Government regulations are driving growth at analytics provider OmniEarth, including California’s ham-handed implementation of its new water use regulations, according to a company executive.

California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) in April signed an executive order imposing a state-wide 25 percent reduction in potable urban water usage through February 28, 2016 due to a drought the state is experiencing. Frank McKenna, head of OmniEarth’s satellite services division, said Thursday California implemented the reductions without insight into actual water usage and consumption and sources of the water.

Photo: NASA.
Photo: NASA.

This presented an opportunity, McKenna said, as OmniEarth had “ironically” merged  with a software company that worked in the water industry. McKenna said OmniEarth rolled out a product in the fourth quarter of 2014 that is now going into 400 districts across California.

“When you edict 25 percent water reductions across the board…without the data base to base that on…you’re in for a mess,” McKenna said during a Washington Space Business Roundtable (WSBR) panel discussion on small satellites in downtown Washington.

Alex Barnum, spokesman for California Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said Thursday the state has been gathering lots of data on urban water use and that’s what those regulations are based on.

McKenna said government regulations are benefiting OmniEarth “significantly” and that the company is growing at “leaps and bounds.” He said OmniEarth has gained investors, though he didn’t say how many and who they were.

OmniEarth says it provides a variety of geospatial solutions and information services that provide decision makers with the data they need to make informed decisions. The company specializes in image processing, data fusion, big data and predictive analytics. Areas of expertise include: imagery, resource management, precision agriculture, asset monitoring, hosted payloads and custom solutions.