What Assimila Ltd does

Assimila Ltd is a UK-based Earth observation (EO) and environmental data consultancy founded in 2006 and headquartered at the University of Reading Enterprise Centre. The firm translates satellite remote sensing, weather data, and physically-based environmental models into operational analytics for government, intergovernmental, agricultural, and financial sector clients. Its core capabilities sit in EO data processing, data assimilation, geocomputing, and crop modelling using the WOFOST framework, with machine learning techniques applied for vegetation parameter retrieval and yield forecasting. Core products include ACROPALIS (a crop analysis system providing field benchmarking, yield forecasts, canopy cover and phenology for UK and international agriculture), ClearSky (cloud-free satellite imagery maps distributed via the Resilience Constellation platform), the Assimila Data Cube (a Python-based geospatial platform with API, Jupyter, and QGIS integrations), Assimila Analysis Ready Data (ARD), and the Climate Risk Demonstrator aimed at financial-sector climate risk indices. Operational programmes span pest risk forecasting (PRISE in Sub-Saharan Africa), maize yield forecasting in Ghana, NCEO programme management, and technical management support for the Copernicus Climate Change Service at ECMWF.

The business operates a hybrid model combining professional services (UK Space Agency IPP, ESA, NCEO and ECMWF project work and programme management), consultancy (EO strategy and technical programme management for Defra and others), data product sales (ClearSky), and emerging recurring subscription revenue (ACROPALIS crop intelligence). GTM is sales-led and director-driven: clients engage directly with founder/director Jon Styles and director Andy Shaw. The company has no disclosed external venture or private equity backing and appears founder-owned, with a team of approximately 11 staff including a technical director and several PhD-level EO specialists. Geographic reach spans the UK, Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, China, Laos, and Colombia via partnerships with CABI, Farmerline, ADAS, Crop4Sight, UCL, Durham, STFC/RAL Space, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Beijing Normal University.

Name

Assimila Ltd

Legal name

Assimila Ltd

Website

https://assimila.earth

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UK-based Earth observation consultancy building crop analytics (ACROPALIS), cloud-free satellite imagery (ClearSky), and climate risk tools for government, agriculture, and financial sector clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Earth Observation Analytics

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360), Support Activities for Crop Production (1151)

SIC

Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Remote Sensing & Earth Observation Analytics (Satellite/UAV/LiDAR, Image Processing) (EUAHAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Remote Sensing & Imaging (Satellite, UAV/Drone, Aerial, Multispectral/Hyperspectral) (AFAGALAC), Satellite Imagery & Monitoring Platforms (AFAAAFAI), Farm Management Information Systems (FMIS) & Digital Recordkeeping (AFABAMAD)

Keywords

• Earth observation analytics
• Satellite data processing
• Crop yield forecasting
• Geospatial data platforms
• Climate risk assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Reading

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research & Innovation Projects: R&D programmes and information solutions developed in collaboration with research and commercial partners, often funded by government bodies like UK Space Agency International Partnership Programme.
2. Consultancy Services: Strategic advice and technical management services for Earth observation programmes, including Earth observation strategy development and technical project management.
3. ClearSky Satellite Imagery Products: Sale of cloud-free satellite image maps for land and vegetation analysis, available for purchase through Resilience Constellation platform.
4. Crop Intelligence Products (ACROPALIS): Operational crop analysis system providing yield forecasts, benchmarking and crop monitoring services for agriculture sector.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Assimila Ltd delivers Earth observation analytics, software platforms and consultancy services that translate satellite remote sensing data into operational intelligence. Core offerings include the ACROPALIS crop analysis system, ClearSky cloud-free satellite imagery, the Assimila Data Cube geospatial data platform, pre-processed Analysis Ready Data products, climate risk assessment tools for the financial sector, and dedicated crop yield forecasting systems. The company combines multi-sensor satellite data (Sentinel, MODIS, Landsat, SAR) with physically-based crop models (WOFOST) and data assimilation techniques to support agriculture, climate risk, and environmental monitoring clients.

Product overview

Assimila Ltd is an Earth observation and environmental data company offering a portfolio of specialized products and platforms. The core offerings include ACROPALIS (an agricultural crop analysis system for benchmarking, yield forecasting, and crop monitoring), ClearSky (cloud-free satellite imagery), the Assimila Data Cube (geospatial data management platform with Python API), and Analysis Ready Data products. These are complemented by domain-specific solutions including the Climate Risk Demonstrator for financial sector risk assessment and specialized crop yield forecasting systems. The company combines satellite data, weather information, and physically-based crop models (WOFOST) with machine learning techniques to deliver agricultural, land, and climate intelligence services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ACROPALIS: Assimila Crop Analysis System - agricultural analytics system using satellite and weather data coupled with crop models for crop intelligence products and services including field benchmarking, yield forecasts, crop canopy data and phenological event monitoring.
• ClearSky
• Assimila Data Cube

