EO-VAS · Project

A Marketplace That Makes Satellite Data Usable for Farms and Insurers

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Imagine you want to use satellite images to check how your crops are doing or assess insurance risk — but right now, getting useful information from raw satellite data is like trying to read a foreign newspaper without a translator. EO-VAS built a one-stop online toolbox where companies can publish, find, and buy ready-made satellite data products without needing expensive in-house expertise. Think of it as an app store for satellite-based services, where a farmer or an insurance company can just pick the product they need off the shelf. It was built by the team behind the award-winning Sentinel Hub, which was the world's first engine for processing European Sentinel satellite data at scale.

By the numbers

100+

Existing EO processing algorithms from GeoVille integrated into the platform

€11.2 million

Projected 15-year net present value

46%

Projected internal rate of return

30x

Estimated economic leverage effect on the EO application market

€336 million

Estimated effective value of EO-VAS to the broader EO market

2022

Projected ROI turning point

The business problem

What needed solving

Companies in agriculture, insurance, and other sectors increasingly need satellite-based insights — crop health monitoring, risk mapping, environmental assessment — but processing raw satellite data requires expensive infrastructure, specialized skills, and months of development. Small and mid-size companies simply cannot afford to build their own geospatial data pipelines, leaving them locked out of the satellite data revolution.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered the EO-Toolset — a marketplace and publishing platform for Earth Observation services — along with demonstration use-cases accessible free of charge and an initial set of published EO Value Adding Service products. In total, 11 deliverables were completed across the project.

Audience

Who needs this

Precision agriculture companies needing crop monitoring from satellite dataNon-life insurance firms requiring satellite-based risk and damage assessmentEO startups that have algorithms but lack commercialization infrastructureEnvironmental consultancies processing satellite imagery for compliance reportingNational mapping agencies seeking to modernize their EO service delivery

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Agriculture

SME

Target: Precision agriculture service providers and agri-tech companies

If you are a precision farming company struggling with the cost and complexity of processing raw satellite imagery — this project built the EO-Toolset, a platform where you can access pre-processed Earth Observation products for crop monitoring without building your own satellite data pipeline. The platform was designed as a virtual marketplace with over 100 processing algorithms available from GeoVille's existing portfolio. Agriculture was one of two high-revenue entry markets the project specifically targeted.

Insurance

enterprise

Target: Non-life insurance companies and reinsurers

If you are an insurance company that needs satellite-based risk assessment for property, crop, or catastrophe coverage — this project created a marketplace where you can subscribe to ready-made Earth Observation services instead of building costly in-house geospatial teams. Non-life insurance was identified alongside agriculture as a high-revenue entry market. The platform reduces pre-processing costs so you can focus on your domain expertise rather than raw data handling.

Geospatial Technology

SME

Target: Earth observation startups and small geospatial service providers

If you are an emerging EO-oriented startup that lacks the infrastructure to commercialize your satellite data products — this project built a virtual business incubator and publishing platform where you can develop, publish, and sell your services to end-users. The EO-Toolset was designed as an innovation hub for exchanging ideas and experimenting with new EO services. The project estimated an economic leverage effect of 30 for the broader EO application market.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to use this platform?

The project data does not include specific pricing or subscription costs for the EO-Toolset. However, the project introduced a new business model designed to benefit all participants in the EO value chain — from data providers through service providers to end-users — suggesting a multi-sided marketplace with different pricing tiers. Contact the coordinator for current commercial terms.

Can this scale to cover large agricultural regions or global insurance portfolios?

Yes. The platform was built on Sinergise's Sentinel Hub, described as the world's first engine for archiving, processing, and distribution of Sentinel satellite data at operational scale. The project targeted the entire optical EO space industry as its revenue market, with an estimated effective market value of €336 million based on a leverage effect of 30.

Who owns the intellectual property, and can I license the technology?

The core technology was developed by Sinergise (Slovenia) and GeoVille (Austria), both private SMEs. Sinergise holds the Sentinel Hub technology (2016 Copernicus Masters Award winner). IP and licensing terms would need to be discussed directly with the consortium partners.

Is the platform still operational after the project ended in 2019?

The project closed in January 2019, but it was built on Sinergise's Sentinel Hub which was already an operational product before the project started. The project's ROI turning point was projected for 2022, with a 15-year net present value of almost €11.2 million. Based on available project data, the commercial trajectory was designed for long-term operation beyond the EU funding period.

How does this integrate with existing farm management or insurance systems?

The EO-Toolset was designed as a publishing and distribution platform with a Publishing Manager component for creating and delivering EO products. The platform includes pre-processing capabilities that reduce the technical burden on downstream applications. Based on available project data, specific API or integration details would need to be confirmed with the coordinator.

What regulations or standards does the platform comply with?

The platform processes data from the EU Copernicus Sentinel satellite constellation, which is freely available under EU open data policy. The project received EU SME Instrument Phase 2 funding, which requires rigorous business plan validation. Specific compliance certifications are not detailed in the available project data.

What kind of support or onboarding is available?

The project delivered demonstration use-cases on selected areas where all functionalities of the EO-Toolset can be accessed and investigated free of charge. GeoVille contributed an extensive set of processing algorithms applied in over 100 existing EO value-adding services. This suggests hands-on onboarding resources exist, but current support terms should be confirmed directly.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a lean, fully commercial consortium of just 2 SME partners from Slovenia and Austria — no universities, no research institutes, zero public-sector padding. Sinergise (SI) is the technology lead behind the award-winning Sentinel Hub, while GeoVille (AT) brings over 100 proven Earth Observation processing algorithms. The 100% industry ratio and SME-only composition signals this project was built to commercialize, not to publish papers. For a potential business partner, this means you would be dealing with companies that have direct skin in the game and commercial incentives to deliver working products.

SINERGISE LABORATORIJ ZA GEOGRAFSKEINFORMACIJSKE SISTEME DOOCoordinator · SI
GEOVILLE INFORMATIONSSYSTEME UND DATENVERARBEITUNG GMBHparticipant · AT

How to reach the team

Sinergise (Slovenia) — find via company website or LinkedIn. They are well-known in the Copernicus/EO community as the Sentinel Hub team.

Order a report on this consortium See SINERGISE LABORATORIJ ZA GEOGRAFSKEINFORMACIJSKE SISTEME DOO profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how satellite data services can solve your specific monitoring or risk assessment challenge? SciTransfer can connect you with the right EO technology partner. Get in touch for a tailored brief.

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