Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Glaciares y Ecosistemas de Montaña - INAIGEM

What Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Glaciares y Ecosistemas de Montaña - INAIGEM does

INAIGEM is a specialized Peruvian government research institute operating under the Ministry of Environment (MINAM), focused on generating scientific and technological information about glaciers and mountain ecosystems. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Huaraz, Áncash, with 93 employees, the institute is the sole national body mandated to conduct the national glacier inventory (INGLOG), maintain the national permafrost distribution model, and produce official glacial hazard assessments across Peru's 20 glaciated mountain ranges. Its primary beneficiaries are the Peruvian state (MINAM, INDECI, ANA), the City of Huaraz for GLOF risk planning, Andean high-altitude communities facing water insecurity, and the domestic and international scientific community.

INAIGEM's technology footprint is built on open-source and third-party platforms rather than proprietary stacks. Core platforms include Datacocha, a scientific data repository built on Harvard University's Dataverse, hosting 14 datasets with 3,744+ downloads under FAIR data principles; Repositorio INAIGEM, a DSpace-based repository with 270+ documents organized across five research lines; the Geoportal INAIGEM (visor.inaigem.gob.pe) for GIS visualization; ArcGIS-based storytelling applications including the Retroceso Glaciar en Perú story map and the Expedición Virtual del Huascarán; and the Plataforma de Glaciares (glaciares.inaigem.gob.pe). Field operations are supported by automated hydrometeorological stations (EMA) and piezometers at glacial lakes such as Gangrajanca and Palcacocha, and by RAMMS-based cascading mass-movement models for GLOF scenario mapping of Huaraz. The CICTEM field station in Catac and an open-source drone prototype developed with UNI extend high-altitude monitoring capabilities.

INAIGEM has no commercial revenue model. It is funded through the Peruvian national public budget (presupuesto público) via MINAM and through project-based grants from CONCYTEC/ProCiencia, UK NERC, the British Embassy, the Newton-Paulet Fund, and the World Bank. All outputs — datasets, publications, maps, and monitoring tools — are provided free of charge under open-access principles. The institute distributes its work through formal institutional collaboration agreements (with PUCP, SENAMHI, UNASAM, UNI, and international partners), Peru's government transparency portal (gob.pe), and participation in national and international scientific symposia.

Name

Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Glaciares y Ecosistemas de Montaña - INAIGEM

Legal name

Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Glaciares y Ecosistemas de Montaña

Website

https://inaigem.gob.pe

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

INAIGEM is the Peruvian government research institute under MINAM that monitors glaciers and mountain ecosystems across Peru's 20 cordilleras, producing open-access scientific data, GLOF hazard assessments, and permafrost and water security research for the state, Andean communities, and the global scientific community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Research Services

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Data Integration, ETL & Interoperability (APIs, Standards, Data Pipelines) (EUAHAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Natural Hazard & Climate Physical Risk Screening for Sites (Flood, Wildfire, Sea Level) (EUAHAEAM), Environmental Permitting & Impact Assessment (EIA/NEPA) (BPAIAMAK)

Keywords

• Glacier monitoring research
• Mountain ecosystem science
• Glacial hazard assessment
• Hydrometeorological data platforms
• Permafrost distribution modeling

Headquarters

HQ city

Huaraz

HQ country

Peru

HQ region

Latin America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding (Ministry of Environment - MINAM): INAIGEM is a public research institute under Peru's Ministry of Environment (MINAM). It is funded through the national public budget (presupuesto público), receiving allocations for operational expenses, research projects, and monitoring infrastructure. No commercial revenue model applies.
2. International Research Grants and Development Finance: INAIGEM receives project-based financing from international science funding mechanisms including CONCYTEC/ProCiencia, the UK NERC (Natural Environment Research Council), the British Embassy, the Newton-Paulet Fund, and the World Bank (through the Concytec-World Bank 'Mejoramiento y Ampliación' project). Funding supports specific research initiatives such as Peru GROWS (Glacial Retreat and Water Security) and Permafrost assessment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

INAIGEM is a Peruvian government research institute that generates and disseminates scientific technology and information on glaciers and mountain ecosystems. It operates open-access data and geospatial platforms (Datacocha, Repositorio INAIGEM, Geoportal, ArcGIS viewers) and conducts glacier monitoring, glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) hazard assessment, permafrost distribution modeling, and high-altitude ecosystem research across Peru's 20 glaciated mountain ranges. Outputs serve national climate policy, disaster risk management, water security planning, and academic research.