Products and services

• ACROPALIS - Assimila Crop Analysis System Agricultural analytics system harnessing satellite and weather data coupled with WOFOST crop models to provide crop intelligence services including field benchmarking, yield forecasts, canopy cover data, and phenological crop event monitoring for farmers, agronomists, and agribusinesses.
• ClearSky Satellite Imagery Cloud-free satellite image maps providing high-resolution optical and multispectral data for land and vegetation monitoring across UK, Europe and Africa, sold to organisations needing reliable land surface imagery for environmental and agricultural analysis.
• Assimila Data Cube Customisable platform providing automated data acquisition, pre-processing and analysis of Earth observation data, featuring Python API access, Jupyter Notebooks interface, QGIS plugin integration and support for multiple data formats including COG and NetCDF, for GIS analysts, EO developers and research users.
• Assimila Analysis Ready Data (ARD) Pre-processed Earth observation data product offering calibration, atmospheric correction, mosaicing and compositing, providing merged datasets using MODIS and OLCI data at 500m resolution for consistent land surface analysis by researchers and analysts.
• Climate Risk Demonstrator Climate risk assessment tool incorporating satellite-derived climate data to monitor flooding, sea level rise, drought, and soil health risks, being developed for actuarial and climate risk index products for the financial services sector.
• Maize Yield Forecasting System Operational system forecasting maize yields using the WOFOST crop model coupled with Earth observations and weather data, providing regional and individual farm-level yield forecasts for Ghana's maize supply chain with yields forecast to within ~10% accuracy.
• Earth Observation Consultancy Services Strategic advice and technical project management services for Earth observation programmes, supporting government departments, space agencies and research organisations with EO strategy development, programme delivery and science communication.

Quantifiable outcome

• Field-level crop yields forecast to within ~10% of observed values
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ADAScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with ADAS on the ACROPALIS Crop Analysis System, integrating the Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) benchmarking service with satellite-derived vegetation metrics.
• Crop4SightcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking with Crop4Sight to provide canopy cover information for monitoring potato crop growth as part of their potato yield services. First time an Earth observation solution has been integrated with a potato yield analysis system of this type.
• FarmerlinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Ghanaian agriculture advisory business Farmerline for maize yield forecasting in Ghana, providing information down to individual farm level using cutting-edge Earth observation technology.
• CABI / CABI-AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership on multiple projects including PRISE pest risk service across Sub-Saharan Africa, BioSpace locust monitoring, maize yield forecasting, and monitoring and evaluation.
• University College LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on developing and applying data assimilation approaches to vegetation modelling, crop yield simulation using WOFOST model, and land surface parameter estimation.
• UK Space AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor funding and implementation partner for International Partnership Programme (IPP) projects including PRISE, DataCube for peatlands, and maize yield forecasting in Ghana. STFC Newton AgriTech programme partnership.
• ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTechnical management support for Copernicus Climate Change Service, reviewing deliverables for 22 essential climate variables, strategic advice on programme development.
• ESA (European Space Agency)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMultiple projects including TRUTHS user requirements, HARMONIA urban climate solutions, FIDUCEO climate data records, and OPTIRAD data assimilation research.
• STFC / RAL SpacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since 2014 to design and deliver the £32M UK-China Newton Agritech programme, delivering advanced satellite technology solutions for agricultural challenges.
• University of ReadingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeadquarters location with ongoing collaboration on DataCube for peatlands demonstrator, Reading E-Science centre videowall development, and Space4Climate group coordination.
• Space4Climate Climate Risk Disclosure Task GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExploring how satellite-derived climate data can help the finance sector in making climate informed disclosures and decisions. Engaged with European Actuarial Climate Index Working Group.
• National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgramme and impacts management for NCEO, providing UK core expertise in Earth observation science, data, and model evaluation. Led international consortium for TRUTHS user requirements.
• China National Natural Science Funding CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding body partner for £32M UK-China Newton Agritech programme along with Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
• Actuarial Association of EuropeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngagement through European Actuarial Climate Index Working Group (EACI WG) on developing an Actuarial Climate Index incorporating satellite data.
• Beijing Normal UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on modelling crop yields using Earth observation data in China.
• Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in £32M UK-China Newton Agritech programme and crop yield modelling projects.
• Resilience Constellation ManagementminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStart-up seeking to develop geospatial solutions to climate resilience challenges; Andy Shaw is Space Programme Director. ClearSky imagery distributed through their platform.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• Planet Labs: Global satellite EO operator with broad imagery, analytics and APIs across agriculture, forestry and civil government — overlapping with Assimila's EO-data and analysis-ready data products at much greater scale.
• Maxar Technologies: Large established EO satellite operator and imagery analytics provider serving defence, intelligence, agriculture and government — overlaps with Assimila's data solutions and ClearSky imagery.
• Airbus Defence and Space: European incumbent operating satellites (Sentinel, SPOT) and offering EO analytics for agriculture, climate and government — broad comparable to Assimila across Copernicus-adjacent programmes.

Emerging players

• ICEYE: Finland-based SAR satellite operator offering flood, infrastructure and environmental monitoring — overlapping with Assimila's SAR-enabled analytics and environmental monitoring work.
• Satelligence: Netherlands-based company using satellite data and analytics for deforestation-free supply chains, land use and nature-based climate solutions — comparable niche EO-analytics peer with similar Earth-observation-and-modelling approach.
• EarthDaily Analytics: Canada-based EO analytics company providing satellite-derived analytics for agriculture, forestry, climate and ESG — comparable emerging player in operational EO analytics for agriculture/climate.
• Pixxel: India-based hyperspectral satellite operator building EO analytics for agriculture, mining and environmental monitoring — adjacent EO-analytics peer targeting similar ag/environmental verticals.

Direct peers

• Cervest: UK-based climate risk analytics firm using Earth observation and scientific data to quantify asset-level climate risk — directly comparable to Assimila's Climate Risk Demonstrator for financial-sector disclosures.
• Rezatec: UK-based satellite data analytics company applying EO and geospatial analytics to agriculture, forestry and infrastructure — directly comparable to Assimila's agricultural EO focus and UK base.
• Taranis: Israel-headquartered precision agriculture platform combining satellite imagery, AI and field-level data for crop monitoring and yield intelligence — closely comparable to ACROPALIS in use case and customer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/assimilaltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/assimila-ltd

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 Assimila Ltd