Vexcel Imaging

About Vexcel Imaging

Vexcel Imaging operates as a specialized developer and manufacturer of photogrammetric and remote sensing technologies, headquartered in Graz, Austria. The company was established in 1992 by Dr. Franz Leberl, a distinguished Austrian professor in photogrammetry and computer vision with a career spanning academia at the Graz University of Technology and roles at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His extensive background in geodesy, remote sensing, and digital image processing directly shaped the company's core focus.

The firm's business model is centered on the design, production, and sale of high-precision aerial cameras and terrestrial mapping systems, complemented by a proprietary software suite. Vexcel's primary product is the UltraCam series of large-format digital aerial cameras, which includes various lines tailored to different applications, from wide-area mapping to oblique and nadir imaging. The company also provides the UltraMap software, an end-to-end photogrammetric workflow solution that automates the generation of data products like point clouds, digital surface models (DSMs), orthophotos, and 3D models. Revenue is generated through the sale of these hardware systems and the licensing of its processing software. Since 2017, the company has expanded its business model to include a Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) division, the Vexcel Data Program, which provides high-resolution aerial imagery and geospatial data to a wide range of industries on a subscription or on-demand basis.

Vexcel Imaging's history includes several significant milestones. The first UltraCam was launched in 2003. In May 2006, the company was acquired by Microsoft to bolster the capabilities of its Bing Maps and Virtual Earth platforms. This decade-long chapter led to significant advancements, including the creation of the UltraMap software. In 2016, Vexcel Imaging became an independent company again following a management buyout led by former Microsoft executives and the Vexcel leadership team. A major strategic expansion occurred in 2020 when Vexcel acquired the imagery sourcing group and aviation assets from Verisk's Geomni business, significantly scaling its data collection capabilities and establishing the world's largest aerial imagery library. This serves a diverse client base that includes government agencies, insurance firms, utilities, and companies in telecommunications and architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC).