Transforming the world from space

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to meet with Emiliano Kargieman, founder of Satellogic, an Argentina-based company, that is an example of how information collected and processed with smart tools and analytical software is fundamental in understanding events that have an impact on our planet. 

Satellogic operates six low-cost satellites which are currently in orbit collecting data from which valuable information is extracted on a number of factors: food production and distribution, natural resources management, weather events, effects of climate change, as well as economic activity and asset distribution in a specific area. All this data can be used on a large scale in industries such as agriculture and hydrocarbons, as well as to provide a response during natural disasters or monitor critical infrastructure.

In the Fourth Industrial Revolution, data is of great importance to be able to make decisions and predict events, and Satellogic has demonstrated how technology can give us access to large volumes of data around the world and our communities, which represents a democratization of data for scientific and humanitarian use. Today, because the infrastructure they need is in our Cloud, Satellogic can compete with some of the largest companies in the world.

Compared to traditional devices, Satellogic's microsatellites are small and inexpensive. By 2020, they expect to operate close to 300 units. The computational power required is enormous, which is why we are excited to use Microsoft Azure as the company's computing platform so that, from the data captured from space, they can offer data analysis as a commercial service.

Emiliano, who has been recognized by the Financial Times as one of the six Argentines who are changing the world, pointed out to me that Microsoft Azure will allow them to bring the technology they develop to a greater number of people and, thus, help governments, individuals, and companies to make better decisions.

Our mission at Microsoft is to be catalysts of innovations that can have both local and global impact, that's why we are proud to collaborate with Satellogic to democratize access to large volumes of data through Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.