The power to model the world
and available at planetary scale
Established in 2014 by a team of scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory, Descartes Labs was founded on the belief that planetary knowledge has the power to radically alter how companies, governments, and nonprofits understand their relationship to the world's physical systems. Scientific integrity, innovation, and a commitment to sustainability define the core values of our company. Our talented team possesses decades of experience working on some of our nation’s most difficult problems, with expertise in large-scale computing, artificial intelligence, and satellite imagery.
Our vision
Tackling the world's most pressing challenges
Geospatial analytics is the key to understanding and addressing some of the world's most important issues, including climate change, sustainability, food security, and safeguarding our natural resources.
As a geospatial intelligence company, Descartes Labs helps organizations benefit from the scientific analysis of observable, physical world events.
Our SaaS platform enables custom signal development and our packaged analytics solutions create new sources of operational advantage and sustainability for customers across Agriculture, Consumer Goods, Mining, and Government.
Executive team
Aly O'Desky
General Counsel
Board Members
Media Coverage
Posted: September 30, 2021 1:00 pm
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Descartes Test
Posted: September 29, 2021 12:00 am
This is a custom media coverage post
Descartes Lab
Posted: April 28, 2021 12:00 am
Space and the new ESG business climate
SpaceNews
Posted: February 25, 2021 12:00 am
Lux Research Names the Top Food and Agriculture Startups of 2020
Lux Research Names the Top Food and Agriculture Startups of 2020
Posted: March 11, 2021 12:00 am
What’s Going On in This Graph? | Recent U.S. Development
What’s Going On in This Graph? | Recent U.S. Development
Posted: March 1, 2021 12:00 am
Post-Freeze Driving Sent U.S. Gasoline Demand Soaring Last Week
Post-Freeze Driving Sent U.S. Gasoline Demand Soaring Last Week
Posted: February 9, 2021 12:00 am
New land use mapping paints a clearer picture of urban life
World Resources Institute
Posted: October 27, 2020 12:00 am
Descartes Labs Wins Contract With AFRL STAR to Enhance U.S. Air Force Operations
Posted: November 3, 2020 12:00 am
How AI Can Help Save Forests
Wall Street Journal
Posted: October 5, 2020 12:00 am
How mining companies can leverage geospatial, satellite data refinery
Mining.com
Posted: September 21, 2020 12:00 am
Hedge funds see opportunity in battered New York, San Francisco apartment markets
Reuters
Posted: September 11, 2020 12:00 am
Satellite Data Fill the Void of Dwindling Crop Tours
Bloomberg
Posted: September 4, 2020 12:00 am
Creating New Boundaries Where Journalism and Geography Meet
New York Times
Posted: September 2, 2020 12:00 am
The True Colors of America’s Political Spectrum Are Gray and Green
New York Times
Posted: July 29, 2020 12:00 am
Gasoline’s Demand Rebound Fades at Height of U.S. Driving Season
Bloomberg
Posted: July 9, 2020 12:00 am
Warehouse Workers in a Bind as Virus Spikes in Southern California
New York Times
Posted: July 8, 2020 12:00 am
Air Force pushes satellite surveillance to new heights with AI, cloud platform
FedScoop
Posted: July 8, 2020 12:00 am
Getting Back to Work with Economic Activity Signals
Posted: July 8, 2020 12:00 am
Descartes Labs wins U.S. Air Force contract for geospatial data analytics
SPACE NEWS
Posted: July 8, 2020 12:00 am
How the coronavirus pandemic changed mobility habits, by state
Axios
Posted: July 8, 2020 12:00 am
Descartes Labs wins Phase II SBIR through AFWERX to boost U.S. Air Force innovation
Posted: July 1, 2020 12:00 am
Fourth Of July Holiday Day Travel This Year Is Going To Be, Well, Different, Thanks To Coronavirus
Forbes
Posted: June 24, 2020 12:00 am
Travel is making a comeback–just not by plane
Tech Republic
Posted: June 12, 2020 12:00 am
The Florida COVID-19 data said one thing while Gov. DeSantis sometimes said another
Miami Herald
Posted: June 11, 2020 12:00 am
Mobility up in New Mexico as state reopens
KRQE TV
Posted: May 25, 2020 12:00 am
The Coronavirus Is Deadliest Where Democrats Live
New York Times
Posted: May 15, 2020 12:00 am
The Richest Neighborhoods Emptied Out Most as Coronavirus Hit New York City
New York Times
Posted: May 13, 2020 12:00 am
Reinventing Business from Space
Reuters
Posted: May 11, 2020 12:00 am
Floridians stopped traveling well before official shutdowns, data shows
CNN
Posted: May 12, 2020 12:00 am
National mobility rising, signaling driving’s revival
Axios
Posted: May 3, 2020 12:00 am
State traffic down, not as much as hoped
Albuquerque Journal
Posted: May 7, 2020 12:00 am
Researchers: Cellular data shows more Mass. residents are traveling farther
Boston 25 News (TV)
Posted: May 3, 2020 12:00 am
Smart or Lucky? How Florida Dodged the Worst of Coronavirus
The Wall Street Journal
Posted: April 22, 2020 12:00 am
How Coronavirus Lockdown Has Actually Affected the Environment
VICE
Posted: April 21, 2020 12:00 am
Is the air cleaner?
