Laboratoire ThéMA – UMR 6049

What Laboratoire ThéMA – UMR 6049 does

Laboratoire ThéMA – UMR 6049 (full name: Théoriser et Modéliser pour Aménager) is a French public research laboratory founded in 1984 and co-operated by CNRS, Université Marie et Louis Pasteur (headquarters in Besançon), and Université Bourgogne Europe (secondary site in Dijon). It specializes in theoretical and quantitative geography, spatial modeling, and geographic information systems, organized around three thematic axes: Paysage et Environnement, Urbanisation Réseaux Mobilités, and Territoires Acteurs Médiations. The laboratory develops and maintains a portfolio of proprietary research software — Graphab for landscape connectivity modeling, Pixscape for landscape visibility analysis, and MobiSim for urban mobility simulation — as well as serious games (CityPlanner, COVADEO, Solutré) and an augmented-reality terrain modeling tool (SandBox). It also publishes via HAL and organizes flagship French academic conferences including the biennial Théo Quant meetings and the Jeux & Enjeux symposium on participatory simulations.

ThéMA serves three primary constituencies. Its core users are academic researchers and graduate students in geography, spatial planning, and landscape ecology, who consume its tools, methods, and publications. A second constituency comprises public policy makers, regional authorities, and territorial stakeholders who rely on the laboratory for evidence-based planning support, including ecological corridor assessment and visual impact analysis. A third, narrower constituency consists of professionals and technicians who attend CNRS Formation training courses on Graphab and Pixscape. The laboratory maintains a footprint in international collaborations, including the ANR COMMUNES project with Cambridge Digital Humanities, partnerships with CartONG, OpenStreetMap, and Université du Québec à Chicoutimi.

The entity does not operate a commercial revenue model. As a Unité Mixte de Recherche, its operating budget derives from recurrent institutional allocations from CNRS and its partner universities, supplemented by competitive grants from French and regional agencies (ANR, PUCA, regional councils). Approximately 9 individuals are publicly enumerated on staff directories, while doctoral and postdoctoral research capacity is recruited on a project basis. Current director Samuel Carpentier-Postel oversees operations across the Besançon and Dijon sites.

Name

Laboratoire ThéMA – UMR 6049

Legal name

Laboratoire ThéMA – UMR 6049 (Théoriser et Modéliser pour Aménager)

Website

https://thema.univ-fcomte.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Laboratoire ThéMA – UMR 6049 is a French public research laboratory co-operated by CNRS and two universities, specializing in theoretical and quantitative geography, with proprietary software (Graphab, Pixscape, MobiSim) for landscape ecology, visibility analysis, and urban mobility simulation serving academic researchers, territorial planners, and trained professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Besançon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Laboratoire ThéMA is a French public research laboratory (UMR 6049) jointly operated by CNRS and two universities that conducts theoretical and quantitative geography research. It produces a proprietary suite of research software (Graphab for landscape connectivity, Pixscape for landscape visibility, MobiSim for urban mobility simulation) and serious games (CityPlanner, COVADEO, Solutré), and delivers professional training and academic degree programs in geography and spatial planning.

Product overview

ThéMA laboratory develops a portfolio of specialized software tools and serious games for geography, spatial analysis, and territorial planning research. The core software suite includes Graphab for ecological network modeling, Pixscape for landscape visibility analysis, and MobiSim for urban mobility simulation. These tools are complemented by serious games (CityPlanner, COVADEO, Solutré) designed for scientific mediation and participatory research. The laboratory publishes research data through Dat@UBFC and the Centre de Données Socio-Politique portals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Graphab

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary institutional partner and co-funder of UMR 6049. CNRS provides core funding and institutional support for the laboratory's research activities.
• Université Marie et Louis PasteurcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain hosting university for ThéMA headquarters in Besançon. Provides administrative support, facilities, and student recruitment for the laboratory.
• Université Bourgogne EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university hosting ThéMA's Dijon site. Contributes to joint research programs and student training.
• CartONGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHumanitarian mapping organization collaborating with ThéMA on Missing Maps project and mapathon events for cartographic digitization of vulnerable regions.
• Cambridge Digital HumanitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on historical mapping projects including the ANR COMMUNES project for digitizing 19th century French road networks.
• OpenStreetMap / Open Historical MapminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatform partnership for collaborative historical cartography digitization using OpenStreetMap infrastructure for the COMMUNES project.
• MSHE Claude Nicolas LedouxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaison des Sciences Humaines et Environnementales co-hosting research events and providing facilities for ThéMA activities in Besançon.
• Institut Agro DijonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in organizing the Jeux & Enjeux conference on serious games and participatory simulations.
• MSH DijonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaison des Sciences Humaines of Dijon co-organizing the Jeux & Enjeux 2026 conference.
• LISER (Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with ThéMA on development of the CityPlanner serious game for urban planning.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ESRI: Dominant commercial GIS software vendor (ArcGIS). Comparable as a major player in the same spatial-analysis / ecological-modeling category whose product decisions could complement or substitute for ThéMA's standalone tools.
• INRAE: France's national research institute for agriculture, food, and environment, hosting several UMRs (including CESAER, a direct partner of ThéMA). Comparable as a larger-scale French public research institution operating through mixed research units and recurrent public funding.

Emerging players

• CartONG: French non-profit specializing in humanitarian mapping, Missing Maps events, and open-source geospatial tooling. Directly comparable through its OpenStreetMap-based humanitarian mapping work with ThéMA and shared open-data ethos.

Direct peers

• UMR ESO (Espaces et Sociétés): Multi-site French CNRS geography lab combining spatial analysis, territorial studies, and environmental research. Shares with ThéMA a public UMR structure, multi-site geography, and focus on spatial modeling applied to territorial questions.
• UMR PASSAGES: CNRS UMR in Bordeaux covering geography, territorial planning, and spatial analysis. Comparable as a sister CNRS geography lab with overlapping interests in landscape, mobility, and territorial governance research.
• UMR Géographie-cités: Paris-based CNRS UMR dedicated to geography, urban studies, and spatial analysis, with strong emphasis on quantitative methods and modeling. Directly comparable to ThéMA as a sister CNRS UMR working on theoretical and applied quantitative geography.
• UMR LETG (Littoral, Environnement, Télédétection, Géomatique): French CNRS mixed research unit combining geography, environment, remote sensing, and geomatics across multiple university sites. Directly comparable to ThéMA in combining spatial modeling, GIS, and quantitative geography within a multi-site CNRS UMR framework.
• UMR EVS (Environnement Ville Société, formerly LIVE): Lyon-based CNRS UMR focused on environment, cities, and societies, with strong outputs in landscape and urban geography. Directly comparable to ThéMA in combining urban/landscape research with quantitative methods and a multi-site CNRS structure.
• COGIT (IGN — Institut national de l'information géographique et forestière): Research arm of the French national mapping agency working on geographic information, spatial analysis, and cartographic methodology. Highly comparable to ThéMA in combining GIS research, applied spatial tooling, and public-sector infrastructure for French geographic data.

Others

• UMR CESAER (INRAE): Sister CNRS-style research unit hosted at INRAE Dijon focused on agricultural economics and territorial dynamics. Comparable as a recent collaborator (joint CityPlanner development) and as a French mixed research unit operating in territorial/environmental research.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/laboratoirethema

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Laboratoire ThéMA – UMR 6049