ERADIATE LTD

What ERADIATE LTD does

Eradiate Ltd maintains Eradiate, an open-source 3D radiative transfer model designed for calibration and validation activities in Earth observation and remote sensing. The software uses Monte Carlo ray tracing built on the Mitsuba 3 rendering system to simulate satellite imagery across the solar reflective spectral region (280-2500 nm) with a target accuracy of better than 1%. It uniquely couples 1D atmospheric modeling with detailed 3D surface geometry, supports polarized light simulation, line-by-line and correlated k-distribution spectral computation, and multiple BRDF models including Lambertian, RPV, Ross Thick-Li Sparse, Hapke, Maignan, and ocean surface reflection. The project is released under an open-source license with no commercial pricing, distributing exclusively through GitHub, ReadTheDocs, and the Scientific Python ecosystem including Jupyter notebook integration.

The core development team of 5 maintainers is hosted by Brussels-based company Rayference, which operates under contract to the European Space Agency. Primary funding flows from the Copernicus programme (ESA contract 40000127201/19/I-BG) and historically from the MetEOC-3 EMPIR grant (16ENV03). Eradiate is integrated into ESA's Destination Earth (DestinE) Platform via the DTE-S2GOS project for synthetic Earth observation image generation, and is validated through JRC's RAMI intercomparison benchmarks. The user base spans space agencies (ESA), research institutions (JRC), academic remote sensing scientists, and Digital Twin Earth platform operators, with 9 annual workshops since 2018 and 7 peer-reviewed publications establishing scientific credibility.

The business model is grant-funded rather than revenue-generating: the project is free and open-source, with no commercial pricing tiers, paid APIs, or enterprise licenses. Distribution is community-led through GitHub repositories, documentation, peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and an annual workshop series held at ESA and JRC facilities across Europe. The v1.0 reference paper was published in Geoscientific Model Development in May 2026, marking the transition from beta to stable release lifecycle, with v1.2.0 following in June 2026 introducing a DISORT backend and the Aer-Core v2 aerosol data format.

Name

ERADIATE LTD

Legal name

ERADIATE LTD

Website

https://eradiate.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Eradiate Ltd maintains Eradiate, an open-source 3D Monte Carlo ray tracing radiative transfer model used by space agencies, JRC, and Earth observation researchers for sub-1% accuracy satellite image simulation and calibration/validation, funded by ESA/Copernicus and developed by Brussels-based Rayference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Evesham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Open-Source Software (No Direct Revenue): Eradiate is released as free, open-source software under an open-source license. The project is funded through research grants and institutional funding rather than commercial revenue generation. Development and maintenance are funded by the Copernicus programme through ESA (contract no 40000127201/19/I-BG) and the MetEOC-3 project (EMPIR grant 16ENV03). The project is maintained by Rayference, a Brussels-based company, on a contract basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Eradiate is an open-source 3D radiative transfer model designed to support calibration/validation activities in Earth observation. It uses Monte Carlo ray tracing built on the Mitsuba 3 rendering system to simulate satellite images with a target accuracy better than 1% across the solar reflective spectral region (280-2500 nm). The software supports 1D atmospheric profiles and 3D scenes with discrete canopy surface models, polarized light simulation, line-by-line and CKD spectral computation, and provides a comprehensive Python interface for interactive Jupyter notebook workflows.

