HYGEOS

What HYGEOS does

HYGEOS is a French worker cooperative (SCOP) founded in 2001 and headquartered in Lille, France, with 11-50 employees. The company specializes in satellite Earth observation data exploitation and atmospheric radiative transfer modeling, extracting high-precision information on atmosphere state, water quality, and land ecosystem health from satellite imagery. Its core proprietary tools include Polymer (atmospheric correction for ocean colour remote sensing, open source), SMART-G (GPU-based Monte-Carlo radiative transfer), SMAC-CL/SMAC-NEO (simplified atmospheric correction), ARTDECO (radiative transfer suite for synthetic satellite data), DirecTES (thermal infrared temperature-emissivity separation), and SolaRes (solar resource estimation service). These tools support activities across support to spatial missions, solar energy assessment, water quality monitoring, air quality forecasting, and land monitoring.

The business is institutional B2B. HYGEOS generates revenue primarily through competitive tenders and consortium participation in EU-funded programmes (Horizon Europe, FP7, Copernicus), direct contracts with space agencies (ESA, EUMETSAT, CNES), and operational service delivery to the European Commission. The company coordinates major multi-partner consortia including CAMS2_35/CAMS2_35Bis (with KNMI), CAMAERA (Horizon Europe, 15 partners), and Copernicus Land Monitoring Service product development (with CREAF, VITO, EOLAB, Lund University, DHI, CSIC). Pricing is not publicly disclosed; revenue mechanics operate on project-based contracts and managed services rather than per-seat or transactional licensing. Open-source distribution of Polymer, SMART-G, and SMAC-CL serves as a scientific credibility mechanism and ecosystem anchor rather than a direct revenue stream. The company has no external investors, no subsidiaries, and operates as founder-owned (Didier Ramon, CEO since 2001) under cooperative governance.

Name

HYGEOS

Legal name

HYGEOS

Website

https://hygeos.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HYGEOS is a Lille-based worker cooperative specializing in satellite Earth observation analysis and atmospheric radiative transfer modeling, serving the European Commission, ESA, EUMETSAT, and CNES through Copernicus and Horizon Europe contracts with proprietary tools including Polymer and SMART-G.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Earth Observation and Satellite Data Services

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136), Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms (BPAMANAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Remote Sensing & Geospatial Vision (satellite/drone imagery) (HDAAAEAL), Remote Sensing & Geospatial MRV (Satellite, Aerial, LiDAR, SAR) (EUABACAF)

Keywords

• Earth observation services
• Atmospheric radiative transfer
• Ocean colour correction
• Satellite mission support
• Copernicus operational services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lille

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. EU Research and Operational Contracts: HYGEOS generates revenue primarily through participation in EU-funded projects (Horizon Europe, FP7), ESA contracts, and direct engagements with space agencies. Projects include operational services for Copernicus programmes (CAMS, CLMS, CMS).
2. Space Agency Contracts: Direct contracts with ESA, EUMETSAT, and CNES for satellite mission support including calibration, validation, algorithm development, and data processor work.
3. Software Licensing: Tools including Polymer (open source), SMART-G (open source), and SMAC-CL are distributed as open source software.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

HYGEOS develops and licenses proprietary Earth observation software (Polymer, SMART-G, SMAC-CL, SolaRes) and delivers technical services for satellite mission support, atmospheric composition and air quality forecasting, ocean colour and water quality monitoring, land vegetation and phenology monitoring, and solar resource estimation. Its work primarily serves space agencies (ESA, EUMETSAT, CNES) and the European Commission through the Copernicus programme (CAMS, CLMS, CMS), with revenues generated through competitive tenders, consortia leadership, and direct contracts.

