A company that uses satellite images to predict crop yields and monitor changing temperatures to help tackle climate change attended climate change summit COP28 this week with the aim of attracting inward investment.

Cabinet Secretary for the Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work, and Energy Neil Gray recently visited Glasgow-based Digital Content Analysis (D-CAT), one of 19 companies receiving support to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai.

The company analyses images and data from satellites for a range of applications. These include predicting crop yield, monitoring changing temperatures to inform urban development, and detecting deforestation and forest fires.

D-CAT Chief Executive Officer Phil McLachlan said: “D-CAT takes great pride in being selected for the Scottish business delegation to COP28.

“Our esteemed team of top scientists and engineers has pioneered the extraction of cutting-edge climate insights from satellite remote sensing data. These efforts have been central to our creation of unique data products that play a pivotal role in monitoring, reporting, and verifying that effective change is happening on the ground.

“We anticipate that our involvement in the delegation will lead to new collaborative opportunities, accelerating our growth and our mission to provide critical data insights that are vital for achieving the worldwide net zero transition goals.”

Wellbeing Economy Secretary Neil Gray said: “D-CAT is an innovative Scottish company pushing technological boundaries, using information gathered from satellites to address the climate crisis. From preventing deforestation to predicting farms at risk of losing productivity, these are urgent tasks that the vista from Space is helping to provide answers to.

“Scotland is already punching above its weight in terms of performance within the UK space sector. Glasgow is the biggest manufacturer of small satellites outside the US and one fifth of all UK space sector jobs are based in Scotland. I am committed to promoting the opportunities that space presents as a force for good to help create a more sustainable and prosperous economy.

“As the first country to declare a climate emergency in 2019, Scotland continues to strengthen our response to the wider impacts of climate change. No one nation can deliver net zero on its own – international co-operation will be vital – and Scotland’s skilled workforce is leading the way in delivering a just transition, taking advantage of our vast renewable energy potential, not least in the wind and low carbon green hydrogen.