BBC's The One Show
Posted: April 20, 2020 12:00 am
This dangerous air pollutant is dropping because of COVID-19, maps show
sacbee
Posted: April 15, 2020 12:00 am
Apply for Our Impact Science Program and Get Your Hands on the World’s Data
Posted: March 30, 2020 12:00 am
Putting our Wildfire Detector to Work in New Mexico
Posted: March 19, 2020 12:00 am
Coronavirus: The Road to Economic and Social Recovery
Posted: March 2, 2020 12:00 am
Descartes Labs Unveils its Advanced Mineral Exploration Package
Posted: January 22, 2020 12:00 am
Descartes Labs Launches First Cloud-Based Geospatial Data Refinery and Modeling Platform
Posted: January 20, 2020 12:00 am
The Next Phase of Descartes Labs
Posted: April 14, 2020 12:00 am
How coronavirus stalled climate change momentum
Posted: April 17, 2020 12:00 am
Governments around the world are trying a new weapon against coronavirus: Your smartphone
The Washington Post
Posted: April 17, 2020 12:00 am
New Mexico based company helps state gauge social distancing
KRQE TV
Posted: March 23, 2020 12:00 am
The United States Of Startups: The Most Well-Funded Tech Startup In Every US State
CB Insights
Posted: April 9, 2020 12:00 am
New Mexico using cell phone data to create social distancing models and considering more restrictive travel measures
CNN
Posted: April 10, 2020 12:00 am
Cellphone data used by New Mexico to track social distancing
Washington Examiner
Posted: April 13, 2020 12:00 am
These 8 maps show the massive drop in smog caused by the coronavirus
Fast Company
Posted: April 8, 2020 12:00 am
Pollution made COVID-19 worse. Now, lockdowns are clearing the air.
National Geographic
Posted: April 9, 2020 12:00 am
The silver lining to coronavirus lockdowns: Air quality is improving
The Washington Post
Posted: April 7, 2020 12:00 am
Coronavirus News: Some states more successful than others at staying home
ABC 7 Eyewitness News NY
Posted: April 6, 2020 12:00 am
Tech startups, manufacturers help during crisis
Albuquerque Journal
Posted: April 6, 2020 12:00 am
Smartphones can track how much people are staying home
Fox News Channel
Posted: April 5, 2020 12:00 am
Air quality has improved during the COVID-19 pandemic and may help people live longer. These satellite images show more
Toronto Star
Posted: April 4, 2020 12:00 am
Wildland firefighters prep for new guidelines to protect against virus spread
Santa Fe New Mexican
Posted: April 1, 2020 12:00 am
State Forestry Department uses new technology to detect wildfires
KOB4 TV
Posted: March 25, 2020 12:00 am
Pandemic data mining underscores the importance of social distancing in China — and in Seattle
GeekWire
Posted: March 20, 2020 12:00 am
As Los Angeles confronts coronavirus, a slower city is visible from above
The Los Angeles Times
Posted: March 25, 2020 12:00 am
Mobile location data shows just how much travel has dropped off
Axios
Posted: March 24, 2020 12:00 am
Coronavirus: Satellite images reveal US pollution drop as Americans stay at home
The Independent
Posted: March 24, 2020 12:00 am
Smartphone data reveal which Americans are social distancing (and not)
The Washington Post
Posted: March 23, 2020 12:00 am
Analysis of satellite imagery shows reduced NO2 in China, Italy
GPS World
Posted: March 24, 2020 12:00 am
AI in mining takes root in the industry
TechTarget
Posted: March 23, 2020 12:00 am
Satellite images show less pollution over the US as coronavirus shuts down public places
CNN
Posted: March 23, 2020 12:00 am
How Has Your State Reacted to Social Distancing?
