Saterra Labs

Geospatial and hydrological expertise for sustainable development

We combine satellite data, hydrological science, and field evidence to help development programmes understand and manage landscapes in sub-Saharan Africa—even where data is scarce.

Stories from Satellite Data: Real World Landscape Insights

What's happening to water bodies in your region? Where is forest being lost? Where should you focus your interventions? See how satellite data answers these questions through real stories: Lake Urema's seasonal transformations revealing groundwater dynamics in Gorongosa. Mount Gorongosa's forest loss threatening water security. Chicamba Dam's pollution crisis documented through satellite eyes. Farmer irrigation networks in Montepuez identified and assessed through combined remote sensing and field work. These demonstrations show what becomes visible when you combine satellite imagery with hydrological science and field evidence.

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FLID Mapping Visualisations

Methodological Innovation & Training

Explore interactive demonstrations of smallholder irrigation mapping methodologies. Visualisations show how satellite composite length, algorithm selection, and training data composition affect detection accuracy—essential learning for irrigation assessment in data-scarce contexts.

Why it matters: Methodological choices significantly impact irrigation mapping accuracy. This tool demonstrates the tradeoffs between different approaches and helps practitioners understand how to optimise remote sensing workflows for their specific context. A critical resource for developing irrigation strategies.
Interactive

Algorithm comparison

Learning

Methodological tradeoffs

Visual

Side-by-side analysis

Application

Practical guidance

Explore Irrigation Mapping

SmartCane.Ag - Crop Intelligence

Sugarcane Crop Monitoring & Yield Prediction

Saterra Labs provides geospatial expertise to SmartCane.Ag, enabling satellite-based crop monitoring, phenology tracking, and yield prediction. We combine remote sensing analysis with agronomic modelling to help growers optimise crop management decisions.

Our contribution: We deliver satellite-based crop intelligence including vegetation monitoring, water stress detection, and phenological tracking. Our analysis helps growers identify management opportunities, optimise input application, and predict yields before harvest—turning raw satellite data into actionable farm-level insights.
Satellite Data

Multi-source integration

Monitoring

Phenology & stress

Analytics

Yield prediction

Application

Farm-level decisions

Visit SmartCane.Ag

Lake Urema Water Dynamics

Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique

Lake Urema is a tropical lowland lake-floodplain system experiencing dramatic seasonal variations. This viewer tracks changes through 84 satellite observations (2017-2023), revealing critical insights about water storage, groundwater contribution, and ecosystem response to climatic variability.

Why it matters: Lake Urema provides essential ecosystem services including water storage, flood attenuation, and wildlife habitat. Understanding its hydrology is crucial for managing the impacts of deforestation on Mount Gorongosa, which feeds rivers sustaining the lake during dry seasons. Research shows a ~2 month precipitation response time, indicating significant groundwater contributions.
Time Series

84 observations / 7 years

Classification

5-class land cover

Analysis

Lake area tracking

Animation

Interactive slider

Launch Viewer

Forest Cover Monitoring

Mount Gorongosa, Mozambique

Monitor deforestation patterns on Mount Gorongosa, one of central Mozambique's few true rainforest systems. This dashboard tracks forest loss driven by slash-and-burn agriculture, charcoal production, and population pressure.

Critical ecosystem: Mount Gorongosa functions as a vital water tower, containing endemic species and feeding rivers that sustain downstream wildlife and agriculture. ~40% of original forest cover lost since the 1970s (13,500 ha → 8,300 ha by 2019), with current losses averaging 350 ha/year. Restoration efforts through shade-grown coffee are helping reconnect fragmented forests.
Spatial Analysis

Change detection

Trends

Multi-year statistics

Hotspots

Deforestation risk areas

± Temporal

Fragmentation analysis

Launch Monitor

Chicamba Dam Degradation

Manica Province, Mozambique

Document severe environmental degradation from artisanal gold mining near Chicamba Dam through annual RGB composites (2017-2024). Visible changes show water pollution, sedimentation, and land cover impacts.

Crisis documented: Mercury levels up to 16x legal limits. Mining waste has turned rivers muddy and reddish, destroying aquatic life and rendering water unsafe. Accumulated sludge cut hydroelectric production by 50%. The dam supplies drinking water to Chimoio and thousands of residents, making this pollution a critical public health threat.
Annual Series

8 years documented

True Color

RGB composites

Pollution

Mercury, arsenic, cyanide

Impact

50% power loss

Launch Viewer

AgroVida Farmer Assessment

Montepuez, Cabo Delgado, Mozambique

Interactive map documenting smallholder irrigation assessment for AgroVida program. GPS-tagged field photographs show irrigation infrastructure, water sources, and farmer practices across Montepuez district (October 2025).

Development context: AgroVida aims to strengthen food systems through farmer-led irrigation development (FLID). Remote sensing identified potential irrigation hubs, guiding field missions to 22 farmers across multiple communities. This demonstrates our approach of combining satellite analysis with ground-truthing to catalyze sustainable irrigation expansion targeting 50ha of improved irrigated agriculture.
GPS Points

22 farmer interviews

Photos

106 fieldwork images

Interactive

Click markers for details

Framework

7-factor FLID diagnostic

Launch Map