SkyTEM Surveys
SkyTEM Surveys is a Danish geophysical firm that designs and operates proprietary helicopter- and drone-borne airborne electromagnetic (TEM) systems for high-resolution subsurface mapping in groundwater, mineral exploration, and geotechnical applications, serving government and enterprise clients globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersAarhus, Denmark
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SkyTEM Surveys does
SkyTEM Surveys ApS is a Denmark-based geophysical solutions company founded in 2004 as a spin-out from Aarhus University. It designs, manufactures and operates airborne transient electromagnetic (TEM) survey systems used to map subsurface electrical conductivity from the near surface down to verified depths of 700 meters. The firm serves enterprise and government clients — primarily water utilities, national geological surveys, and mining/exploration companies — on a project basis for groundwater characterization, mineral exploration, and geotechnical site investigations.
The technology stack comprises five proprietary helicopter- and drone-borne TEM platforms — SkyTEM304 (200 m), SkyTEM312/FAST (500 m), SkyTEM306HP (500 m), SkyTEM312HP (700 m), and SkyTEM Diamond (1 m to 150 m, helicopter- or drone-mountable). All systems are built around the patented Diamond carbon-fiber frame that maintains exact transmitter-receiver geometry in flight and leverage multi-moment capture to deliver calibrated, inversion-ready data correlated with borehole datasets. End-to-end service includes survey design, acquisition, processing, inversion and 3D subsurface modelling.
Revenue is generated through project-based professional services contracts — multi-year in the case of major government clients — priced per survey (scope, depth, platform, geography). SkyTEM operates through wholly-owned subsidiaries in Canada, South Africa and Australia, supported by headquarters in Aarhus, a 51-100 employee global team, ISO 45001-certified safety operations, and a Børsen Gazelle 2024 / Danish Industry Business Oscars recognized trajectory.
SkyTEM Surveys firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SkyTEM Surveys
- Legal name
- SkyTEM Surveys ApS
- Website
- https://skytem.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- SkyTEM Surveys is a Danish geophysical firm that designs and operates proprietary helicopter- and drone-borne airborne electromagnetic (TEM) systems for high-resolution subsurface mapping in groundwater, mineral exploration, and geotechnical applications, serving government and enterprise clients globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SkyTEM Surveys industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Airborne Geophysical Survey Services
- NAICS
- Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)
- SIC
- Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Autonomous Flight Control & Guidance Systems (UAS/Urban Air Mobility) (IMABAFAO)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Radar Systems & Subsystems (Airborne, Ground, Naval) (IMABAGAA)
Keywords
Where SkyTEM Surveys is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Aarhus
- HQ country
- Denmark
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
SkyTEM Surveys business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Airborne Electromagnetic Survey Services: SkyTEM provides project-based airborne geophysical surveying services using proprietary helicopter and drone-based TEM systems. Clients engage SkyTEM for specific survey projects covering groundwater mapping, mineral exploration, or geotechnical investigations. Revenue is generated through survey contracts with governments, water companies, mining companies, and research institutions worldwide. Projects vary in scale from regional surveys (thousands of line kilometers) to national-scale mapping initiatives.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based survey pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
SkyTEM Surveys product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SkyTEM develops and manufactures proprietary helicopter and drone-based Time-Domain Electromagnetic (TEM) systems and operates them to deliver airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey services for groundwater mapping, mineral exploration, and geotechnical characterization worldwide. The company designs, builds, and calibrates all systems in-house and provides end-to-end data acquisition, processing, inversion, and 3D subsurface modeling for governments, water utilities, mining companies, and research institutions.
Product overview
SkyTEM offers a portfolio of five specialized airborne transient electromagnetic (TEM) systems for subsurface mapping: SkyTEM304 (200m depth), SkyTEM312/FAST (500m), SkyTEM306HP (500m), SkyTEM312HP (700m), and SkyTEM Diamond (150m). These helicopter and drone-mounted systems deliver calibrated electromagnetic survey data for groundwater management, mineral exploration, and geotechnical applications. The patented SkyTEM Diamond frame technology is the foundation of all systems, featuring carbon-fiber construction with exact transmitter-receiver geometry. The company also provides end-to-end survey services including data acquisition, processing, inversion, and 3D subsurface modeling.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SkyTEM304
Quantifiable outcome
- Cover large regions quickly without ground disturbance, providing continuous picture of aquifer systems that would otherwise require years of investigation
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use SkyTEM Surveys
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
SkyTEM Surveys technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature7 records
SkyTEM Surveys partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- ARGASflagshipThree-year lease agreement for SkyTEM's state-of-the-art airborne electromagnetic system deployment in Saudi Arabia. Partnership includes knowledge transfer with local teams and technology know-how sharing. ARGAS is the oldest geoscience data acquisition company in the world with deep-rooted presence in the Middle East. The collaboration aims to provide comprehensive subsurface knowledge supporting informed decision-making across groundwater management, mineral exploration, environmental assessments, and geotechnical projects in Saudi Arabia.
- EMergocoreEMergo from Italy handles advanced processing and inversion of ultra-high-resolution geophysical data for the FRESHEM-NL project. Ensures data is interpreted with highest level of accuracy for effective groundwater management.
- TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research)corePartner in FRESHEM-NL project consortium working with Dutch provinces, water boards, and drinking water companies to map fresh groundwater reserves across the Netherlands. TNO- Geological Survey of the Netherlands contributes to understanding groundwater salinity and geological mapping.
- DeltarescorePartner in FRESHEM-NL project consortium. Independent Dutch institute specializing in applied research for water, subsurface, and infrastructure. Contributes expertise in understanding groundwater flow, clay layer locations, and sustainable water management.
