AVT Airborne Sensing

What AVT Airborne Sensing does

AVT Airborne Sensing is a European aerial surveying company that conducts manned aircraft missions equipped with thermal (IGI DigiTHERM), hyperspectral (AISA Fenix / Specim), LiDAR (RIEGL), and oblique/nadir imaging (Vexcel UltraCam, PhaseOne) sensors to deliver geodata products and analysis services. The company serves state, regional, and municipal authorities, energy and utility operators, infrastructure operators (rail/highway/river corridors), and urban planning/environmental organizations across the DACH region and broader Europe, with active project references in Germany, Austria, Italy, and Finland and pilot cities including Graz, Klagenfurt, Munich, Salzburg, Oldenburg, Ferrara, and Celle. Output products range from orthophotos, true orthophotos, 3D meshes, and digital geo-twins to hyperspectral classification maps and forest analysis datasets, supplemented by two proprietary browser-based software tools — MAPPIS (hyperspectral visualization) and measuree (photogrammetric measurement).

The company was formed from the merger of Weser Airborne Sensing and Terra Messflug and is a subsidiary of the Austrian AVT Group; the 2023-2024 reorganization absorbed the photogrammetry and remote sensing division of the parent surveying company (Vermessung AVT-ZT-GmbH) into AVT Airborne Sensing Austria GmbH. Headcount at the AVT Airborne Sensing level was 37 employees at the start of 2024 across an 8-nation workforce, while the broader AVT Group employs over 500 people. Multiple offices span Germany (Greven/FMO Airport), Austria (Imst, Vienna, Klosterneuburg, Niederöblarn, Reutte, Bad Vöslau), and Italy (Trento). Revenue mechanics are enterprise and government project-based, quote-driven, and recurring via municipal, energy, and infrastructure clients; additional contracted revenue flows through EU-funded programs such as Horizon Europe USAGE (EUR 4.1M budget) and the Interreg MAP-REZIA biodiversity project (2025-2027).

Name

AVT Airborne Sensing

Legal name

AVT Airborne Sensing GmbH

Website

https://avt-as.eu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AVT Airborne Sensing is a European aerial surveying company operating manned aircraft fitted with thermal, hyperspectral, LiDAR, and oblique imaging sensors to deliver geodata products and analysis services to government, utility, infrastructure, and environmental clients primarily across the DACH region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Greven

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Aerial Survey Flight Services: Core revenue from conducting aerial survey flights using manned aircraft equipped with various sensors (thermal, hyperspectral, LiDAR, oblique imaging). Projects include corridor surveys for railways, highways, and rivers, urban area surveys, and environmental monitoring flights. Revenue is project-based, recurring from ongoing government and enterprise contracts across Europe.
2. Photogrammetric and Remote Sensing Data Products: Processing and delivery of geodata products including orthophotos, true orthophotos, oblique images, 3D meshes, hyperspectral data products, laser scanning point clouds, thermal maps, urban classification maps, and forest analysis data. Products are delivered as maps, raster datasets, or vector datasets.
3. MAPPIS and measuree Software Tools: MAPPIS visualization software for hyperspectral data analysis and measuree browser-based photogrammetric measurement tool are proprietary software products offered to customers. These tools enable non-expert users to work with aerial survey data.
4. Urban Remote Sensing and Environmental Analysis Services: Specialized analysis services combining aerial sensor data with Machine Learning for urban surface classification, vegetation analysis, water quality assessment, tree species mapping, and biodiversity monitoring for protected areas.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AVT Airborne Sensing conducts aerial surveying flights across Europe using manned twin-engine aircraft equipped with thermal, hyperspectral, LiDAR, and oblique imaging sensors. The company processes and delivers geodata products including orthophotos, 3D meshes, hyperspectral datasets, laser scanning point clouds, and classification maps, supplemented by proprietary software tools (MAPPIS and measuree) that enable non-expert users to interpret the resulting data.

