IT must have been the unlikeliest of Scottish pub conversations: a meeting over a drink between a space systems engineer and a human rights and media specialist. But it was, almost literally, electric.

Ideas flew, further discussions were arranged – and the outcome was a new Glasgow-based space company with a mission to make a real global impact on societies and the environment.

Omanos Analytics has been formed with the aim of using earth observation (EO) data to empower communities worldwide.

The company is already actively working against land grabs by large companies in Africa and Asia and sees huge potential in using satellite data in legal and arbitration cases. This produces remote verification of what is happening on the ground and can help correct imbalances of power and resources.

“We can provide an additional layer of evidence to help communities tell their stories,” says co-founder Celia Davies, the human rights expert in the team, who spent nearly a decade in the humanitarian and development sector.

Her business partner Steve Greenland – the other participant in the pub chat – brings the space expertise.

The aim of Omanos, she adds, is to improve transparency and accountability, with an initial focus on remote or complex regions where EO data is not currently used.

“Our company merges space systems and international development”, she explains. “We use a combination of automated and human analysis to create bespoke data products.

“These are designed to be accessible to non-scientific audiences and can be used in a range of different contexts, from legal arbitration through to advocacy campaigns and research.”

The portfolio of work undertaken by Omanos is impressive. As well as involvement in land grabs by large mining companies, sugar growers and the rubber industry, it has worked on combating pollution in parts of the Caspian Sea, deforestation in the Amazon and impacts on indigenous communities.

One particularly interesting project has been in Kenya, where investment in renewables has been compromised by a lack of due diligence in monitoring environmental and social standards.

“As well as harming local communities and their natural environments, this was costing businesses and governments a lot of money,” Celia Davies explains.

“Companies found to be in breach of environmental and social standards risk losing their investment and their right to develop sites. This creates significant uncertainty for the success of the development as a whole, jeopardises commitments to a low carbon future and threatens forecasted job creation.

It can also attract negative press, leading to reputational and financial damage for governments, companies and investors.

“We saw this in the Kenyan geothermal sector with the withdrawal of a $192 million loan for a site following extensive lobbying around the environmental and social impacts.”

The solution developed by Omanos involves using EO data to provide independent, objective and traceable evidence of baseline assessments and developments. This allows the associated risk to be more easily forecast and monitored, with the information provided being factored into existing impact assessments.

One particularly exciting project – gEOthermalKenya – involves collaboration with another Scottish company, Global Surface Intelligence. The venture is one of 10 pioneering new British space projects designed to tackle global development problems. It is supported by the UK Space Agency’s International Partnership Programme.

Both Omanos and GSI have been working with the Kenyan National Environment Management Authority in order to characterise and monitor land use around current and prospective geothermal power plants.

“We’re combining information from communities on the ground with satellite data analysis to help us and the Kenyan government better understand the impact of geothermal power plants on the environment and on the lives of communities over time. The value of bringing the two datasets together is that each adds insights and value to the other.”

The project team worked with representatives of the Maasai tribe to collect ground data through a smartphone app, using a combination of land classification models. Interviews were also conducted with village elders in order to fully understand how their lives had been impacted by the development of the geothermal plants.

“Community intelligence is often an untapped resource when it comes to adding value, and the EO data has allowed us to locate our analysis within the reality of people’s experiences”, Ms Davies adds.

“In order to provide a fuller picture, there is a third type of data we draw on – ground sampling. “Following reports by the communities of soil, water and noise pollution, we worked with our Kenyan partners to plan a sampling study.

“They then went back out to the sites to take soil, water and noise samples. We could then see whether the community reports correlated with this additional layer of evidence.” The project has proved to be hugely worthwhile in a number of ways. “It gives us a better picture of what it means for local communities and the environment when geothermal sites are developed”, Celia Davies says.

“This means that future developments can be planned in a way that minimises harmful impacts. In addition, it provides an objective mechanism through which to monitor compliance with the environmental standards set at the outset of the development agreement.

That acts as a sort of early warning system for the Kenyan government. “It’s also a way to avoid he-said-she-said situations so that everyone is benefiting from investment in geothermal power.”

Edinburgh-based GSI is equally enthusiastic about its collaboration with Omanos and the global reach and impact it can provide.

“It enables and promotes more sustainable use of land and resources, while being mindful of potential impact on communities”, says its CEO, Peter Young.

“GSI has now measured over 100 million acres of natural resources across the globe including forest and soil carbon resource availability and sustainable food supply chains.

“Omanos interprets our intelligence to highlight additional environmental and social impacts, such as infringements on human rights or biodiversity. It’s fantastic to see creative SMEs in Scotland forming alliances to achieve global reach and impact.”

Afriqnmun Lovejoy, Head of Sustainable Development at UK Space Agency, said: “The UK Space Agency is proud to support satellite solutions that aim to improve people’s lives in Kenya and other developing countries, as well as here in the UK. This combination of on-theground intelligence gathering, satellite data, and machine learning could accelerate sustainable growth in the Kenyan geothermal sector.”