crossroads magazine Satellite imagery can monitor flood, wildfire and heat risks. WEO, a Luxembourg-based startup, is using AI to make images from space more precise with support from the country’s innovation ecosystem. BY LENA MÅRTENSSON When disaster strikes, missing precise information can have dire consequences. When a floodplain looks safe from space or a wildfire’s edge blurs into the sur- rounding forest, decision-makers may struggle to act at the right time. This gap is what Imeshi Weerasinghe and Charlotte Wirion set out to close when they founded WEO. The two entrepreneurs met while researching water re- sources using satellite imagery at Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium. Together, they decided to make satellite data more accessible and useful to organisa- tions addressing climate risks and their consequenc- es. “We started WEO to support environmental resil- ience,” says Ms Wirion, the company’s CTO. When the data exists but the resolution is poor WEO turns satellite images into detailed environmen- tal information that organisations can use to monitor risks and plan interventions. The two founders want- ed their solution to be affordable and continuously updated, which meant using openly available space data. That, however, comes with a specific challenge: image resolution. “Typically, open-source satellite imagery resolu- tion comes down to a precision of 10 metres. Such an image does not ensure enough detail to provide actionable insights for our clients,” explains Head of Development Frankwin van Winsen. To enhance image resolution, the company turned to artificial intelligence. But existing technology didn’t meet WEO’s needs. The company therefore decided to develop its own AI algorithms to interpret satellite im- ages. The team also needed to control hallucinations – details generated by an AI system that are not reflect- ed in the original data. WEO is addressing both chal- lenges through a joint project with the Luxembourg AI Factory and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST). From startup to research partner – in six years WEO first connected with Luxinnovation, the nation- al innovation agency coordinating the Luxembourg AI Factory, and LIST during its participation in the startup acceleration programme Fit 4 Start in 2019. “It helped us get WEO off the ground,” says Ms Weer- asinghe, now WEO’s CEO. The programme gave the startup the early support and visibility it needed to grow. Since then, Luxinnovation has supported the team in applying for R&D funding and then kept the com- pany informed when the AI Factory was established to support companies developing and adopting AI. Meanwhile, WEO maintained links with LIST, as the two organisations shared research interests and saw a potential for collaboration. In 2025, they successful- ly secured funding for a joint R&D project that com-