Product overview

Eradiate is a single unified open-source scientific software product — a 3D radiative transfer model for Earth observation applications. It is not a modular platform but rather a comprehensive radiative transfer simulation environment that combines spectral computation capabilities (line-by-line and CKD band simulation), atmospheric modeling (1D profiles with plane-parallel and spherical-shell geometries), detailed surface geometry (discrete canopy models, multiple BRDF models), Monte Carlo ray tracing via Mitsuba 3 kernel, and Python-based interface for interactive and scripted usage. No separate modules, add-ons, or product variants are offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Eradiate An open-source 3D radiative transfer model designed to support calibration/validation activities in Earth observation, using Monte Carlo ray tracing with Mitsuba 3 as its radiometric kernel. Achieves sub-1% accuracy on satellite image simulation across the solar reflective spectral region (280-2500 nm), with support for 1D atmospheric profiles, 3D scenes with vegetation canopies, polarized light simulation, line-by-line and CKD spectral computation, and a comprehensive Python interface for Jupyter notebook workflows. Targeted at space agencies, satellite operators, and the scientific remote sensing community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sub-1% accuracy achieved for satellite image simulations
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• ESA DestinE PlatformmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Eradiate serves as the radiative transfer model for the Digital Twin Earth Synthetic Scene Generator and Observation Simulator (DTE-S2GOS) project being implemented as a component of ESA's DestinE Platform. This is a pre-operational service for generating synthetic Earth observation images.
• European Space Agency (ESA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019ESA funds and manages Eradiate development through the Copernicus programme (contract no 40000127201/19/I-BG). ESA's ESRIN facility hosts annual workshops. Eradiate is being integrated as a component of ESA's DestinE Platform for the Digital Twin Earth Synthetic Scene Generator and Observation Simulator (DTE-S2GOS) project.
• Joint Research Centre (JRC)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019JRC organizes the RAMI (Radiative transfer model intercomparison) benchmark series in which Eradiate participates for validation. JRC hosts workshops at their Ispra facilities. The 3DREAMS project (exploring surface heterogeneities on aerosol retrieval) was conducted in collaboration with GRASP.
• Mitsuba Renderer CommunitycoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2019Eradiate embeds a customized version of Mitsuba 2/3 as its radiometric kernel. This integration leverages advances from the computer graphics community. Wenzel Jakob, Mitsuba's creator, has engaged with Eradiate workshops and development.
• MetEOC-3 ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018The MetEOC-3 project (EMPIR grant 16ENV03) funded Eradiate's design phase. MetEOC (Metrology for Earth Observation and Climate) is an EMPIR (European Metrology Programme for Innovation and Research) project focused on advancing metrology for Earth observation.
• RayferencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Rayference, a Brussels-based company, is the primary maintainer of Eradiate. The company employs the core development team and manages the project under ESA contracts. Rayference also developed the DTE-S2GOS project building on Eradiate.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• SkyWatch: SkyWatch operates an Earth observation data marketplace and API for distributing satellite imagery and analytics. Comparable to Eradiate as an enabler of EO data workflows, though at the data distribution layer rather than the simulation kernel layer.
• Rayference: Rayference is the Brussels-based company that maintains Eradiate under ESA contracts and offers commercial radiative-transfer and Earth observation consulting services. Included as the institutional host and parent organization rather than a peer in the strict sense.

Emerging players

• GHGSat: GHGSat operates a constellation of satellites dedicated to methane and greenhouse-gas monitoring and runs its own atmospheric retrieval pipelines. Comparable to Eradiate as a user of radiative-transfer modeling for EO, though focused specifically on greenhouse-gas detection.
• Descartes Labs: Descartes Labs builds a geospatial analytics platform that ingests satellite imagery for agriculture, energy, and climate applications. Comparable to Eradiate in operating at the intersection of EO science and applied analytics, although Descartes Labs focuses on downstream data products rather than forward radiative-transfer simulation.
• Kayrros: Kayrros applies satellite-derived atmospheric and surface measurements to environmental and energy market analytics (methane, oil storage, emissions). Comparable to Eradiate as an EO-driven analytics company reliant on accurate radiative-transfer assumptions.

Broad incumbents

• Planet Labs: Planet Labs operates one of the largest commercial Earth observation satellite constellations and analytics platforms. Comparable to Eradiate as a downstream consumer of radiometric calibration workflows for EO imagery, though at a vastly larger commercial scale.
• Maxar Technologies: Maxar is a major commercial provider of high-resolution Earth observation imagery and analytics. It is comparable to Eradiate as a stakeholder in radiometrically accurate satellite imagery, though Eradiate operates at the modeling/simulation layer rather than the imagery layer.

Direct peers

• RT Solutions Inc. RT Solutions Inc. commercializes VLIDORT and distributes MODTRAN to government, aerospace, and academic users. Comparable to Eradiate as a provider of specialized radiative transfer simulation tools for EO and atmospheric remote sensing applications.
• Science Systems and Applications Inc. (SSAI): SSAI is a NASA/NOAA contractor delivering atmospheric science, remote sensing, and Earth science software solutions. Comparable to Eradiate in providing technical staff and scientific software development for space-agency EO missions and radiative-transfer-related research.
• Spectral Sciences Inc. Spectral Sciences Inc. (SSI) develops atmospheric radiative transfer codes including MODTRAN, SAMM, SHARC, and ARC, used for remote sensing and EO calibration/validation. It is the closest commercial counterpart to Eradiate, providing research-grade simulation software for the same scientific community.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/eradiate/eradiate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ERADIATE LTD