What Digital Earth Africa does

Digital Earth Africa (DE Africa) is a continental, non-profit Earth observation programme that transforms openly available Landsat and Sentinel satellite imagery into analysis-ready datasets and decision-support services for African governments, researchers, NGOs, and the private sector. Headquartered at icipe in Nairobi, Kenya since 1 April 2026 (with a registered presence in Johannesburg), it operates core platform tools including the DE Africa Map, a cloud-based Jupyter Sandbox, Notebook Repository, Africa GeoPortal (Esri integration), Metadata Explorer, and OGC Web Services, alongside domain-specific services such as Water Observations from Space (WOfS) covering 700,000+ water bodies, the Coastlines Monitoring Service, Waterbodies Continental Service, Water Quality Monitoring Service, Cropland Extent Map, Fractional Cover, GeoMAD, Mean NDVI and Anomalies, Wetlands Monitoring Workflow, and a Digital Twin of the Limpopo River Basin. Technology is differentiated by continent-scale processing pipelines, machine learning and Graph Neural Networks for feature extraction, transformer-based models with explainable AI for flood forecasting, and integration with ArcGIS, Google Earth Engine, and the Copernicus Master in Digital Earth programme.

DE Africa operates a free, open-access public-good model: all datasets, tools, training resources, and notebooks are provided at no cost, with revenue generated exclusively through grants and institutional support from development partners such as the Helmsley Charitable Trust (DIWASA initiative with IWMI), icipe, and partner governments. GTM is community-led and product-led growth combined: free self-service adoption via the web platform is supplemented by hands-on training workshops at universities and government agencies, regional symposia (AfriGEO, Esri conferences, Ramsar COP), and formal multi-year MOUs with national institutions (NRSC Zambia, ANSD Senegal, NASRDA Nigeria, CSE Senegal, ZEMA Zanzibar). Customer segments span governments and national agencies, academia, private-sector agritech and geospatial firms, civil society, urban planners, and agricultural-sector stakeholders across 35+ African countries, with no paid tiered pricing and no commercial sales motion.

Name

Digital Earth Africa

Legal name

Digital Earth Africa

Website

https://digitalearthafrica.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Digital Earth Africa is a non-profit, pan-African Earth observation programme that converts open Landsat and Sentinel satellite data into free, analysis-ready datasets and decision-support tools for governments, researchers, and communities across 35+ African countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Earth Observation and Geospatial Analytics

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136), Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms (BPAMANAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Remote Sensing & Geospatial MRV (Satellite, Aerial, LiDAR, SAR) (EUABACAF), Satellite Imagery & Monitoring Platforms (AFAAAFAI), Agriculture & Land-Use MRV (Soil carbon, livestock, forestry/REDD+) (EUAHADAI)

Keywords

• Earth observation platform
• Satellite data analytics
• Geospatial data services
• Water resources monitoring
• Agricultural monitoring data

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Free Public Good Model: Digital Earth Africa is a non-revenue-generating programme that provides all data products, tools, and services free of charge to all users across Africa. The programme is funded through grants and institutional support from international development partners and hosting organisations (currently transitioning to icipe). All satellite data originates from freely available sources (Landsat, Sentinel). There is no commercial revenue model; the programme operates as a public good infrastructure for the continent.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Digital Earth Africa is a continental-scale Earth observation platform that processes openly accessible Landsat and Sentinel satellite imagery into analysis-ready datasets and decision-support products. It provides free, open-access cloud infrastructure, Jupyter-based analytics, OGC web services, and a suite of continental monitoring products covering water resources, coastlines, wetlands, agriculture, and urban growth across more than 35 African countries. The programme is operated as a non-profit public good, currently under the stewardship of icipe.

