A look back into WeGaw’s 2019!
It looks like 2019 is coming to an end, and we could not be more excited with all the milestones we have achieved so far. This is the year when we made public our product DeFROST and when our first customers started enjoying the benefits of global real-time snow data based on satellite data processing!
These are a few highlights on our achievements during the year:
The team is growing!
3 new members joined our family bringing key skills in Artificial Intelligence, Remote Sensing and Solution Architecture. Thanks to Daria, Diego and Gonzalo, we were able to release the first commercial version of DeFROST in September!
DeFROST is ready for SCALE
Our snow monitoring product DeFROST has gone from an alpha stage to a full-fledged global snow monitoring product. We first implemented our unique snow probability maps based on several satellite sensor, weather and ground data. The first version released on September was only available on the European Alps, but after some adjusting and ingesting more satellite data into our system, we released our global snow probability maps on the 1st of November.
After such a challenging effort and in order to meet our customer expectations, the team went back to work in order to be able to integrate snow depth in the product. Today, 19th of December, aligned with the end of the year and just before Holidays, we are really proud to be releasing our global snow depth product. Here is a glimpse of DeFROST rocking! (check our changelog to know more)
Happy users are already profiting
During 2019 our customers and pilots consumed x7 times more DeFROST calls compared to the usage of 2018, achieving a whooping 630,000 calls to our API and Map services during 2019. Accurate near real time snow data has been used in more than 5 countries!
Some organizations enjoying accurate snow data like Villars in Switzerland is displaying snow information for the tourists coming to visit the region, helping them assess where to find snow for some popular winter activities
We are actively teaming up with partner organizations to strengthen our product and external relationships
We kicked-off the second phase of the European Space Agency IAP business application program demo project, which allowed us to bring DeFROST to a commercial viable phase, monitoring globally snow parameters. Thanks to this consortium project, we have team up with the WSL Institute for snow and avalanche research SLF in order to fine tune our current technology thanks to their field high definition cameras and ground sensors
As Climate-KIC accelerator program alumni, we have explored the impact of snow in several industries, from maritime logistics to insurance, and we have analyzed how climate change is creating a strong need of monitoring and saving snow/water resources to minimize the inevitable impact climate change will create in our societies and industries.
You did not hear from us? We were pretty much everywhere!
From Spain to Kazakhstan WeGaw was present in the main startup events to enlarge our network and meet interested investors for our next investment round in 2020 (sounds interesting? Let’s connect!).
Thanks to the Swiss state of Canton Vaud we had the chance to represent Vaudoise startups in the Seedstars Expansion Summit in Kazakhstan exploring the local energy and investment sector. With a record of -36 degrees, we managed to find some juicy snow!
We were selected as one of the 15 startups to represent Switzerland in Slush conference in Helsinki. WeGaw was invited by the European Space Agency to assist to the NSE ExpoForum in Rome and the ESA investor Forum in Paris, in order to meet interested investors in the SpaceTech industry willing to join the global real-time snow data challenge.
Thanks to this public exposure we have managed to meet investors interested in how space data can add value to the old school way of monitoring snow for various industries, partners looking to add value and improve their current solutions, and we have contributed to the branding of SwissTech startups as the drivers of innovation.
That was 2019, but definitely there is much to come!
We are extremely proud with all the milestones we have achieved so far, but this is just the beginning to a great journey. 2020 looks like a really promising year for the growth and success of WeGaw, with lots of challenges ahead and a team full of energy and perseverance ready to take them down!
We look forward to serving all of our customers and partners with the best in class remote sensed snow monitoring product.
Would you like to have a look at DeFROST? Shoot!
