufactures, and sells advanced microwave instruments (e.g., GLSAR, GSSAR SAR systems, GPRI portable radar interferometer, ELBARA-II radiometer) and provides consulting, custom monitoring services (ground deformation, glacier velocity, slope stability), and paid training courses. Revenue is generated through software licenses, instrument sales, and professional services primarily sold to research institutions, government/space agencies, and remote sensing service providers.
Is Gamma Remote Sensing a public or private company?
Gamma Remote Sensing is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Gamma Remote Sensing founded?
Gamma Remote Sensing was founded in 1995. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Gamma Remote Sensing based?
Gamma Remote Sensing is headquartered in Gümligen, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Gamma Remote Sensing make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Software Licensing is the primary driver. The others are microwave Instrument Sales, professional Services and Consulting and training Courses.
Who are Gamma Remote Sensing's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SkyGeo, e-GEOS, SARMAP SA and TRE Altamira. Emerging players are Earth Big Data LLC, ICEYE, SATIM and VITO. Airbus Defence and Space is listed as a broad incumbent. ETH Zurich Earth Observation & Remote Sensing Group is listed as an others.
Does Gamma Remote Sensing have an API?
No public API is recorded for Gamma Remote Sensing.
What industry is Gamma Remote Sensing in?
Gamma Remote Sensing's product category is Earth Observation / SAR Processing Software and Microwave Remote Sensing Instruments. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMANAM, Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms, with a secondary code of BPAEAHAK, Industry/Domain Analytics Solutions & Accelerators. Its NAICS code is 541360 and its SIC code is 3823.