4/11/2024

Spexi Awarded 7-figure Contract for Network Imagery

PRESS RELEASE

Spexi Geospatial Announces $1,030,400 Contract with Federal Government of Canada to Enhance Wildfire Preparedness

Spexi Geospatial’s Innovative Drone Imagery Network will Help Governments in Preparation for Looming Wildfire Season Through AI-Powered Imagery and Analysis

The Spexi Network of Pilots Help Canada Prepare and Respond to Fires, Other Natural Disasters

May 6, 2024

Vancouver, BC –Spexi Geospatial, a Vancouver-based software and imagery network, announced today that the Government of Canada has recently awarded it a $1,030,400 contract to capture ultra-detailed Earth imagery in order to improve emergency preparedness and responses to wildfires. The project is being funded through the Innovative Solutions Canada program.

The project objective is to provide additional data and tools primarily for the Canadian Federal Government and Provinces to use and reference as they prepare for and respond to wildfire events in Canada.

“In recent years, wildfire seasons have been breaking records for frequency of fires as well as total burnt area. Due to climate change, catastrophic weather events have been on the rise, making it critical that decision makers have accurate and detailed information to make the best decisions possible,” said Bill Lakeland, Spexi Geospatial’s Chief Executive Officer. “That’s why the Government of Canada awarded this first-of-its-kind contract to the Spexi Network - so we can assist in providing ultrahigh-resolution imagery for communities all across the province of British Columbia in an effort to better prepare for and respond to upcoming wildfire seasons. This contract will contribute to one of the largest drone imagery capture programs on Earth, and the Spexi Network is up to the task.”

The project will use the Spexi Network, which is a global network of drone pilots using Spexi Geospatial’s proprietary and automated software applications and AI imagery analysis. Spexi Geospatial’s software is the aviation industry’s most innovative method of capturing and delivering detail-rich, standardized high-resolution images that traditional methods such as fixed wing aircraft and satellites are unable to provide.

The project launched last week, and already more than 300,000 acres of the total 660,000 acres have been imaged by Spexi Network drone pilots - a World first. The imagery will assist the government, at various levels, in determining where the greatest wildfire risk exists, and where more can be done to prevent and address wildfires.

“This contract will contribute to one of the largest drone imagery capture programs on Earth, and the Spexi Network is up to the task.”

- Bill Lakeland, CEO

The Spexi Network allows local drone pilots from across Canada to contribute towards advancing solutions for combating wildfires in Canada. Pilots are paid for flying specific areas of risk and contributing imagery of their local regions, returning taxpayer dollars to citizens that contribute this incredibly valuable, high-resolution imagery to the Spexi Network.

“We could not be prouder of this work - we at Spexi Geospatial are grateful to be able to assist the Federal Government in these preparations and do our small part to help better protect Canada from wildfires” said Lakeland. “And to be able to bring more Canadian drone pilots into the Spexi Network and pay them for their work is exciting.”

About Spexi

Spexi Geospatial delivers standardized ultra-detailed Earth imagery that traditional methods such as fixed-wing aircraft and satellites cannot deliver. Spexi Geospatial’s global network of drone pilots capture highly detailed data that governments, private enterprises, and technology companies rely on to make better decisions and fuel next generation AI-powered applications.

Contact

press@spexi.com

Spexi Network covering majority of BC populated area.