Consulting
Earth observation, GNSS and SatCom consulting
LETO SPACE is a strategy consultancy for Earth observation, satellite navigation (GNSS), satellite communication and AI. We guide cities, regions and companies outside the space sector along one path: strategy and use cases, requirements and procurement, implementation, and skills. You can start at any step, in English or German, and in other languages if needed.
- Station 1Strategy and use cases
- Station 2Requirements and procurement
- Station 3Implementation
- Station 4Skills and workshops
01Consulting
What we advise on
We advise organisations outside the space sector on Earth observation, satellite navigation (GNSS), satellite communication and AI: where these technologies help with a task you already have, how to specify and buy the right solution, and how to make it part of daily work.
Satellite data is only useful if it answers a question someone in your organisation needs answered. That might be where a city overheats, where heavy rain collects, or how vehicles stay connected where mobile networks end. We work out whether Earth observation, satellite navigation, satellite communication or AI can answer it, and we tell you plainly when they cannot.
A project that starts with a dataset or a technology has to find its use afterwards. We start with a financial, compliance or resilience pressure that someone in your organisation is responsible for. That person owns the question, judges the pilot and decides whether the solution goes into operation.
02Practice areas
Four practice areas along one path
Our consulting has four practice areas: strategy and use cases, requirements and procurement, implementation, and skills and workshops. They follow the route from a first question to a solution in operation. Each area hands over to the next, and you can start with the one that matches where you are today.
- Station 1
Strategy and use cases
Where do satellite data and space-enabled services create value in your organisation, and which use cases come first? We assess the options against your goals, build the business case and set out a roadmap. This includes advice for CIOs and IT decision-makers on adopting space data.
What you receive
- a prioritised list of use cases
- a value assessment
- a business case outline
- a roadmap
- Station 2
Requirements and procurement
Many projects stall between "this could work" and a tender that providers can answer. We run stakeholder management and requirements engineering, scan the market, design the tender and evaluate offers against your requirements.
What you receive
- a stakeholder map
- a requirements specification
- a market scan
- a tender design
- a provider evaluation matrix
- Station 3
Implementation
A pilot should prove its value against KPIs agreed in advance before anyone commits to full operation. We design the pilot, manage the project, steer the provider and prepare the move from pilot to operation and scale.
What you receive
- a pilot plan with KPIs
- provider steering
- an operating and governance model
- a scaling plan
- Station 4
Skills and workshops
A solution only lasts if the people who run it understand it. Our innovation workshops help leaders and teams identify opportunities and develop first concepts. Our training prepares the teams who will work with the solution.
What you receive
- innovation workshops
- training in German and English (other languages if needed)
- self-paced follow-up courses from LETO Academy
Not sure which step comes first? We can work it out together in an initial call.
03Buy, partner or build
Buy, partner or build
No mode is right in every case. What matters is that the choice is made in the right order: after the problem, the use case and your readiness are clear, and before a contract is signed.
The framework comes from LETO SPACE engagement practice and is aligned with the McKinsey Digital build-buy-partner model. The decision owners below are named for companies; in a city or region, the department responsible for the task usually decides together with the procurement office.
Buy a product
Use a verified space-enabled solution, such as software as a service or a data service. This is the fastest path to value for well-defined problems.
Best for: standard monitoring use cases, reporting and compliance outputs, and fleet telematics with satellite navigation.
Decision owner: the business function together with procurement.
Partner in an ecosystem
Combine data providers, analytics platforms and systems integrators, orchestrated around your business.
Best for: cross-functional programmes, use cases across a whole portfolio, and sector platforms and marketplaces.
Decision owner: strategy together with the CIO or CTO.
Build internally
Set up your own geospatial and data science capability. This is justified only when the capability is a source of competitive advantage.
Best for: core differentiating products, operations at large scale such as insurance or utilities, and proprietary data.
Decision owner: the CEO and the executive committee.
04Value logic
How we judge the value of a use case
We describe every use case by what the space-enabled capability does and which business outcome it changes. A use case that maps to no outcome is not worth a pilot.
Framework developed by LETO SPACE, grounded in EUSPA, OECD, McKinsey and BCG space economy research.
Observe
See assets, land and infrastructure over time.
Locate
Position with precision, and track fleets and goods.
Connect
Reach remote, mobile and resilient operations.
Predict
Forecast risk, demand, yield and disruption.
Automate
Trigger inspections, alerts and dispatch.
Optimise
Improve routing, yield and maintenance.
Monetise
Build data products, parametric services and platforms.
The seven capabilities serve five business outcomes:
- Lower cost: fewer inspections, less downtime, less waste.
- Higher speed: faster decisions, shorter cycles, earlier warnings.
- Lower risk: physical, operational, counterparty and reputational.
- Better compliance: auditable, continuous reporting aligned with standards.
- New revenue: data-enabled products, services and adjacent markets.
For a city, a region or another public body, the outcome can also be a policy goal, such as a climate or planning target.
05Our work
Our work and the people behind it
- Our work with citiesRequirements engineering with cities in an FFG flagship project.
- Client projectsFour anonymised projects in energy, construction, logistics and manufacturing.
- Our productsSpacegraph, R&D Compass and LETO Academy, which we develop alongside our consulting.
- Our teamFounder Patrick Pils, a core team and a network of subject-matter experts.
Frequently asked questions
Q1Which organisations does LETO SPACE advise?
LETO SPACE advises cities, regions and municipalities, mainly on climate, planning and environmental tasks, and companies. Our consulting is not tied to a sector; our industry pages show use cases for energy and utilities, construction and real estate, mobility and logistics, industrial manufacturing, insurance and finance, and agriculture, forestry and environment. For funding agencies and ministries that want transparency over their research portfolios, it built R&D Compass as a proof of concept. Solution providers looking for buyers outside the space sector are better served by Spacegraph, our discovery platform.
Q2Do we need our own satellite or GIS expertise to start?
No. To start, you need a clear problem and someone in your organisation who owns it. Checking readiness is part of strategy and use cases: we look at your data, your systems, your team's familiarity with geospatial data, your governance and your procurement path. Where a gap matters, we plan how to close it: through training, a provider or a partner.
Q3Which space technologies does LETO SPACE consult on?
Earth observation, satellite navigation (GNSS), satellite communication and AI, alone or in combination. All four of our anonymised client projects use Earth observation and AI; the logistics project also uses satellite navigation and satellite communication. We start from your problem and choose the technology afterwards.
Q4Does LETO SPACE advise in German and English?
Yes. LETO SPACE advises organisations in the DACH region and across Europe in German and English, and in other languages if needed.
Q5When does it make sense to build internal capability?
Building your own geospatial or data science capability is justified when that capability is a source of competitive advantage, for example in core differentiating products, in operations at large scale such as insurance or utilities, or where proprietary data is the advantage. For well-defined problems, buying a verified product is the fastest path to value.
Q6Where do the buy, partner or build framework and the value framework come from?
The buy, partner or build framework comes from LETO SPACE engagement practice and is aligned with the McKinsey Digital build-buy-partner model. The value framework of seven capabilities and five business outcomes was developed by LETO SPACE and is grounded in EUSPA, OECD, McKinsey and BCG space economy research.
Contact
Talk to us about your project.
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