CERSGIS

What CERSGIS does

CERSGIS (Centre for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Services) is a self-sustaining nonprofit established in 1999 by the University of Ghana and the Environmental Protection Agency of Ghana, operating from the Department of Geography and Resource Development at the University of Ghana, Legon in Accra. The organization delivers GIS, remote sensing, GPS mapping, satellite image processing, and environmental modeling services to Ghanaian government ministries, departments and agencies, international development partners, private-sector commodity buyers, and academic institutions. Headcount sits at 11-50 employees per public metadata.

The core technology stack centers on remote sensing workflows — image rectification, land cover/land use classification, change detection, agricultural risk mapping, and natural resource monitoring — using imagery from Sentinel, Landsat, Aster, and Quickbird. Around this analytical core, CERSGIS has built a portfolio of operational web-based platforms: BaSIS (sanitation M&E), GHeMMS (Parliament of Ghana development-activity monitoring across 30 districts), GALUP (land-use planning for Ashanti, Eastern and Central Regions with the University of Florida), and specialized monitoring portals for artisanal mining (galamsey) and charcoal production. The cocoa landscape reference dataset (21,000+ polygons, 20,000+ land cover points, 4,400+ household surveys) has been integrated into Google Earth Engine ML/AI models through the Forest Data Partnership and is published on Zenodo under CC-BY 4.0.

The business model is professional services consultancy. Revenue is generated through project-based contracts with Ghanaian MDAs and with international development partners including the World Bank, AfDB, EU, USAID, DFID, GIZ, JICA, Lacuna Fund, and various UN agencies. Pricing is contractually negotiated per project and is not publicly disclosed. Distribution is direct enterprise field sales to government and donor clients, complemented by training programs (GIS, GPS, Python, R, Google Earth Engine) and open-data platforms serving the global research community. Partnerships with NASA/USAID (SERVIR West Africa), the European Commission and African Union (GMES & Africa), WRI, Google, FAO, and the University of Florida are core to both technology access and revenue pipeline.

Name

CERSGIS

Legal name

Centre for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Services

Website

https://cersgis.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CERSGIS is a Ghana-based nonprofit at the University of Ghana that delivers GIS, remote sensing, GPS mapping, and geospatial data platforms to government ministries, international development partners, and private-sector clients across West Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geospatial Services

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136), Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (54137)

akta.pro primary industry

Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms (BPAMANAM)

Keywords

• Geospatial services
• Remote sensing
• GIS mapping
• Spatial data analytics
• Satellite imagery analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Accra

HQ country

Ghana

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Consultancy Services: Contractual GIS and Remote Sensing services to Ghana Government ministries, departments and agencies for spatial planning, infrastructure mapping, and development projects.
2. International Development Organization Projects: Projects funded by UN agencies, World Bank, EU, AfDB, GIZ, JICA, DFID/UK Aid, USAID for development activities including climate adaptation, agriculture, sanitation, and land management.
3. Research and Training Services: Capacity building programs, GIS training workshops, and technical training for government staff and partner organizations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CERSGIS provides geographic information and remote sensing services for sustainable development planning and resource management. Its core offerings include satellite image processing, land cover and land use mapping, GPS field mapping, spatial database development, custom web-based GIS application development, environmental modeling, and GIS/Remote Sensing training. These services are delivered as project-based consultancy contracts to government ministries, international development organizations, and research institutions in Ghana and West Africa.

Product overview

CERSGIS offers a portfolio of geospatial web platforms and professional services for sustainable development in Ghana. The core product suite includes BaSIS (sanitation monitoring), GHeMMS (development activity monitoring), GALUP (land use planning), and specialized monitoring portals for artisanal mining and charcoal production. These platforms are complemented by professional services in remote sensing, GIS/GPS mapping, web application development, and capacity building training programs. The offerings integrate satellite imagery analysis, field data collection, and web-based visualization to support environmental monitoring, land management, and compliance with regulations like the EU Deforestation Regulation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GALUP: Ghana Land Use Project - a project focused on linking deforestation, urbanization, and agricultural expansion for land-use decisions in Ghana
• GHeMMS
• BaSIS
• SERVIR West Africa
• SSM Portal
• GHEMMS

Products and services

• BaSIS (Basic Sanitation Information System)

