How We Work | Saterra Labs

Our Process

We approach each project systematically, moving from understanding your questions through evidence collection, analysis, and actionable insights. The same principles guide us whether we're producing a quick scan or designing a multi-year monitoring system.

Listen First

We begin by understanding your specific questions and context. What do you need to know? Who will use the information? What decisions will it inform? This clarity shapes everything that follows. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to geospatial analysis—the most elegant methodology is useless if it doesn't answer your actual question.

Combine Multiple Data Sources

Satellite imagery alone is not enough. We integrate optical data (for clear images), radar (to see through clouds), climate data (for context), hydrological information, and local knowledge. This combination provides a much richer understanding of landscape processes and reduces the risk of misinterpretation.

Validate on the Ground

Remote sensing reveals patterns and changes, but ground-truth validation is essential. We conduct field visits, collect GPS points, take photographs, conduct interviews, and make measurements. This reality-check ensures our satellite-based conclusions are accurate and contextually appropriate.

Analyse Rigorously

We apply appropriate analytical methods—whether statistical analysis, classification algorithms, hydrological modelling, or qualitative synthesis—to extract robust insights from the data. Rigour is essential, but so is transparency about assumptions, limitations, and uncertainty.

Make It Actionable

Results mean nothing if they cannot inform decisions. We present findings as maps, statistics, narratives, and visualisations tailored to your audience. Our goal is always an insight that your team can act on—whether that's a map showing where to prioritise fieldwork, evidence of programme impact, or guidance for policy decisions.

Build Capacity & Share Knowledge

We document our methodology and support your team to understand and replicate the work. Knowledge transfer and local capacity building are not afterthoughts—they are core to sustainable impact.

What We Bring to the Table

Our team combines expertise across several domains. This diversity of skills allows us to generate insights that single-discipline approaches miss.

🛰️ Geospatial Analysis

Remote sensing interpretation, GIS analysis, and satellite data processing to understand spatial patterns, detect changes, and map landscape features across scales from individual farms to entire regions.

💧 Hydrological Expertise

Field measurement of water quantity (discharge, depth, storage) and quality (salinity, sediment). Hydrological modelling under data-scarce conditions. Understanding of groundwater, surface water, and water-land-use interactions.

🌾 Irrigation Development

Design and management of farmer-led irrigation systems (FLID). Knowledge of small-scale irrigation infrastructure, farmer decision-making, and the technical and social dimensions of irrigation development.

💻 Programming & Automation

Advanced skills in R and Python allow us to automate workflows, process large datasets efficiently, and produce reproducible, transparent analyses that your team can verify and adapt.

📊 Data Visualisation

We translate complex analyses into clear visual forms—interactive maps, time-series graphs, infographics—that communicate insights effectively to diverse audiences from farmers to policymakers.

🎯 Development Programming

Twenty years of experience embedded in development research and practice. We understand project cycles, the importance of evidence in programme design, and the gap between academic rigour and practical utility.

Data We Commonly Work With

We are data-source agnostic—we use whatever publicly available or proprietary data makes sense for your question. Common sources include:

Sentinel-1 (Radar)

All-weather, all-season satellite data for detecting water bodies, surface roughness, and changes

Sentinel-2 (Optical)

High-resolution multispectral imagery for land cover classification and change detection

Landsat Archive

40+ years of satellite data for long-term change analysis and historical comparisons

Climate Data

Precipitation, temperature, and other variables to understand water availability and climate impacts

Digital Elevation Models

Topographic data to understand water flow, flood risk, and terrain constraints

Field Measurements

Water quality and quantity monitoring, GPS ground-truthing, qualitative information from communities

Specialised Approach: Working in Data-Scarce Regions

Much of sub-Saharan Africa faces critical data gaps—limited hydrological monitoring, sparse ground surveys, poor geographic information systems. We have developed methods specifically for these contexts:

Maximise use of free public data — We leverage Sentinel satellites, Landsat, and other free sources to conduct rigorous analysis without expensive proprietary data.
Combine data across domains — Limited local data? We triangulate insights from satellite imagery, climate records, hydrological field work, and qualitative information to paint a complete picture.
Build local capacity rather than import expertise — We train your team to process, interpret, and maintain monitoring systems independently, ensuring sustainability beyond our engagement.
Validate extensively — Without comprehensive ground data, validation is critical. We spend time in the field verifying satellite classifications and calibrating models with local knowledge.
Transparent about uncertainty — We clearly communicate what we know with confidence and what involves reasonable assumptions, helping you make informed decisions despite data limitations.
Prioritise practical utility — Academic perfection is less important than actionable insights. We deliver the most useful evidence available given your data constraints and timeline.

What Sets Us Apart

We're embedded in development — Not academic researchers parachuting in with pre-defined questions, but practitioners with long experience supporting real programmes.
We ground-truth rigorously — Satellite data is our starting point, not our conclusion. We validate findings in the field and adjust our analyses accordingly.
We scale approaches thoughtfully — We develop methods that work at pilot scale and can be expanded, rather than creating beautiful one-off analyses that cannot be replicated.
We prioritise access — Technical sophistication is valuable only if it generates insights your team can understand and use. We avoid jargon and explain methodology clearly.
We work collaboratively — We are partners in your analysis, not vendors delivering a product. Your input improves our work, and our findings should inform your strategy.

Beyond Development: Scaling Satellite Intelligence

SmartCane.Ag represents how our methodologies extend beyond development programme support into commercial agricultural applications. We provide Saterra Labs' geospatial expertise to SmartCane.Ag, enabling satellite-based crop intelligence for sugarcane growers.

For SmartCane.Ag, we:

Monitor crop phenology — Track crop development stages through the season using multi-spectral satellite data and vegetation indices.
Predict yield potential — Combine satellite observations with agronomic models to forecast yield at field scale, helping growers optimise input allocation.
Enable precision management — Identify within-field variability in crop condition, allowing targeted intervention decisions rather than blanket approaches.
Track performance — Provide growers with transparent, satellite-based evidence of how their crops are performing throughout the growing season.

This work demonstrates that the same principles we apply to development contexts—rigorous ground-truthing, collaborative implementation, scalable methodologies—can generate value in commercial agriculture. Learn more about SmartCane.Ag →