A small Scottish geospatial and environmental technology company that uses satellite images and AI to make maps and even count wild animals from space.
EOLAS Insight is a small company in Scotland that makes it easier to get useful information out of satellite pictures. It offers 'one click' web mapping services and automated map production for people who work on environmental projects, reducing the need for slow, specialist mapping software. It first became known for finding animals in images. Working with NatureScot, it tested the method on wild red deer in Scotland, and it is now working with the Peace Parks Foundation, with European Space Agency funding, to count elephants from satellites in a national park in southern Mozambique. The team says the same methods can help classify habitats and flag risks such as wildfires.
EOLAS was founded by experts from the Scottish space sector, and Douglas (Doug) McNeil is the managing director. The company began with animal detection using drones before moving on to very high resolution satellite imagery, and a CivTech challenge, a Scottish Government scheme that matches public-sector problems with start-ups, helped show what it could do. It has since broadened into automated mapping. In its own words, 'at EOLAS we want to take the complexity out of technology and provide invaluable information to our customers'. Its stated aim is to use satellite technology for environmental solutions.
The company's base is the Bayes Centre at the University of Edinburgh, although an Ordnance Survey blog places it in Glasgow, probably reflecting different dates or team locations. The Bayes profile says the team of about ten people is spread across the central belt of Scotland and northern England, and that the company grew from a start-up to a scale-up in about three years. It funds its research and development through consultancy work based on its map-creation skills. It has been supported by Ordnance Survey's Geovation programme, and Scotland is where most of its early public-sector links are.
On culture, the company says collaboration is a core value and that it is proud of the team it has put together, which includes GIS (geographic information system) specialists, data scientists, satellite data analysts and general technologists. The leadership says it wants the right people in the right environment. A team of ten means everyone is close to the work and to customers, and it uses AI across its projects. These are its own descriptions, and we found no external staff reviews.
Roles in a company like this include mapping and GIS analysts, data scientists, imagery specialists, software developers and project and customer staff. The work will suit anyone who likes wildlife, geography, computing, or the idea of using technology to protect nature. It also shows that space-related jobs exist well outside the south of England. The company's website is the best place to see what the team is working on now.
Website: www.eolasinsight.com
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