Ecometrica wins Pan-American prize for Geospatial Innovation

Ecometrica, the space data and sustainability specialist, whose Platform allows companies and governments to map environmental impacts, has scooped another prestigious international award.

The Scottish-headquartered company has won the prize for 'Excellence in Geospatial Applications' at the Americas Geospatial World Excellence Awards, in recognition of quality and innovation in the implementation of geospatial technology. Organisers said exemplary use of geospatial technology leads to tangible benefits and socio-economic improvement.

Representatives from Ecometrica picked up the gong at the Americas Geospatial Forum in Mexico City last week.

Sarah Middlemiss, Space Programme Manager at Ecometrica, said: “Given our close collaborations in Latin America through the Forests 2020 Project, it is particularly pleasing to receive this prize. As we speak, we continue to work with government agencies and NGOs in Latin America to monitor and manage the effectiveness of attempts to tackle and reverse deforestation.

“It is crucial that these programmes balance social and economic considerations on the ground with a real improvement in conservation efforts, and that is where satellite data and the Ecometrica Platform can make a real difference. We look forward to continuing our work in Latin America for years to come.”

In the Americas, high resolution land use change maps, alongside maps of deforestation, fire risk and biomass have been developed, covering more than 132 million hectares of forest, equipping national and subnational institutions with the tools to improve the management of their national resources. Capacity building is an important part of the project, with more than 200 men and nearly 140 women participating in training on remote sensing methods.

Ecometrica uses observation data from space, air and land to deliver actionable insights for business, government and society. As coordinator of the Forests 2020 project for the UK Space Agency, the company supports conservation efforts in countries, including Mexico and Brazil, with its technology. The project has just been extended to include Belize.

The Geospatial Forum of the Americas (AGF) Conference is the largest and most prestigious regional conference on geospatial information and technology. Held annually, AFG brings together international geospatial information experts from across governments, governmental and non-governmental organizations, private sector and academia. Alongside Ecometrica, UNIGIS Latin America, the Department of Food Security in Mexico, the Ministry of National Assets of Chile, and the Institute of Statistics and Geography of Mexico were also recognised for their pioneering geospatial work.