Product overview

AVT Airborne Sensing is a European aerial surveying company offering a comprehensive portfolio of airborne remote sensing services and software products. The core service portfolio includes aerial imaging modalities (oblique, nadir, thermal, hyperspectral, and LiDAR), various value-added products (orthophotos, true orthophotos, 3D meshes, classification maps), and specialized analysis services (urban remote sensing, forest analysis, photogrammetric evaluation). The company also develops proprietary software tools including MAPPIS, a browser-based visualization platform for hyperspectral data analysis, and measuree, a browser-based photogrammetric measurement tool. Services are delivered using the company's own aircraft fleet operated from multiple European bases, with data processing conducted at offices in Austria and Italy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MAPPIS: A visualization tool developed by AVT-AS for interpretation of hyperspectral images and derived products, designed for non-experts. It features three specific modules tailored for applications in agriculture, forestry, and urban development.
• measuree

Products and services

• Oblique Imaging (Schrägluftbild) Oblique aerial imagery capturing buildings and terrain from multiple angles, enabling 3D visualization and detailed facade analysis for urban planning and infrastructure documentation.
• True Orthophoto Geometrically corrected aerial imagery that removes building displacement, providing accurate top-down views suitable for measurement and mapping applications.
• 3D Mesh Three-dimensional digital models of urban areas and terrain created from aerial imagery, forming the basis for digital twins and urban planning applications.
• Airborne Thermography (Thermografie aus der Luft) Airborne thermal imaging for detecting heat loss in buildings, identifying district heating network leaks, and mapping urban heat islands for climate adaptation planning.
• Hyperspectral Imaging (Hyperspektrale Aufnahmen) Hyperspectral aerial imaging capturing hundreds of spectral bands for detailed material classification, vegetation analysis, and environmental monitoring.
• Laser Scanning and Combined Imaging (Laserscanning) Airborne LiDAR combined with aerial imagery for corridor mapping (railways, highways, rivers) and urban surveys, providing 3D point clouds and classification data for digital twins.
• Urban Remote Sensing (Urbane Fernerkundung) Machine learning-based analysis of aerial imagery for urban surface classification, tree species mapping, water quality assessment, and infrastructure analysis using multi-channel and hyperspectral data.
• Forest Analysis (Waldanalyse) Forest vitality assessment combining hyperspectral and laser scanning data for tree-by-tree health evaluation and biodiversity mapping.
• Orthophoto Geometrically corrected aerial photographs serving as base maps for GIS applications and spatial analysis.
• Historical Orthophoto (Historisches Orthophoto) Archive of historical aerial imagery processed into orthophotos for change detection, environmental studies, and historical documentation.
• Photogrammetric Evaluation (Photogrammetrische Auswertung) Photogrammetric analysis and stereo plotting services for topographic mapping and feature extraction from aerial imagery.
• Winter Orthophoto Seasonal aerial imagery captured during winter conditions when snow cover and leaf-off conditions enable visibility of terrain features typically obscured by vegetation.
• MAPPIS Browser-based visualization tool for hyperspectral data analysis with modules for agriculture, forestry, and urban development, enabling non-expert users to explore classification maps, spectral indices, and raster products with integrated measurement and annotation capabilities.
• measuree Browser-based photogrammetric measurement tool enabling surveying tasks from oblique and nadir aerial imagery without requiring photogrammetric expertise or stereo viewing equipment.

