Spexi Geospatial
"Earth's Living Drone Imagery Layer for Physical AI"
Canadian drone imagery platform operating a global crowdsourced pilot network (LayerDrone) to deliver sub-3cm resolution aerial data for spatial AI.
Spexi Geospatial Inc. is a Canadian company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, founded in 2017. The company operates a distributed drone imagery network called LayerDrone — one of the world's largest standardized drone imagery networks — that coordinates independent drone pilots to capture ultra-high-resolution aerial imagery on demand across 200+ cities globally. The platform has collectively imaged over 6 million acres and delivers data products with sub-3cm pixel resolution.
Spexi's core service is an imagery-as-a-service model: clients (AI teams, geospatial companies, insurers, government agencies, AEC firms, and Esri ArcGIS users) define areas of interest, Spexi coordinates drone pilots via the LayerDrone network, and standardized data products are delivered via API within 48 hours on average. Data products include oblique imagery sets (captured from 7 waypoints per Spexigon tile for 360-degree panoramic coverage), orthomosaics, 3D point clouds, Gaussian splats, and structured nadir imagery — all formatted for ML pipeline ingestion.
Downstream applications include object detection, image segmentation, change detection, digital twin creation, and synthetic data generation for spatial AI and physical AI model training. Industry verticals served include government (urban planning, infrastructure inspection), insurance (roof damage assessment, risk prediction), architecture/engineering/construction (AEC), and spatial AI research. Spexi imagery is available through the Esri ArcGIS Content Store via a partnership with Skywatch, extending access to tens of thousands of ArcGIS users. The company is also partnered with Niantic Spatial.
Spexi raised a seed round of $5.5 million CAD in October 2022 and a Series A of $16.2 million CAD backed by Protocol Labs, Blockchange Ventures, FJ Labs, and Dapper Labs. CEO Bill Lakeland brings over 20 years of geospatial imagery experience, having led and exited two prior aerial imagery firms. COO Alec Wilson is a former professional helicopter pilot and co-founder of Canada's largest drone training company.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
Spexi Imagery Solutions
On-demand sub-3cm resolution drone imagery delivered via API from a distributed LayerDrone pilot network spanning 200+ cities.
Contact Spexi Geospatial
WEBSITE
https://www.spexi.com/HEADQUARTERS
Canada
Company Facts
Founded
2017
Primary Role
Software/Algorithm
Company Size
-
Primary Region
North America
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
Early-Stage VC
Funding Total
-
Keywords
Niantic Spatial and Spexi Turn Drone Imagery Into Physical AI
Niantic Spatial and Spexi Geospatial have formed a strategic partnership to enhance the use of aerial drone imagery for enterprise applications. This collaboration integrates Spexi’s extensive aerial data network with Niantic Spatial’s advanced 3D reconstruction technology, enabling the creation of city-scale 3D Gaussian splats. Announced recently, this initiative aims to provide businesses with on-demand access to drone imagery, facilitating the development of physical AI solutions. The partnership is expected to streamline the process of transforming aerial captures into actionable data for various industries, marking a significant advancement in the utilization of drone technology for commercial purposes.
AI Drone News Drone News Feeds Mapping News 3D reconstruction