New York Times
Posted: March 22, 2020 12:00 am
Traffic and Pollution Plummet as U.S. Cities Shut Down for Coronavirus
New York Times
Posted: March 17, 2020 12:00 am
Watch the Footprint of Coronavirus Spread Across Countries
The New York Times
Posted: March 3, 2020 12:00 am
Geoscientists get data boost
Mining Magazine
Posted: March 2, 2020 9:00 am
Descartes Labs Unveils its Advanced Mineral Exploration Package
Press Release
Posted: February 20, 2020 12:00 am
When Adjusted For Population, Light Pollution In Some Rural Areas Stands Out
Wisconsin Public Radio (NPR)
Posted: February 6, 2020 12:00 am
Why Descartes Labs is convinced it can make geospatial AI your core business competency
GeoAwesomeness
Posted: February 18, 2020 12:00 am
The New Space Race: Meet The Investors Building A New Space Settlement Industry
Forbes
Posted: February 11, 2020 12:00 am
Where Light Pollution Is Seeping Into the Rural Night Sky
CITYLAB
Posted: January 15, 2020 12:00 am
Saving the world one algorithm at a time | The Age of A.I.
YouTube Originals
Posted: February 2, 2020 12:00 am
Santa Fe startup grows up
Albuquerque Journal
Posted: January 29, 2020 12:00 am
Newly released satellite data reveals the patterns of record warmth in 2019
The Washington Post
Posted: January 22, 2020 12:00 am
Descartes Labs Launches First Cloud-Based Geospatial Data Refinery and Modeling Platform
Press Release
Posted: January 22, 2020 12:00 am
Descartes Labs launches its new platform for analyzing geospatial data
TechCrunch
Posted: January 14, 2020 12:00 am
Where nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas 300-times stronger than CO2, is being emitted
Quartz
Posted: January 2, 2020 12:00 am
Here’s Where Australia’s Destructive Wildfires Are Burning
New York Times
Posted: December 3, 2020 12:00 am
8 Most Innovative Startups of 2017
Inc. | Kevin Ryan
Posted: October 23, 2019 12:00 am
Scaling Spatial Analysis with The Trust for Public Land
Posted: October 11, 2019 12:00 am
Descartes Labs Raises $20 Million to Accelerate Our Mission and Welcomes Phil Fraher as CFO
Posted: September 19, 2019 12:00 am
Descartes Labs Launches Initiative to Monitor and Manage Methane Data Across the Permian Basin in Support of New Mexico Governor’s Sustainability Goals
Posted: December 27, 2019 12:00 am
A Decade of Urban Transformation, Seen From Above
New York Times
Posted: December 5, 2019 12:00 am
How AI is helping spot wildfires faster
CNN Business
Posted: January 18, 2019 12:00 am
Descartes Labs – Refinery That’s Making Satellite Images Usable
TechWeek | Vipul Nanda
Posted: February 25, 2019 12:00 am
Air pollution shines from this alarming map
The Verge | Rachel Becker
Posted: March 20, 2019 12:00 am
Can Artificial Intelligence Help Save the Natural World?
