OUR STORY
We are GeoNadir
Our Vision
We help drone pilots store, process, and share their drone mapping images, supporting scientists and environmental managers around the world to make data-driven decisions.
This is our story, and why it’s important to us.
That AHA Moment!
For more than 20 years GeoNadir co-founder, Dr Karen Joyce has been trying to work out how much live coral we have on the Great Barrier Reef – believe it or not, we actually don’t know. One reason why is because satellites don’t tell the full story, and field survey just doesn’t cover enough area (thanks to Harriet Spark from Grumpy Turtle Creative for the great picture above!).
When Karen first started flying drones over the Great Barrier Reef it was like magic, the data that she began collecting were game changing, because now we can actually see – and map – the live coral and make data-driven decisions that empower us to monitor and protect the Great Barrier Reef.
Today, some of the most comprehensive data of the planet is sitting idle on computers across the globe, in folders forgotten yet it could help make data-driven decisions to monitor and protect Mother Earth. Such an unnecessary waste!
Enter GeoNadir. Karen wanted to build the world’s first central repository for storing and managing Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) drone data. By bringing drone images into one place, we know we can multiply the power of the data for our collective wisdom.
This central repository provides a data rich solution for quantifying environmental trends over space and time. It can fuel a new era of data-driven environmental policy and management decisions, enabling us to solve the world’s most intractable climate problems and save at-risk ecosystems.
The Perfect Melting Pot
So, why now? We’re on the cusp of the fifth Industrial Revolution, with a combination of humans and machines in the workplace
- Drones are accessible
- Mobile devices are prolific
- Cloud computing is commonplace
- Data analytics and computer vision is rising
- State and federal government policies are recognising the critical importance of earth observation
- There’s increasing global concern for the environment and our impacts
The perfect melting pot from which GeoNadir rises.
So much more than pretty pictures!
GeoNadir is the only earth observation platform focusing on FAIR drone data, and the only FAIR drone data platform focusing on environmental earth observation.
GeoNadir provides free hosting and basic data processing services to anyone who flies a drone to capture mapping data with their camera pointing down (nadir).
GeoNadir connects scientists and drone pilots, fostering a community of people passionate about the environment with a drive for environmental stewardship.
GeoNadir provides automated knowledge as a service to government and corporate organisations, reporting on environmental assets, natural capital accounting, and ecosystem change at a local level while baselining globally.
GeoNadir will do what it takes to support the global efforts to manage the effects of climate change for ethical and sustainable futures.
What we stand for
We are passionate about the environment and our responsibility to make the world a better place for future generations to continue to enjoy.
We know that solutions to our environmental challenges require robust and reliable data, and that these data must be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR).
We believe data for one is useful, but data for many is transformational.
We can all play a part in a more sustainable future, and together our whole is greater than the sum of our parts.
We stand for anti-racist, feminist, and decolonial approaches.
We’ve only just begun
At GeoNadir, we’re building the best map of the planet using crowdsourced drone data to help protect our at-risk ecosystems. We’d love for you to join us!
Subscribe for more stories from above, tips, & tricks
Meet the team delivering the vision


Manoj Bhatt
SENIOR BACKEND DEVELOPER
I am an engineer by heart with a passion for problem-solving using technology. I love to write code that demands creative thinking, and has the potential to make an impact in society.


Sovas Tiwari
SENIOR FRONTEND DEVELOPER
I am an ambitious individual with a great passion for the field of GIS. I am focused on making an impact in this field by using GIS skills and programming while constantly adding to my own knowledge base.


Smarika Rijal
QA ANALYST
I’ve always had a “try to break things” spirit. In this regard, my position as a QA Analyst is the perfect fit for me. I am passionate about building robust and well-designed software products.


Mahesh-wor Dhakal
SENIOR SOFTWARE DEVELOPER
I am a passionate technophile who loves using open-source software and is ardent about cloud technologies.
Leaning In To A Serious Global Challenge
Ecosystems are the heart of the planet, keeping everything in sync. Today, only 15% of land and 7% of our oceans are protected. In a recent report, the United Nations stated that over the past decade ‘the world has failed to meet a single target to stem the destruction of wildlife and life-sustaining ecosystems’. Natural habitats continue to disappear at alarming rates with global wildlife
populations in freefall thanks to overconsumption (humans), population growth and intensive agriculture. It is estimated that by 2030, we must protect twice as much land and four times as much ocean just to protect essential ecosystems and avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change……..