Quantifiable outcome

• 21,000+ cocoa polygons and 20,000+ non-cocoa land cover data points collected for ML/AI monitoring tools
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• University of GhanacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999CERSGIS was established by the University of Ghana and the Environmental Protection Agency of Ghana. The centre is located at the Department of Geography and Resource Development, University of Ghana, Legon.
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of GhanacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Co-founder of CERSGIS along with University of Ghana. EPA coordinates environmental protection activities in Ghana.
• SERVIR West AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCERSGIS is a partner institution implementing the SERVIR West Africa sub-regional program that promotes use of Remote Sensing technology for agriculture, land cover, weather, climate, water resources and disaster management.
• World Resources Institute (WRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWRI provided technical support and co-funding for the cocoa mapping initiative. Contributed to research design and provided technical assistance alongside SERVIR SCO.
• Google (Forest Data Partnership)coreTechnology or IntegrationField data incorporated into open-source cocoa probability model developed by Google and Forest Data Partnership. Outputs available on Google Earth Engine for 2020 and 2023.
• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)majorTechnology or IntegrationFAO collaborated on Open Foris Ground application development through Forest Data Partnership. Ground is an open-source geospatial data collection application.
• University of FloridacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead institution for GALUP (Ghana Land Use Project) led by Professor Jasmeet Judge in Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department. CERSGIS is the primary Ghana partner.
• African UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough GMES & Africa program, African Union provides strategic direction and coordination for wetland management and earth observation applications across West Africa.
• Copernicus/EUMETSATmajorTechnology or IntegrationEuropean earth observation programs providing free access to satellite data and geospatial technologies through GMES & Africa initiative.
• UNICEFmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Basic Sanitation Information System (BaSIS) - decentralized M&E sanitation system using GIS-based data collection.
• CSE (Centre Écologique de Dakar)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead institution for GMES & Africa GDZHAO project consortium managing sustainable wetland management in West Africa. Partners include institutions from Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, and Niger.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Trimble: Global geospatial technology company providing positioning, mapping hardware, and software solutions across agriculture, construction, and government. Adjacent to CERSGIS's GPS mapping and infrastructure surveying work but operates at much larger scale across multiple industries.
• Esri: Global leader in GIS software (ArcGIS platform) and geospatial analytics. CERSGIS operates in Esri's ecosystem and competes indirectly for government GIS contracts, but Esri serves a much broader enterprise and government market globally.
• Maxar Technologies: US-based satellite imagery and space infrastructure provider supplying high-resolution Earth observation data and analytics. Provides upstream data inputs CERSGIS uses for land cover and infrastructure mapping, while competing for end-customer geospatial service contracts.
• Planet Labs: US satellite operator providing high-cadence Earth observation imagery and analytics, including agricultural and environmental monitoring solutions. Comparable upstream data provider competing for downstream analytic services that CERSGIS also delivers.

Emerging players

• ITC, University of Twente: Dutch faculty specializing in geo-information science and Earth observation, with strong focus on capacity building and applied research in developing countries. Comparable to CERSGIS in domain (geospatial for development) and overlapping through SERVIR West Africa-style partnerships, though more academic in orientation.

Direct peers

• GeoVille Information Systems: Austrian Earth observation and geospatial services company delivering satellite-based environmental, agricultural, and land monitoring solutions to international clients including the European Space Agency and development banks. Comparable service-based model with international development focus, similar to CERSGIS's Earth observation portfolio.
• eLEAF: Dutch company providing satellite-based water management, vegetation, and crop monitoring services globally. Comparable to CERSGIS's agricultural risk mapping, environmental monitoring, and satellite imagery analytics capabilities.
• Spatial Dimension: UK-headquartered geospatial consultancy specializing in land administration, cadastral mapping, and land tenure solutions for governments and development agencies. Closely comparable to CERSGIS's land administration, infrastructure mapping, and government-facing consulting model.
• Kartoza: South African GIS consulting firm specializing in open-source geospatial solutions, web GIS application development, and spatial data infrastructure. Comparable to CERSGIS's web application development and open-source platform offerings, with similar professional services delivery model.
• RCMRD (Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development): Intergovernmental African geospatial services centre based in Kenya, providing Earth observation, GIS, mapping, and capacity-building services to member states. Highly comparable to CERSGIS as a similar African anchor institution delivering applied geospatial services to governments and development partners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CERSGIS_GH
• Facebookfacebook.com/cersgis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cersgis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 CERSGIS