Spire Global Selected by LatConnect60 to Improve Sustainable Agriculture Practices

November 25, 2024

Spire Global was selected by LatConnect60, a data and analytics company that generates vital insights from Earth Observation data, to provide Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) data and Soil Moisture Insights.

The World Bank reports that investments in climate-resilient agriculture can yield returns of three to eight times the costs, making accurate environmental data essential for today’s farmers. LatConnect60 will integrate Spire’s Soil Moisture Insights and GNSS-R data into its web-based platforms, delivering actionable intelligence for water management, usage efficiency, and crop stress levels. These insights are crucial for farmers, resource managers, and policymakers.

“LatConnect 60 looks forward to working closely with Spire to make this combined capability easily accessible to our end users across the Southeast Asian and Australian continents,” said Venkat Pillay, CEO and Founder of LatConnect60. “We envisage tremendous demand for the insights that will be made available, particularly in agricultural or forestry areas that are not easily accessible for manual data collection, while leveraging the ability for the GNSS-R data to enable daily soil moisture readings even in heavy cloud cover and dense canopy environments.”

LatConnect60 will combine data from its satellite fleet—which includes optical imagery and shortwave infrared technology—with Spire’s GNSS-R data to deliver a detailed view of environmental conditions and resource needs. Through this, its customers across Southeast Asia and Australia will have access to dynamic maps and detailed dashboards, allowing them to monitor specific areas, track water use, assess crop health, access daily updates and integrate multispectral satellite data for more informed decision-making.

"Predicting biomass growth and understanding soil moisture conditions are essential for building climate resilience,” said Michael Eilts, general manager of Weather and Climate, Spire. “By combining our GNSS-R technology with LatConnect60’s analytical platforms, we are setting new benchmarks for accuracy in soil moisture data and comprehensive environmental monitoring in any corner of the globe."

Spire’s Soil Moisture Insights leverages its GNSS-R satellite constellation to deliver high-resolution, daily soil moisture insights at 500-meter and six-kilometer resolutions, covering any location worldwide. Designed for diverse sectors this product helps optimize crop yield, manage environmental risks, and assess ground stability. Accessible via API, the product integrates seamlessly into existing systems, providing precise, actionable insights for applications such as drought and flood forecasting, irrigation planning, commodity price forecasting, hydrological modeling and more.