Product overview

HYGEOS is a worker cooperative enterprise specialized in satellite Earth observation data analysis. The company offers a portfolio of proprietary software tools including Polymer (atmospheric correction for ocean color), SMART-G (GPU-based Monte-Carlo radiative transfer), SMAC-CL (simplified atmospheric correction), and SolaRes (solar resource estimation service). These core products are complemented by specialized services for support to spatial missions, solar energy assessment, water quality monitoring, air quality forecasting, and land monitoring. HYGEOS coordinates major European Commission and space agency projects including Copernicus Land Monitoring Service vegetation products and Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service aerosol modeling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SolaRes: Solar resource estimation service providing near real time estimates and historical archives of solar resource worldwide for solar plant operators and developers.
• Polymer
• SMART-G
• SMAC-CL

Products and services

• Polymer Atmospheric correction algorithm for ocean colour remote sensing from satellite imagery; processes data from Sentinel-3 OLCI, Sentinel-2 MSI, and NASA PACE OCI, handling turbid waters, absorbing aerosols, adjacency effects, and bathymetry in transitional waters.
• SMART-G GPU-based Monte-Carlo radiative transfer code for accurate simulation of atmospheric radiative transfer, used for synthetic data generation, solar resource assessment, and atmospheric correction development; handles polarization and spherical shell geometry.
• SMAC-CL Simplified Method for Atmospheric Correction code for atmospheric correction processing, being upgraded to SMAC-NEO with improved gaseous absorption calculations and a more generic automated architecture.
• SolaRes Solar resource estimation service providing near real-time estimates and historical archives of solar resource worldwide for solar plant operators and developers; powered by SMART-G, delivers global horizontal irradiance, direct normal irradiance (DNI), and diffuse irradiance at 1-minute resolution.
• Support to Spatial Missions Technical support service for satellite mission development including sensor design, calibration/validation activities, and data processor development for missions including TRISHNA, METimage, 3MI, CO2M, and Copernicus Sentinels.
• Solar Energy Services Solar resource assessment for concentrated solar plants and photovoltaic installations, including atmospheric attenuation estimation, circumsolar contribution analysis, and plant productivity calculations.
• Water Quality Services Water quality monitoring using satellite ocean colour data, including chlorophyll-a concentration estimation, Sargassum detection, and atmospheric correction for transitional and coastal waters.
• Air Quality Services Atmospheric composition monitoring and air quality assessment including aerosol optical depth, PM2.5/PM10 modelling, and pollution event detection, contributing to CAMS global and regional forecasting systems.
• Land Monitoring Services Continental ecosystem monitoring including vegetation properties (LAI, FAPAR, FCOVER), land surface phenology, evapotranspiration, heat fluxes, and burnt area detection from satellite Earth observation data.
• Exploitation of Satellite Data Retrieval of key physical variables describing the state of the atmosphere, water quality, and land ecosystem health from Earth observation data using advanced algorithms and inversion techniques.
• Simulation of Satellite Data On-demand simulation of precise synthetic Earth observation data for geostationary and polar-orbiting satellite missions using radiative transfer modelling, generating realistic test data for ground processor development.
• CLMS Global Vegetation Properties Products V2 (LAI, FAPAR, FCOVER) Global vegetation properties dataset including LAI, FAPAR, and FCOVER at 300m resolution from PROBA-V and Sentinel-3 OLCI, distributed via the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem.
• CLMS Land Surface Phenology V2 Products Land surface phenology dataset with 13 phenological and productivity metrics from PROBA-V and Sentinel-3 OLCI, distributed via the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem.
• CLMS Evapotranspiration and Heat Fluxes NRT Products Near real-time 10-daily evapotranspiration and daily heat fluxes products derived from Sentinel-3 OLCI and SLSTR at 300m resolution.
• CLMS Burnt Area v4.0 Daily Products Daily burnt area products with pixel burnt fraction information, available within 24 hours of satellite acquisition.