Product overview

INAIGEM operates a portfolio of scientific data management and geographic information platforms. The core offering consists of Datacocha (scientific data repository based on Harvard Dataverse) and the DSpace-based Digital Repository for institutional scientific documents. These are complemented by mapping and visualization platforms including the Geoportal INAIGEM (GEM), Glaciares Peruanos viewer, and Retroceso Glaciar en Perú story map, all utilizing ArcGIS technology for geospatial analysis. Additional platforms support institutional operations (Document Management System, Convocatorias portal, Convention search), policy dissemination (PNGyEM platform), and public education (Virtual Huascarán Expedition, Puya de Raimondi). The platforms are primarily web-based without public APIs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Datacocha: Scientific Data Repository for meteorological and hydrological data
• Repositorio INAIGEM
• Perú GROWS
• PERMAFROST

Products and services

• Datacocha Scientific Data Repository

Quantifiable outcome

• 270+ scientific documents published in open-access repository covering glacier dynamics, glacial hazards, and mountain ecosystems
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Integration1 record

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeruvian associated institution in the Peru GROWS project. PUCP contributes social information, terrestrial ecosystem mapping, and development of climate adaptation and mitigation measures for Andean communities in the Santa River basin.
• Servicio Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología del Perú (SENAMHI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeruvian national meteorological and hydrological service, partner in the Peru GROWS project contributing climate modeling capabilities and hydrometeorological data for water security assessments.
• Universidad Nacional Santiago Antúnez de Mayolo (UNASAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeruvian university partner in the Permafrost project, responsible for mapping soil surface, vegetation cover, and the freezing line to support national permafrost distribution modeling.
• University of ZurichminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational academic partner in the Permafrost project, contributing expertise in permafrost modeling and alpine cryosphere research for the Andean context.
• University of HuddersfieldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational academic partner in the Permafrost project, providing research collaboration on permafrost distribution assessment methodologies in high-altitude mountain environments.
• Iniciativa Andina de Montañas (IAM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAndean Mountains Initiative (IAM) — a regional collaborative platform that INAIGEM participates in alongside other Andean countries for shared mountain research and policy coordination.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IDEAM - Instituto de Hidrología, Meteorología y Estudios Ambientales: Colombia's national institute for hydrology, meteorology, and environmental studies under the Ministry of Environment. Operates a near-identical mandate to INAIGEM in a neighboring Andean country, producing official environmental monitoring data, climate studies, and hazard assessments.
• CONICET - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas: Argentina's principal national research council, supporting scientific research including Andean and Patagonian cryosphere work. Comparable as a publicly funded, government-affiliated research apparatus spanning multiple disciplines and supporting mountain/cryosphere science in South America.
• IG-EPN - Instituto Geofísico de la Escuela Politécnica Nacional: Ecuador's national geophysics institute conducting monitoring and hazard assessment for volcanoes, earthquakes, and related Andean phenomena. Shares INAIGEM's positioning as a small, government-mandated geoscience research institute serving a high-mountain Latin American country.
• SERNAGEOMIN - Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería: Chile's national geology and mining service, which publishes official hazard maps including for Andean volcanic and glacial environments. Closely comparable in function and regional setting to INAIGEM's official hazard mapping role, but covers geology more broadly.

Others

• SENAMHI - Servicio Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología del Perú: Peru's national meteorological and hydrological service and an active INAIGEM partner on the Peru GROWS project. Comparable as a sister government agency operating in hydrometeorological monitoring across Peru, but with overlapping rather than competing scope.
• GCW - Global Cryosphere Watch: WMO-coordinated international program coordinating global cryosphere observations, of which INAIGEM's monitoring network is a contributing node. Functions as an enabling/coordination layer rather than a direct competitor, but its data standards directly shape INAIGEM's work.

Broad incumbents

• USGS - U.S. Geological Survey: The U.S. government's principal earth science agency, producing cryosphere, hydrological, and hazard datasets at global scale. Functions as a much larger, broader incumbent that publishes open data on glaciers, permafrost, and natural hazards analogous to INAIGEM's offerings.
• MeteoSwiss - Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology: Switzerland's national meteorological service with deep glaciological monitoring capabilities given the country's Alpine context. Comparable as a much larger national meteorological/cryosphere agency producing authoritative open data, similar in institutional character but with vastly greater resources.
• NSIDC - National Snow and Ice Data Center: U.S.-based cryosphere data center managing global datasets on snow, glaciers, and permafrost. Highly comparable to INAIGEM's Datacocha and Repositorio role as a curator of open cryosphere datasets, though at global rather than national scale.
• IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement: France's public research institute specializing in international development research, with significant Andean and tropical glacier science collaborations. Comparable as a publicly funded, internationally collaborative research body working in the same geographic and thematic space as INAIGEM.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inaigem

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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