Quantifiable outcome

• District heating leaks identified within 4 days of thermal flight (Salzburg AG case)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ERSAF - Direzione Parco Stelvio (Stelvio National Park Authority)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 February 2025Project partner in MAP-REZIA Interreg project for biodiversity monitoring in protected areas. AVT-ASI will conduct hyperspectral and LiDAR aerial surveys over the Stelvio National Park and process data with remote sensing methods. Project runs from January 2025 to June 2027.
• EURAC - Istituto per l'Ambiente Alpino (European Academy of Bozen/Bolzano)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 February 2025Research partner in MAP-REZIA Interreg project for biodiversity monitoring in protected areas on borders between Lombardy, province of Bolzano, and canton of Graubünden.
• Free University of Bozen-BolzanocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 February 2025Academic partner in MAP-REZIA Interreg project contributing to biodiversity monitoring and ecosystem characterization research.
• Swiss National ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 February 2025Partner in MAP-REZIA Interreg project for cross-border biodiversity management in protected areas between Italy and Switzerland.
• Primis (Brno, Czech Republic)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 October 2022AVT Group shares a booth with Primis at Intergeo trade fair. Primis is a partner company from Brno, Czech Republic, co-exhibiting at the geospatial industry event.
• Universidad Politécnica de MadridcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 October 2022Coordinator of the Horizon Europe USAGE (Urban Data Space for Green Deal) project. AVT Airborne Sensing contributes hyperspectral aerial images of Ferrara, thermal flights for heat distribution analysis, and involves the Municipality of Graz as stakeholder. The project has a budget of EUR 4.1 million and runs from August 2022 to July 2025.
• BSF SwissphotominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 September 2022Co-organizer of Open Day Photogrammetry 2022 with AVT Airborne Sensing. BSF Swissphoto hosted the event at Schönhagen airfield near Potsdam. AVT organized the 2023 edition at FMO Airport.
• Surveying AVT-ZT-GmbH (AVT Group parent)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2022AVT Group parent company and project partner in the USAGE Horizon Europe project. AVT-ZT-GmbH is the parent surveying company with over 50 years of experience, with its Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing division merged into AVT Airborne Sensing Austria GmbH in 2023/24.
• Municipality of Ferrara (Italy)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2022Pilot city in the Horizon Europe USAGE project. AVT Airborne Sensing conducted hyperspectral and thermal flights over Ferrara for urban material mapping, tree species classification, and heat distribution analysis.
• EAASI (European Association of Aerial Surveying Industries)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAVT Group is a member of EAASI and participated in an EAASI webinar on reducing aerial survey carbon footprint. AVT presented its journey to carbon neutrality, sharing strategies including Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions assessment.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Fugro: Global geospatial and asset integrity company with a substantial airborne LiDAR, photogrammetry, and satellite-derived mapping business. Competes for large pan-European aerial survey framework contracts but serves a much broader portfolio including marine, geotechnical, and asset inspection.
• Trimble / Trimble Applanix / Trimble eCognition: Major geospatial technology provider offering aerial mapping hardware (Applanix POS AV) and photogrammetry/remote-sensing analytics platforms that compete with AVT's sensor and software stack, especially in larger enterprise and government deployments.
• Hexagon (Leica Geosystems / Leica Geosystems Airborne Solutions): Large incumbent offering airborne sensors (Leica CityMapper, Chiroptera) and end-to-end mapping software that competes with AVT across the value chain. While primarily a sensor/software vendor, Leica's solutions bundle survey data production, putting it in competition with AVT's integrated service model.

Regional players

• Nearmap: Aerial imagery and 3D data provider operating primarily in Australia, the US, and New Zealand with very-high-resolution oblique and orthophoto capture. Comparable product offering and recurring SaaS-like delivery model but limited European overlap.

Direct peers

• BSF Swissphoto: Swiss aerial surveying firm specializing in photogrammetry, LiDAR, and orthophoto production for government and infrastructure clients. Direct peer sharing the same DACH customer base and co-organizing industry events with AVT.
• Bluesky International: UK-based aerial survey company producing high-resolution aerial imagery, LiDAR, and thermal data for government, utilities, and infrastructure. Comparable product mix (orthophotos, 3D models, aerial LiDAR) and target segments, operating primarily outside DACH.
• Cyclomedia: Netherlands-based provider of systematic aerial and street-level imagery, LiDAR, and derived 3D geospatial data for municipalities and infrastructure operators. Comparable business model of recurring, large-area aerial capture with browser-based analytics for non-expert users.
• GeoFly GmbH: German aerial surveying company using manned aircraft for photogrammetry, LiDAR, and thermal imaging. Direct competitor for DACH municipal and infrastructure survey contracts with overlapping service portfolio.
• Aerowest: German aerial surveying company operating manned aircraft with similar photogrammetric, LiDAR, and thermal imaging capabilities. Direct peer co-organizing the Open Day Photogrammetry event with AVT and competing for the same municipal and infrastructure clients in Germany.

Emerging players

• European Space Imaging (Maxar partner): Provider of very-high-resolution satellite imagery and derived geospatial products across Europe, frequently co-bundled with aerial sources. Increasingly substitutes for parts of AVT's commodity orthophoto and mapping offering, particularly over large or remote areas.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/avt-airborne-sensing
• Instagraminstagram.com/avtairbornesensing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 AVT Airborne Sensing