About Saterra Labs
A specialised geospatial and hydrological unit within Resilience BV, connecting scientific evidence to practical development work across sub-Saharan Africa.
The Challenge of Data Scarcity
Many development and agricultural programmes in emerging markets operate in complete data voids. Weather stations are sparse or broken, land-use registers are out of date, and ground-level hydrological metrics are rarely taken consistently. This absence of physical data leads to poorly targeted investments, suboptimal resources management, and an inability to reliably verify long-term developmental impact.
Treating the Landscape as Data
Saterra Labs solves this scarcity by treating the physical landscape itself as an active archive of information. We reconstruct water dynamics, crop conditions, and forest cover changes from satellite data:
Remote Sensing
Multi-temporal satellite imagery mapping structural changes.
Hydrological Models
Physics-based water balance math to fill structural voids.
Field Validation
Direct, ground-truth field records to verify spatial insights.
How We Work
Every landscape analysis follows a structured, scientific workflow designed to maintain high technical rigor and ensure absolute alignment with practical development decisions.
Listen First
We begin by understanding your exact problem and local constraints before designing any spatial or hydrological analysis.
Integrate Data
We cross-validate multiple disparate sources—including open-access Sentinel/Landsat, local weather grids, and historical records.
Ground Validation
We check satellite findings directly against real-world observations, crop logs, and farmer focus group feedback.
Deep Analysis
We apply physics-based algorithms and machine learning models to isolate agricultural dynamics and fill hydrological voids.
Actionable Outputs
We map the resulting insights into clean, desaturated, readable visual datasets and targeted strategic reports.
Knowledge Transfer
We train local coordinates and operational teams, ensuring they have the tools to extend and maintain analysis over time.
Our Work in Sub-Saharan Africa
From the Lake Urema floodplains in central Mozambique to smallholder irrigation networks in Cabo Delgado, click any active marker below to explore our case studies.
The People Behind Saterra
We combine advanced scientific methodologies in remote sensing and hydrological modelling with decades of field-level development practice.
Timon Weitkamp
Remote Sensing & Irrigation Development
Timon specialises in satellite-based irrigation mapping, machine learning for land cover classification, and farmer-led irrigation development (FLID) assessments. His PhD research focuses on smallholder irrigation detection in Mozambique using multi-source satellite data. He combines methodological innovation with practical programme support.
Thijs de Klein
Hydrology & Water Resources
Thijs brings expertise in hydrological modelling, water balance analysis, and irrigation system design. His research on Lake Urema's hydrology reveals critical insights about groundwater contributions and ecosystem response to climate variability in tropical lowland systems. He bridges hydrological science and practical water resource management.
Wouter Beekman
Farmer-Led Irrigation & Development Practice
Wouter specialises in participatory design methodologies for farmer-led irrigation development. His work emphasises keeping farmers in the driver's seat while introducing sustainable infrastructure improvements. He has developed and tested innovative approaches to support smallholder irrigation in data-scarce African contexts, with deep experience in Mozambique and broader sub-Saharan Africa.
Nelson Marula
GIS & Field Coordination
Nelson is an experienced Geographic Information System specialist with a demonstrated history of working in the farming industry. Skilled in research, spatial analysis, customer service, and data management. He is a strong information technology professional with training from Instituto Superior Politécnico de Manica, bringing expertise in coordinating field operations and integrating geospatial analysis with development programmes.
Geronimo Zumba
Hydraulic Engineering & Water Management
Geronimo is an expert in hydraulic engineering and water management with deep skills in hydrology, flood risk assessment, and hydrological modeling. He is passionate about water supply, sanitation, and operation cost analysis for drinking water systems. His experience encompasses managing hydraulic infrastructures, designing small-scale irrigation systems using farmer-led approaches, conducting topographic surveys, and calculating water availability for irrigation.
Zirete Daniel
Irrigation Technical Officer & Field Coordination
Zirete is an irrigation technical officer with expertise in data collection, field operations, and smallholder farmer engagement. He coordinates development activities focused on improving livelihoods through sustainable water management and climate-resilient farming practices. His work involves fostering partnerships with service providers and government agricultural programmes to achieve lasting impact in rural communities, with particular focus on farmer-led approaches.
Partners & Collaborators
Scientific rigour and system-wide scaling rely on robust collaborations. Saterra Labs collaborates closely with international institutions and operational programs.
Resilience BV
Our parent consultancy organization, bringing over 20 years of international agribusiness and water resources strategic development expertise.
Research Institutions
Collaborating with universities and CGIAR networks (like IWMI) to translate hydrological data theories into peer-reviewed development models.
Operational Agencies
Partnering directly with local organizations and NGOs (such as ADRA) to coordinate field validations and build institutional capacity.
Space Agencies
Leveraging open access imagery arrays and programmatic APIs from Copernicus (ESA) and Landsat (USGS) to power our landscape monitoring models.
Interested in partnering with us?
Whether you need a specialized hydrological scan for a new proposal or full long-term agricultural monitoring support, we are here to help.