Deep within the Amazon basin, the ruins of a vast city have remained hidden for thousands of years, covered in foliage and too remote to explore on foot. Then a researcher from Brazil’s National Institute of Space Research led a team with a fresh approach: use lidar (light detection and ranging) to create a 3D map from the air. This technology is bringing history to life in a fraction of the time of a ground survey.
What new possibilities could remote sensing unearth for your business?
In 2023, we wrote about rise of “the metaverse” in Latin America, including simulation tools used in training, engineering, research and development enhanced by advanced technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality, digital twins, and 3D printing.
Flash forward to 2025. This world has expanded up, out, and into the future via remote sensing, which, simply put, is the science of obtaining information from a distance through from aircraft or satellites.
The lidar technology mentioned above, which enables exceptionally accurate elevation measurements, is just one exciting advancement moving the field into the future. Others include:
- Hyperspectral imaging, allowing image capture across hundreds of narrow spectral bands, for detailed information about the Earth’s surface
- Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems, empowering the creation of all-weather, day-and-night imaging
- Small satellites and CubeSats, to facilitate more frequent, varied data collection at a lower cost
AI and virtual reality expand the possibilities for remote sensing even more. Automation, for example, enables exponentially faster, more accurate analysis of satellite imagery. Deep learning algorithms make these images sharper. And simulation tools help organizations envision possible scenarios, so they can anticipate change and plan accordingly. Meanwhile, advances in satellites themselves, both from government-funded programs and in fleets launched by private companies, are transforming data collection.
In short, while humans have been collecting satellite imagery for decades, today’s convergence of technologies takes the field to a new level. Companies are recognizing the potential in areas like urban planning, environmental monitoring, agriculture, and natural resource exploration. In fact, SNS Insider predicts a $1.4 trillion-plus market for geospatial solutions overall by 2032, powered by increased use of AI-powered mapping tools and real-time spatial analytics.
With a thriving innovation ecosystem, several industries that could benefit from this technology, and ample terrain to explore, Latin America is one section of the market to consider. Here are some things to know.
Where and how to use this technology: a few examples
Powerful potential for advanced remote sensing technology exists across areas like resilience, risk management, reliable energy, and resource exploration.
With its advanced ability to map natural disasters, track weather, and monitor the impact on cities and forests alike, remote sensing is a technology custom-made for environmental planning and disaster response.
“When a disaster strikes, remote sensing is often the only way to get a big-picture view of what is happening on the ground,” says NASA. The U.S. agency’s Landsat program records the earth’s surface before and after disasters—the heat from fires, the flows of volcanos. It has become a vital tool for assessing risk, mapping the extent of damage, and planning post-disaster recovery.
Add historical data, and you have an evolving picture of change. A study of tropical forests in Africa demonstrated improved mapping of forest composition, height, biomass, degradation and deforestation, with machine learning bringing together data from multiple sources to track changes over time.
Another promising use case lies in offshore energy production. One research project explored the use of remote sensing to quantify and predict sediment concentration within turbid wakes—vital to safe, efficient wind farm operation. Another study showed its potential to gather data on coastal dynamics, including information on sand bars, wave run-up, and water levels that’s difficult to collect in situ.
Finally, remote sensing is bringing new tools to the search for minerals deep in the earth and under the sea. In Papua New Guinea, CC Explorations has begun to apply Atomic Mineral Resonance Tomography (AMRT) Technology to this mission, which is similar to the approach used by NASA to detect minerals on other planets.
A history and growing presence in Latin America
Latin America has been a part of this innovation for over a decade, from meetings in Brazil about bringing remote sensing data to hydrological modeling systems to work with the United Nations and European Space Agency to teach advanced remote sensing technologies. And you’ll see remote sensing at work across the region today.
One place is along the drought- and climate-vulnerable Central American Dry Corridor. Across Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, Copernicus satellite data is being used to measure soil moisture, threats from fire, high temperatures, and flooding.
