What Strata Data does

StrataData Ltd. is a privately held UK software company, founded in 1992 by Paul Britton in Pluckley, Kent, that develops specialised data management tools for biostratigraphy, the geological discipline of dating and correlating rock layers using fossil content. The company's flagship product, StrataBugs, is a Java-based Windows desktop application marketed as the industry-leading tool for recording, storing, manipulating and displaying biostratigraphic and geological data across multiple wells or outcrops, with modules covering wells and outcrops, taxonomic databases, schemes and interpretations, charting, and data import/export, and supporting SQL Server, Azure Cloud SQL, and Oracle backends. A second product, Scampi, is a cloud-based, machine learning-powered image search service for palynology that scans microscope slides and returns depth-distributed, auditable results for analyst review.

The company serves a narrow but global customer base across hydrocarbon exploration and production companies, geohazard assessment firms, offshore wind projects (for example, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency's Southern North Sea turbine foundation suitability surveys), and academic institutions studying micropaleontology and stratigraphy. StrataBugs is sold as an annual subscription that bundles support and updates, with soft licences tied to host machines or a server, replacing the prior hardware-dongle model from 2023. Scampi uses a usage-based per-slide pricing model in the order of tens of GBP per slide per month, with volume discounts and academic rates. Distribution is direct via website download, supported by a community blog, training webinars, and comprehensive online documentation, and the company integrates with the Nannotax/Mikrotax taxonomic web services API for in-app reference lookups.

Name

Strata Data

Legal name

StrataData Ltd.

Website

https://stratadata.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

StrataData Ltd. develops StrataBugs, a desktop biostratigraphic data management application, and Scampi, a cloud ML image search service for palynology, serving oil and gas, geohazard, offshore wind, and academic customers globally via annual subscriptions and per-slide usage fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Pluckley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. StrataBugs Software Licences: StrataBugs is licensed software sold on a subscription basis. Subscriptions include support and regular updates. The company offers subscription periods to suit customer needs. All licences are 'soft' licences linked to a host machine, replacing the older hardware key (dongle) system. Organisations with previous permanent licences that maintained support payments receive renewed licences indefinitely.
2. Scampi Processing Fees: Scampi is charged per slide with no fixed licence fee and unlimited users. Processing batches incurs fees covering compute costs plus one-month data access. A lower monthly 'retention fee' applies thereafter until slides are deleted. Prices scale with volume commitment with special rates for academic work.
3. Maintenance and Support: Annual maintenance and support payments are required for ongoing support and updates. Licences are aligned to calendar year end for renewal.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

StrataData develops and sells StrataBugs, a Java-based Windows desktop application used by biostratigraphers to record, store, manipulate, chart and correlate geological and biostratigraphic data across wells and outcrops, including integration with corporate SQL Server, Oracle and Azure Cloud SQL databases. The company additionally operates Scampi, a cloud-based machine learning image search service for palynology that scans microscope slides, distributes results by depth and supports auditable analyst-controlled labeling. Both products are offered under subscription licensing that bundles support and regular updates.

Product overview

StrataData offers two core software products: StrataBugs is an industry-leading desktop application for biostratigraphic data management, while Scampi is a cloud-based image search service for enhanced palynology. StrataBugs operates as a modular system with separate functional areas including the Wells & Outcrops module, Samples & Interpretations module, Taxonomic Database module, Schemes & Interpretations module, Charts module, and Organiser module. The product supports various database platforms (SQL Server, Oracle), licensing models, and operating systems including Windows x64 and ARM. Scampi uses machine learning to accelerate palynology workflows and is priced per slide with no fixed licence fee.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• StrataBugs: Industry leading biostratigraphic data management software for recording, storing, manipulating and displaying biostratigraphic and geological data for wells or outcrops
• Scampi

Products and services

• StrataBugs Java-based Windows desktop application that records, stores, manipulates and displays biostratigraphic and geological data for one or many wells or outcrops, with charting, taxonomic database, event management, correlation capabilities and integration with corporate databases via SQL Server, Oracle or Azure Cloud SQL. Sold on a subscription licence that bundles support and updates, for individual, corporate and academic users.
• StrataBugs Server Server-based deployment of StrataBugs that uses a licence server to allow multiple simultaneous users in corporate organisations to access a shared StrataBugs environment, complementing the single-host soft-licence deployment model.
• Scampi Cloud-based machine-learning image search service for palynology that scans microscope slides, distributes results by depth, allows custom labels and captures fully auditable results that can be shared across organisations, without handing analytical decisions to a black-box ML model. Priced per slide with unlimited users, volume discounts and academic rates.

Named customers4 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

Integration4 records

AI capability2 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BioChron LtdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBioChron Ltd, led by former StrataData Managing Director John Athersuch, undertakes biostratigraphic and geochronology work previously done by StrataData. The companies maintain a close relationship, with BioChron using StrataBugs and sharing case studies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Schlumberger (SLB): Global oilfield services giant whose Techlog and Petrel platforms provide geological and petrophysical data management to the same E&P customers StrataData serves. While Techlog is broader (well log analysis), SLB is the broadest incumbent with biostratigraphy-adjacent capabilities bundled into a much larger portfolio.
• IHS Markit / S&P Global Commodity Insights: Through its IHS acquisition, S&P Global offers geological data, well data, and the Kingdom/Petra geological interpretation platforms that compete for subsurface-data budgets in oil & gas. Broad incumbent with adjacent geological data and software portfolio.
• CGG (Geosoftware): CGG's Geosoftware division provides geological interpretation and reservoir characterization software. Operates an established Robertson biostratigraphy service line that competes directly with StrataData's customer base in subsurface consulting workflows.
• Paradigm (Emerson E&P Software): Emerson's Paradigm suite offers geological and geophysical interpretation software for E&P, with overlapping subsurface data management capabilities. Broad incumbent serving the same corporate geoscience IT buyer StrataData targets.
• Halliburton / Landmark (now Halliburton): Halliburton's Landmark DecisionSpace suite includes subsurface data management for E&P, overlapping with StrataBugs at the corporate database integration level. A large established incumbent whose geoscience software competes for the same IT budgets.

Direct peers

• Petrostrat: UK-based biostratigraphic services company offering stratigraphic and palynological consulting to the same E&P customers StrataData serves. While primarily a services firm (not software), Petrostrat is the closest functional peer competing for biostratigraphy budget allocation and uses biostratigraphic data management workflows analogous to StrataBugs.
• Petroleum Experts (PETEX): Edinburgh-based petroleum engineering software firm whose geological and reservoir modeling tools integrate with subsurface workflows similar to StrataBugs. Comparable niche-specialist software peer with comparable UK heritage, serving the same E&P geology audience.
• Petrosys: Australia-based specialist in petroleum data management, mapping, and subsurface integration. Direct peer in the niche of E&P-focused specialist data management software, comparable in size and product focus to StrataData.

Emerging players

• RPS Group (Ichron): RPS operates Ichron, a biostratigraphic services group that delivers stratigraphic and micropalaeontological services to the same E&P customers. Comparable in customer overlap to StrataData; competing for project-level biostratigraphy spend though without a direct software product.
• Cambridge Carbonates: UK-based specialist consultancy in carbonate sedimentology, biostratigraphy, and reservoir characterization for E&P. Adjacent specialist services peer sharing the same UK geoscience talent pool and overlapping customer base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stratadata-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Strata Data