PBS | Jackie Snow
Posted: April 8, 2019 12:00 am
World Changing Ideas 2019: All the winners, finalists, and honorable mentions
Fast Company | Morgan Clendaniel
Posted: June 10, 2019 12:00 am
Digital tailings dam models – watch this space
Mining Magazine | Nia Kajastie
Posted: July 7, 2019 12:00 am
How Descartes Labs Built One of the Worlds Most Powerful SuperComputing Systems
Business Insider | Rosalie Chan
Posted: July 8, 2019 12:00 am
Satellite Imagery A Potent New Data Source For Supply Chain Management
Forbes | Steve Banker
Posted: September 19, 2019 12:00 am
Permian Hotspot Tracks Methane as Oil Boom Spurs Climate Concern
Bloomberg | Naureen S. Malik
Posted: September 19, 2019 12:00 am
New Mexico brings big data to bear on methane pollution
Associated Press | Morgan Lee
Posted: September 26, 2019 12:00 am
What climate change looks like from outer space
Quartz | Mark Johnson
Posted: October 9, 2019 12:00 am
Every State Should Monitor Methane to Meet Climate Goals
WIRED | Mark Johnson & Michelle Lujan Grisham
Posted: October 9, 2019 12:00 am
Fantastic fall foliage…and where to find it
Washington Post | Lauren Tierney & Joe Fox
Posted: October 11, 2019 12:00 am
Descartes Labs snaps up $20M more for its AI-based geospatial imagery analytics platform
TechCrunch | Ingrid Lunden
Posted: November 25, 2019 12:00 am
California wildfires map
LA Times | Casey Miller
Posted: November 27, 2019 12:00 am
The U.S. cranberry harvest explained in four charts
National Geographic | Irene Berman-Vaporis, Kennedy Elliot, and Rosemary Wardley
Posted: September 12, 2018 12:00 am
Building a Geospatial Analytics Marketplace with DARPA
Posted: August 15, 2018 12:00 am
Descartes Labs Platform Emerges from Beta with First Non-Satellite Data Set and Airbus Partnership
Posted: July 18, 2018 12:00 am
‘@WildfireSignal Tracking System Now Live on Twitter
Posted: January 8, 2018 12:00 am
These 100 Companies Are Leading the Way in A.I.
Fortune | Nicolas Rapp and Brian O'Keefe
Posted: June 9, 2018 12:00 am
Mesmerizing aerial images show the growth of cities like Beijing and Las Vegas over the last 3 decades
Business Insider | Leanna Garfield
Posted: June 12, 2018 12:00 am
WSJ Top 25 Tech Companies to Watch 2018
Wall Street Journal | Dave Pettit
Posted: July 18, 2018 12:00 am
This Twitterbot keeps you up-to-date on fires burning near you
Fast Company | Adele Peters
Posted: August 15, 2018 12:00 am
Descartes Labs launches its geospatial analysis platform
TechCrunch | Frederic Lardinois
Posted: September 12, 2018 12:00 am
DARPA pledges millions to scour a surge of satellite photos
Fast Company | Steven Melendez
Posted: November 27, 2018 12:00 am
How Satellites and Big Data Are Predicting the Behavior of Hurricanes and Other Natural Disasters
Smithsonian | Nathan Hurst
Posted: December 5, 2018 12:00 am
Trump Cites ‘Strong Signals’ From Xi as Trade Fears Return
New York Times | Alan Rappeport and Jim Tankersley
Posted: December 12, 2018 12:00 am
Juul Deal, Loose Lips, Drug Hike: CEO Daily for December 20, 2018
Fortune | Alan Murray
Posted: December 26, 2018 12:00 am
Every Tree in the City, Mapped
CityLab | Linda Poon
Posted: August 24, 2017 12:00 am
Announcing our $30M Series B
Posted: May 24, 2017 12:00 am
Fighting Wildfires Using a Cloud-based Supercomputer
Posted: April 24, 2017 12:00 am
Descartes Labs Platform Now in Closed Beta with Los Alamos National Laboratory as an Inaugural Partner
Posted: March 28, 2017 12:00 am
Hacking Food Security from Space
Posted: March 23, 2017 12:00 am
Descartes Labs awarded DARPA grant to create new technology for global forecasting
Posted: February 6, 2017 12:00 am
Using Petabytes of Pixels with Python to Create 3 New Images of the Earth
Posted: March 7, 2017 12:00 am
A Visual Search Engine for the Entire Planet
The Atlantic | Robinson Meyer
Posted: March 17, 2017 12:00 am
The 10 Most Innovative Companies In AI/Machine Learning 2017
Fast Company | Daniel Terdiman
Posted: March 23, 2017 12:00 am
Why DARPA Funded a Farm Tech Startup
Fortune | Michal Lev-Ram
Posted: April 24, 2017 12:00 am
Q&A: Zite founder Mark Johnson on his new satellite startup
Axios | Ina Fried
Posted: June 13, 2017 12:00 am
Disruptive 25 Companies: Descartes Labs
Inc. | Kevin J. Ryan
Posted: June 19, 2017 12:00 am
How Tiny Satellites Are Changing The Way We Do Business
Fast Company | Kim Lightbody
Posted: August 24, 2017 12:00 am
Descartes Labs raises $30 million Series B for its brand of geospatial analytics
TechCrunch | John Mannes
Posted: September 5, 2017 12:00 am
Can Artificial Intelligence Help Feed The World?