Product overview

Digital Earth Africa is a continental Earth observation platform that provides free, open-access satellite data and decision-support tools for the African continent. The platform operates a platform-plus-services architecture consisting of core infrastructure tools (DE Africa Map, Sandbox, Notebook Repository, Africa GeoPortal, Metadata Explorer, OGC Web Services) that provide access to analysis-ready satellite data, combined with a suite of domain-specific monitoring services including Coastlines Service, Water Observations from Space (WOfS), Waterbodies Continental Service, Water Quality Monitoring Service, Cropland Extent Map, Fractional Cover, GeoMAD, and Mean NDVI. The platform processes data from Landsat, Sentinel-1, and Sentinel-2 satellites, making decades of satellite imagery decision-ready for applications in water management, agriculture, coastal monitoring, urban planning, and climate resilience across more than 35 African countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DE Africa Map
• Digital Earth Africa Sandbox
• Notebook Repository
• Africa GeoPortal
• Metadata Explorer
• OGC Web Services
• Coastlines Service & Dashboard
• Water Observations from Space (WOfS)
• Waterbodies Continental Service
• Water Quality Monitoring Service
• Cropland Extent Map
• Fractional Cover
• GeoMAD
• Mean NDVI and Anomalies
• Analysis Ready Data (Landsat, Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2)
• Digital Twin of the Limpopo River Basin
• Wetlands Monitoring Workflow
• Wetland Insight Tool (WIT)
• AgriWatch Dashboard
• Online Learning Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• Tracking 700,000+ water bodies across Africa with over 4 decades of satellite imagery
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability8 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core/flagship, major and core.