- EMerald GeomodellingcoreCollaboration in AGAVE Project (AI-based Geo-models from UAV Geoscanning). EMerald contributes technological prowess in drone-based geoscanning systems and 3D geomodelling. Partner leading the transition of drone-generated data technology to commercialization with new products and interpretation workflows.
- SDU (University of Southern Denmark)coreAcademic partner in AGAVE Project contributing research expertise in geophysics and geotechnical engineering. Led successful approval for Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) for drone operations in Europe. Contributed to winter flight tests in Denmark validating drone system data quality.
- NGI (Norwegian Geotechnical Institute)corePartner in AGAVE Project contributing geotechnical research expertise. Conducted geotechnical assessments in Norway validating drone-based system performance. Testing confirmed improved resolution and accuracy from smaller systems, lower flight altitudes, and new machine learning workflows.
- Innovation Fund DenmarkcoreFunding provider for ReDoCO2 project focused on CO2 reduction and sustainable land management through advanced sensor technology and geophysical mapping solutions.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SkyTEM Surveys competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sander Geophysics: Sander Geophysics is one of the largest independent airborne geophysical survey companies in the world, operating fixed-wing and helicopter magnetic, electromagnetic, and radiometric surveys globally. It directly competes with SkyTEM in AEM and mineral exploration survey contracts for mining companies and governments.
- New Resolution Geophysics (NRG): NRG is a South African airborne geophysical survey company specializing in helicopter-borne EM, magnetic, and radiometric surveys for mining exploration across Africa. It is a direct peer to SkyTEM in the African and global mineral exploration AEM market.
- Geotech Airborne Geophysical Surveys: Geotech is a Canadian provider of helicopter-borne airborne geophysical surveys (VTEM, ZTEM, AeroTEM) for mineral exploration globally. Its VTEM system is a direct technical competitor to SkyTEM's helicopter TEM systems for deep mineral exploration.
- Sky Research Ltd: Sky Research provides airborne electromagnetic and magnetic geophysical surveys for environmental, geothermal, and mineral exploration applications globally. Its service-only AEM offering and target markets overlap directly with SkyTEM's water, mineral, and geotechnical segments.
Emerging players
- XP Geophysics: XP Geophysics is an emerging provider of airborne and ground EM/magnetic surveys with a focus on mineral exploration and ground engineering applications. It competes for similar helicopter EM survey contracts and represents a smaller-scale emerging player in adjacent workflows.
- Phoenix Geophysics: Phoenix Geophysics manufactures and operates land-based and airborne time-domain EM systems (including the airborne GEOTEM family), competing in mineral exploration EM surveys. It is comparable as an EM-focused survey technology provider, though predominantly ground-based, overlapping with SkyTEM in mineral exploration workflows.
- EMerald Geomodelling: EMerald Geomodelling is a Danish drone-based geoscanning and 3D geomodelling startup collaborating with SkyTEM in the AGAVE Project. It is an emerging player in the same drone-based AEM/3D modelling space, with technology overlap in airborne TEM and AI-based inversion workflows.
Broad incumbents
- CGG (Viridien): Viridien (formerly CGG) is a global geoscience heavyweight offering airborne, marine, and land-based geophysical acquisition and data services, including multi-physics surveys relevant to mining and environmental applications. It is a broad incumbent competing for large mineral and groundwater survey contracts that overlap with SkyTEM's market.
- TGS: TGS is a global energy and minerals data and intelligence company that has expanded into multi-client subsurface data libraries and active acquisition campaigns. Its growing minerals and subsurface data business overlaps with SkyTEM's geophysical survey services for resource exploration.
- Fugro: Fugro is a global geotechnical and survey services company offering airborne geophysical, site characterization, and asset integrity services. Overlap with SkyTEM in mineral exploration and geotechnical subsurface mapping for large enterprise and government clients makes it a broad incumbent peer with a much wider portfolio.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SkyTEM Surveys social profiles
Digital presenceSkyTEM Surveys compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
SkyTEM Surveys financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SkyTEM Surveys leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
SkyTEM Surveys subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
SkyTEM Surveys funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SkyTEM Surveys 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 SkyTEM Surveys
What does SkyTEM Surveys do?
SkyTEM develops and manufactures proprietary helicopter and drone-based Time-Domain Electromagnetic (TEM) systems and operates them to deliver airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey services for groundwater mapping, mineral exploration, and geotechnical characterization worldwide. The company designs, builds, and calibrates all systems in-house and provides end-to-end data acquisition, processing, inversion, and 3D subsurface modeling for governments, water utilities, mining companies, and research institutions.
Is SkyTEM Surveys a public or private company?
SkyTEM Surveys is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SkyTEM Surveys founded?
SkyTEM Surveys was founded in 2004. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is SkyTEM Surveys based?
SkyTEM Surveys is headquartered in Aarhus, Denmark, in the Europe region.
How does SkyTEM Surveys make money?
One revenue line is on record: airborne Electromagnetic Survey Services.
Who are SkyTEM Surveys's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sander Geophysics, New Resolution Geophysics (NRG), Geotech Airborne Geophysical Surveys and Sky Research Ltd. Emerging players are XP Geophysics, Phoenix Geophysics and EMerald Geomodelling. Broad incumbents are CGG (Viridien), TGS and Fugro.
Does SkyTEM Surveys have an API?
No public API is recorded for SkyTEM Surveys.
What industry is SkyTEM Surveys in?
SkyTEM Surveys's product category is Airborne Geophysical Survey Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABAFAO, Autonomous Flight Control & Guidance Systems (UAS/Urban Air Mobility), with a secondary code of IMABAGAA, Radar Systems & Subsystems (Airborne, Ground, Naval). Its NAICS code is 54136 and its SIC code is 3812.