A family-run Earth observation company at Plymouth Science Park that turns satellite data into practical knowledge about land, sea and air.
Pixalytics is a small Earth observation company. It processes and displays satellite data to give information about land, oceans and the atmosphere. Its own site lists its work as scientific research and development, consultancy, and Earth observation products and services. Past projects include mapping ocean plastics with the United Nations, work on coastal erosion and greenhouse gases, and a project called Space4ClimateMBF2 that works with farm advisors. It also helps develop international standards for how machine learning and AI are used with geospatial data.
The company was formed in 2012 by Dr Samantha (Sam) Lavender and Andrew Lavender, who met as students at the University of Plymouth in the early 1990s and have stayed in the city. Sam Lavender is managing director and has more than thirty years of experience in remote sensing, the science of measuring things from a distance by satellite. She chairs the British Association of Remote Sensing Companies (BARSC) and previously chaired the Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society. Andrew Lavender is corporate services director. The company says it specialises in 'the transition of academic knowledge to commercial opportunity and public understanding'.
Pixalytics is based at Plymouth Science Park in Derriford, Plymouth, in the south-west of England, and its registered address is in Exeter, Devon. Dr Lavender says she has worked at the Science Park for over fifteen years and credits its network of neighbouring companies, events and webinars with helping the business grow. In 2023 the company took part in the Open Geospatial Consortium's Disaster Pilot with the Manitoba Emergency Management Organisation, creating a guide for emergency responders, and contributed to tests of AI running on satellites in orbit to cut down the amount of data that has to be sent to Earth.
Because it is a small family-run company, its culture is described mainly through its own writing. A former intern wrote that the office had a professional but relaxed atmosphere, and the company's blog regularly shares what it is learning, from satellite data to research news. The same intern's project looked at urban sprawl in Romania, which shows the kind of real research small teams take on. The company says research, innovation, science and education are at the core of its work. Those are its own claims, and we found no staff reviews or third-party culture ratings.
In a company this size one person often does several jobs. The work includes remote sensing scientists who process and check satellite data, software developers, report and blog writers, project managers and the corporate services staff who keep the business running. It suits people who like physics, geography, environmental science, maths or computing and who want to see their results used, from farming advice to emergency response. The company's website, pixalytics.com, is the place to look for current news.
Website: www.pixalytics.com
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