• International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe)core/flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026icipe, a pan-African research organisation headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, assumed full operational management and long-term ownership of the Digital Earth Africa programme effective 1 April 2026. This marks a major institutional transition, with icipe providing the organisational home for DE Africa's continental Earth observation infrastructure. icipe's continental reach, scientific credibility, and commitment to capacity development make it the ideal host as DE Africa scales engagement across Africa.
• National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) - Zambiacore/flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2026DE Africa and NRSC Zambia signed a three-year MOU on 18 March 2026 to collaborate on Earth observation for Zambia's development priorities. Key areas include co-developing EO applications (integrating DE Africa data into NRSC's national Crop Monitoring System), research and knowledge sharing, capacity building for students and early-career professionals, and stakeholder engagement. The MOU is reviewed annually.
• Agence Nationale de la Statistique et de la Démographie (ANSD) - Senegalcore/flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026DE Africa and Senegal's ANSD signed a five-year framework agreement in February 2026 to bring satellite data into Senegal's agricultural statistics system. The partnership combines DE Africa's satellite-derived land view with ANSD's decades of survey data to calculate agricultural indicators including crop areas, types, and seasonal yields, supporting SDG monitoring for rice, groundnut, millet, and maize.
• International Water Management Institute (IWMI)core/flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025IWMI leads the Digital Innovations for Water Secure Africa (DIWASA) initiative, in partnership with DE Africa and The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. DE Africa provides Earth observation data for continent-wide water data products and digital tools, including a flagship Digital Twin of the Limpopo River Basin providing near real-time insights. Collaborative use cases span Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, Mali, and South Africa's Limpopo River Basin.
• National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) - Nigeriacore/flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025DE Africa and NASRDA organised a series of capacity building workshops from 3 to 7 November 2025, training NASRDA staff on DE Africa platforms, WOfS, GEOMADs, and Coastlines services for application in agriculture, water resources, urban growth, and coastal erosion monitoring. The collaboration supports Nigeria's national expertise in space science and technology for sustainable development.
• SASSCAL (Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025DE Africa and SASSCAL agreed in September 2025 to collaborate on strengthening agricultural monitoring through SASSCAL's AgriWatch service across Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The collaboration focuses on developing an interactive AgriWatch dashboard integrating DE Africa Earth observation products, running training workshops, and sharing best practices for agriculture and climate adaptation.
• Wetlands InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025DE Africa participated in the Ramsar COP 15 side event hosted by Wetlands International, presenting the Wetlands Monitoring Workflow alongside organisations including JAXA, ESA, DHI, and MedWet. The workflow combines EO data, machine learning, and ground-truthing to create annually updated wetland inventories supporting Ramsar Convention and SDG 6.6.1 reporting.
• University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) - South AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 July 2025DE Africa partnered with Wits University's School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies from 28 to 31 July 2025 to train MSc GIS and Remote Sensing students on satellite data tools for natural resource management. Dr Kenneth Mubea (DE Africa Capacity Development Lead) led sessions covering agriculture, water management, coastal environments, and urbanisation applications.
• Pan African Consortium of Experts (PACE)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025DE Africa and PACE co-organised a five-part workshop series in Senegal between July and August 2025, exploring Earth observation applications in agriculture, water resource management, urban growth, and coastal resilience. The programme attracted over 130 registrations and provided hands-on training in DE Africa platforms to universities, research centres, ministries, and local administrations.
• RCMRD (Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024RCMRD partnered with DE Africa on the Coastlines Monitoring Project in Eastern and Southern Africa (CMP-ESA) from June 2024 to November 2025. The project monitored coastline changes in Comoros and Djibouti, combining Landsat and Sentinel satellite imagery with field validation, and trained 27 participants from government, research institutions, and NGOs.
• Esricore/flagshipTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2023DE Africa and Esri have developed a structured collaboration integrating DE Africa datasets into ArcGIS systems including the Africa GeoPortal and ArcGIS Living Atlas. Joint activities include Learn ArcGIS tutorials around DE Africa datasets, 'Esri at DE Africa Live' technical demonstrations in multiple languages, and country-level use cases in Ghana, Egypt, and Mozambique. The partnership began as exploratory in 2023 and has matured into a sustained programme of joint work.
• Centre de Suivi Ecologique (CSE) - Senegalcore/flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSE is Senegal's Ecological Monitoring Centre operating under the Ministry of Environment and Ecological Transition. It has been a key implementing partner for DE Africa in West Africa, particularly for the development of the Coastlines Monitoring Service and Wetlands Monitoring Workflow, their dissemination among WACA/ORLOA countries, and related capacity building. CSE validated the DE Africa Coastlines algorithm using drone surveys and DGPS ground measurements across 12 ORLOA member countries.
• Ground Truth Analytics (University Mohammed VI Polytechnic)majorTechnology or IntegrationGround Truth Analytics, a subsidiary of UM6P headquartered in Morocco, uses DE Africa's Sentinel-1 radar data for crop classification across Africa. Their geospatial intelligence platform combines DE Africa satellite imagery, AI models, and extensive ground data (2+ million data points) to support agricultural monitoring for 16+ African governments, banks, and agricultural cooperatives.
• Copernicus Master in Digital Earth (CDE) ProgrammemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDE Africa is embedded as a teaching resource in the CDE postgraduate programme at the University of Salzburg and partner institutions in Austria and France. The programme, co-funded by the European Union, trains select postgraduate students in geoinformatics, data science, and cloud-based analysis, exposing emerging global EO leaders to DE Africa's platform and tools.
• Ho Technical University - GhanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDE Africa conducted training sessions at Ho Technical University in Ghana for students in Agricultural Engineering, GIS, Remote Sensing, and related courses. Led by Dr Benjamin Wullobayi Dekongmen and coordinated with Dr Kenneth Mubea, the sessions introduced open-access satellite data and analytical tools. Plans are underway for a formal MoU and curriculum integration.
• University of Fada N'Gourma (Université Yembila Abdoulaye TOGUYENI) - Burkina FasocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDE Africa introduced its platforms to 81 teaching staff, researchers, and students at the University of Fada N'Gourma in Burkina Faso in April 2026. Sessions covered water resources monitoring, wetlands, land degradation, and urban green cover applications. Dr Issoufou OUEDRAOGO advocated for a formal partnership to anchor EO permanently within the curriculum.
• Kenyatta University - KenyacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDE Africa supported urban studies training for 30 second-year students at Kenyatta University in December 2025, exploring urban change monitoring and urban green space management. Organised by Dr Patricia Mwangi, the partnership aims to integrate DE Africa tools into the university's curriculum, support postgraduate research, and strengthen national-level EO uptake in Kenya.
• State University of Zanzibar (SUZA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDE Africa partnered with SUZA in 2023 to deliver the Industrial Training Programme, building practical EO skills among young professionals. Graduate Ali Hamad Ali used DE Africa Sandbox and Sentinel-2 data to monitor mangrove forests in Chwaka and Kibele, later joining ZEMA as an Environmental Officer and advancing to the BIG Z Project as a GIS Specialist.
• AfriGEO Communitycore/flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDE Africa works closely with the AfriGEO community, aligning with its core pillars of data-to-impact, infrastructure, inclusivity, and partnerships. DE Africa is responsive to the information needs, challenges, and priorities of the African continent as communicated through AfriGEO. The 9th AfriGEO Symposium in Dakar (October 2025) was a key venue for DE Africa engagements across coastal monitoring, youth engagement, and science communication.
• CGIAR Accelerator for Digital TransformationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CGIAR Accelerator for Digital Transformation supported IWMI's work with DE Africa to develop the dam volume estimation innovation using satellite imagery and machine learning for the Limpopo River Basin. The accelerator provides resources and technology partnerships to enhance water management through digital innovation.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Esri (ArcGIS): Esri is both a close partner (DE Africa data is integrated into Africa GeoPortal and ArcGIS Living Atlas) and a comparable platform provider serving the same GIS professional user base. Their Learn ArcGIS tutorials and Esri at DE Africa Live sessions create deep workflow coupling.
• International Water Management Institute (IWMI): IWMI is a core partner in the DIWASA initiative and co-develops water-related products (Dam Volume Estimation, Limpopo Digital Twin) on top of DE Africa data. It serves overlapping water resource management use cases across Africa and shares institutional/government customer relationships.
• Digital Earth Australia: Digital Earth Australia is DE Africa's direct sister programme — same operating model (free, analysis-ready EO data from Landsat/Sentinel), same platform architecture, and same continental mandate. They share technical lineage and serve as the blueprint for DE Africa's continental roll-out.
• Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD): RCMRD is an intergovernmental African organisation providing Earth observation and GIS services to 20+ member states. DE Africa and RCMRD partnered on the Coastlines Monitoring Project (CMP-ESA) but RCMRD also serves overlapping government and training mandates in Eastern and Southern Africa.