Farther south in Colombia, floating debris, shifting land, and heavy rainfall along the Cauca River all threaten the region and a nearby dam. Satellite data in near real time from Planet Labs gives crews the intelligence to safeguard infrastructure, land, and lives. And when catastrophic wildfires hit Chile, response teams were able to share vital information in minutes, not hours by applying automated AI processing to Planet Lab images.
At the heart of the solution are predictive models. Through data about topography, soil capacity, geology, rainfall, and El Niño/La Niña phenomena brought together with information about roads, crops, populations, and facility location, disaster response teams can see which areas are more likely to be affected by natural disasters.
In Project Guacamaya, a remote sensing initiative by Microsoft, deep learning models are using Planet Lab data to evaluate wildfire threat zones and yearly drought impacts and risks and aid road-mapping for disaster management.
While Planet Labs is headquartered in San Francisco, the Latin American remote sensing ecosystem is also filled with many home-grown innovators.
Satellogic in Argentina both enables users to develop and deploy nanosatellites for earth imaging and offers multispectral imagery and constellation data. The company serves a wide range of markets, including energy and mining, environment and climate, finance and insurance, and government and defense.
Its next step: AI—specifically algorithms to process the 300 trillion pixels (over 150 TB of data) brought down to earth every day and visual language models that train on vast amounts of pictures and video to produce the most accurate depiction of earth ever. “The ‘ChatGPT 3.5 moment’ for Earth Observation is coming,” writes CEO Emiliano Kargieman.
In Brazil, Elio is bringing AI and satellite imagery to the ag industry. Some of the applications include processing low-altitude hyperspectral images for yield forecasts and creating maps for purposes like detecting pests and analyzing crop performance.
Latin American companies are involved in the underlying infrastructure of remote sensing applications as well. In Brazil, Orbital Engenharia has been a longtime provider of space and satellite components and engineering services. Of particular interest for remote sensing, the company develops custom satellite modules and payloads as well as solar generators for nano, micro, and mini satellites. In Argentina, NovoSpace develops a variety of components for satellite missions: software, subsystems, mechanical parts, and more.
Planning your market strategy
Such infrastructure is one of many things to consider for market entry. For remote sensing to achieve its maximum potential, you need customers with a need, budget, and the will to invest these resources, along with an accommodating regulatory landscape and the equipment and infrastructure, from advanced software to the satellites themselves, to bring it all together.
Today’s evolving trade dynamics may change the players providing this infrastructure. SpaceSail, a Chinese provider of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, signed an agreement to enter the Brazilian market in November, and Chang Guang Satellite Technology announced plans to bring high-performance, low-cost satellites to Belt and Road countries, including one device touted to be the market’s lightest.
In the United States, innovators like Black Sky are launching their next generation of high-resolution satellites, yet sweeping cuts to government staff have effectively shut down the office responsible for licensing US remote sensing satellites, which may have an impact on future innovation.
Developments like these are a reminder to watch both policy and technology. “From high-resolution imagery to AI-powered geospatial intelligence, the capabilities of modern remote sensing satellites have introduced profound legal and policy questions,” an article in The Space Review declared in February. “As space continues to evolve into a domain of economic and strategic importance, policymakers must address the challenges posed by an increasingly privatized and technologically advanced remote sensing industry.”
Charting your next steps
This overview and the many source materials hyperlinked within demonstrates a world of potential opportunities awaits in this exciting field, including:
- Developing and/or delivering the systems and components that make remote sensing possible, like the hyperspectral imaging applications, SAR solutions, and small satellites/CubeSats mentioned at the beginning of this piece
- Creating or integrating new technologies that advance the field, like AI-powered mapping tools, real-time spatial analytics, and simulation/virtual reality tools
- Providing the investment funding that brings such innovation to life
- Helping companies implement and maintain remote sensing systems for purposes like disaster response, urban planning, natural resource development, and beyond
- Leveraging the data generated by these systems
- Providing guidance in areas like cybersecurity, data protection, and regulatory compliance
Ready to explore remote sensing opportunities in Latin America? Specialized consultants can help you explore the landscape and find your place in it. For more information, contact us.