Quantifiable outcome

• Products validated against thousands of independent in-situ observations (LSP V2 validation)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EUMETSATcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2013EUMETSAT is a key partner for satellite mission simulation. HYGEOS developed and ran radiance simulators for the 4MSDS project (2013-2017) generating synthetic test data for METimage and 3MI instruments on EPS-SG. Also involved in CO2M MAP/CLIM simulations (2021-2023) and GEO SDS project.
• Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKNMI and HYGEOS co-lead the CAMS2_35 project and its continuation CAMS2_35Bis (2025-2028), focusing on improving tropospheric and stratospheric aerosol modeling in the IFS-COMPO system.
• European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)coreTechnology or IntegrationECMWF is the operator of IFS-COMPO for CAMS. HYGEOS contributes to IFS development including Cycle 49R1 updates on aerosol representation, stratospheric chemistry, and volcanic eruption modeling.
• VITOcoreTechnology or IntegrationVITO operates the processing chain for CLMS vegetation products including Land Surface Phenology V2, vegetation properties (LAI, FAPAR, FCOVER V2), and burnt area products.
• EOLABcoreTechnology or IntegrationEOLAB performs independent validation for CLMS vegetation products including Land Surface Phenology V2 and vegetation properties V2.
• Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCREAF experts developed the LAI, FAPAR, and FCOVER V2 products for CLMS. HYGEOS coordinated the consortium including CREAF, VITO, and EOLAB.
• ESA Ocean Colour Climate Change InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHYGEOS has been involved since the beginning of the ESA Ocean Colour CCI project, developing the Polymer atmospheric correction algorithm for multi-mission processing in CCI+ Phase 2.
• Ocean Colour Thematic Data Assembly (OC-TAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHYGEOS joined OC-TAC consortium for Copernicus Marine Service Phase 2 (2025-2028), providing Polymer software for atmospheric corrections over the Baltic Sea and other regions.
• Lund UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExperts from Lund University developed the Land Surface Phenology V2 products. HYGEOS coordinated the work between Lund University, VITO, and EOLAB.
• DHIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDHI experts developed the evapotranspiration and heat flux products for CLMS. HYGEOS coordinated the development work between DHI, CSIC, VITO, and Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium.
• Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSIC contributed to evapotranspiration and heat flux product development for CLMS. HYGEOS coordinated the product development consortium.
• Royal Meteorological Institute of BelgiumcoreTechnology or IntegrationPerforms independent validation for CLMS evapotranspiration and heat flux products.
• Laboratoire d'Optique Atmosphérique (LOA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLOA is a long-term partner for atmospheric radiative transfer work. HYGEOS has collaborated on cloud retrieval (FORUM), METimage CTP, and 4MSDS projects.
• SPASCIAcoreTechnology or IntegrationSPASCIA and HYGEOS developed together algorithms based on PCA of IASI spectra for systematic detection of extreme atmospheric events including fires, volcanoes, and pollution plumes.
• AERIS/ICAREcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAERIS/ICARE data and service centre operates the extreme atmospheric events detection software and disseminates products through its data portal.
• CLS (Collecte Localisation Satellites)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCLS operates SAMTool, the operational Sargassum detection system. HYGEOS software is integrated into SAMTool for operational Sargassum monitoring from GOES-16/ABI data.
• PROMES Laboratory (CNRS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on concentrated solar flux modeling in solar power towers, presenting novel methods for atmospheric radiative transfer in concentrating systems.
• LMAP (Université de Pau)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on concentrated solar flux modeling in solar power towers.
• Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA/IASB)coreTechnology or IntegrationBIRA/IASB developed the BASCOE scheme for stratospheric chemistry, integrated into CAMS forecasting system with contributions from HYGEOS.
• CAMAERA Consortium (15 partners)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAMAERA (CAMS AERosol Advancement) is a Horizon Europe project led by HYGEOS with 15 partners from 11 European countries plus ECMWF, aiming to improve CAMS aerosol modeling capabilities.
• CAMEO Project ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAMEO (CAMS EvOlution) project led by ECMWF with HYGEOS contribution focusing on deposition uncertainty and ensemble methods for uncertainty quantification.
• CESBIOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHYGEOS experts contributed to CESBIO-led study on quantifying adjacency effect using 3D radiative transfer modeling with DART model, validated against SMART-G.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hygeos

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 HYGEOS