Forbes | Rob Trice
Posted: November 17, 2015 12:00 am
Descartes Labs Emerges With $5M to Improve Data for Farmers
Wall Street Journal
Posted: May 1, 2015 12:00 am
Deep-Learning, Image-Analysis Startup Descartes Labs Raises $3.3M After Spinning Out Of Los Alamos National Lab
TechCrunch
Posted: April 20, 2015 12:00 am
Just Your Typical New Mexico Image Recognition Startup Spun Off from a Government Lab
Fast Company
Press Releases
Posted: October 27, 2020 12:00 am
Descartes Labs Wins Contract With AFRL STAR to Enhance U.S. Air Force Operations
Posted: July 8, 2020 12:00 am
Getting Back to Work with Economic Activity Signals
Posted: July 8, 2020 12:00 am
Descartes Labs wins Phase II SBIR through AFWERX to boost U.S. Air Force innovation
Posted: April 15, 2020 12:00 am
Apply for Our Impact Science Program and Get Your Hands on the World’s Data
Posted: March 30, 2020 12:00 am
Putting our Wildfire Detector to Work in New Mexico
Posted: March 19, 2020 12:00 am
Coronavirus: The Road to Economic and Social Recovery
Posted: March 2, 2020 12:00 am
Descartes Labs Unveils its Advanced Mineral Exploration Package
Posted: January 22, 2020 12:00 am
Descartes Labs Launches First Cloud-Based Geospatial Data Refinery and Modeling Platform
Posted: January 20, 2020 12:00 am
The Next Phase of Descartes Labs
Posted: October 23, 2019 12:00 am
Scaling Spatial Analysis with The Trust for Public Land
Posted: October 11, 2019 12:00 am
Descartes Labs Raises $20 Million to Accelerate Our Mission and Welcomes Phil Fraher as CFO
Posted: September 19, 2019 12:00 am
Descartes Labs Launches Initiative to Monitor and Manage Methane Data Across the Permian Basin in Support of New Mexico Governor’s Sustainability Goals
Posted: September 12, 2018 12:00 am
Building a Geospatial Analytics Marketplace with DARPA
Posted: August 15, 2018 12:00 am
Descartes Labs Platform Emerges from Beta with First Non-Satellite Data Set and Airbus Partnership
Posted: July 18, 2018 12:00 am
‘@WildfireSignal Tracking System Now Live on Twitter
Posted: August 24, 2017 12:00 am
Announcing our $30M Series B
Posted: May 24, 2017 12:00 am
Fighting Wildfires Using a Cloud-based Supercomputer
Posted: April 24, 2017 12:00 am
Descartes Labs Platform Now in Closed Beta with Los Alamos National Laboratory as an Inaugural Partner
Posted: March 28, 2017 12:00 am
Hacking Food Security from Space
Posted: March 23, 2017 12:00 am
Descartes Labs awarded DARPA grant to create new technology for global forecasting
Posted: February 6, 2017 12:00 am