Emerging players

• Planet Labs: Planet operates the largest commercial fleet of Earth observation satellites, providing high-cadence, high-resolution imagery. While Planet is commercial and global, it increasingly serves African governments and agritech firms for applications overlapping with DE Africa's mandate.
• Sentinel Hub (Sinergise): Sentinel Hub provides cloud-based satellite imagery processing and APIs similar to DE Africa's Sandbox and OGC services. It is a competing infrastructure layer for EO analysis, increasingly adopted by African agritech and environmental monitoring use cases.

Broad incumbents

• Google Earth Engine: Google Earth Engine is the dominant cloud-based geospatial analytics platform globally, hosting petabytes of satellite imagery and offering similar Python/Notebook analysis capabilities. It serves many of the same researchers and analysts as DE Africa, though it is a broad platform rather than an Africa-tailored offering.
• Copernicus Programme (ESA): Copernicus is the EU's flagship Earth observation programme providing free Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data that DE Africa relies on. Its global monitoring services (e.g., Global Land Service, Copernicus Climate Change Service) overlap with several DE Africa offerings at a continental scale.
• NASA Earthdata / USGS EarthExplorer: NASA and USGS provide the Landsat archive that DE Africa processes into analysis-ready continental products. Earthdata/EarthExplorer are the upstream source platforms that DE Africa's users would otherwise need to navigate to obtain raw satellite imagery.

Others

• AfriGEO: AfriGEO is the African component of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) and a coordinating community that DE Africa closely aligns with. While AfriGEO is more of a coordination/policy forum, its member agencies (including national space agencies) shape and consume DE Africa outputs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DEarthAfrica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/digitalearthafrica

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Digital Earth Africa