WASHINGTON — AI tech startup Danti is expanding its Earth data search engine to a wider government audience after a year of refinement with defense and intelligence agencies, the company announced March 6.
The Atlanta-based firm’s technology allows users to search satellite imagery and other geospatial data using natural language queries, delivering near real-time responses by synthesizing multiple information sources into actionable insights.
“We provide the software infrastructure that’s connecting the dots for a lot of these organizations,” said Jesse Kallman, Danti’s founder and chief executive.
Founded in 2023, Danti initially collaborated with the U.S. Space Force and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) to develop the system with input from expert analysts. The company has now expanded operations to include the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and other government entities.
The search engine incorporates satellite imagery licensed to the government through various contracts, fusing this visual data with information from diverse sources including drone footage, news reports, social media, shipping records, and global event data.
“Danti aids our mission to rapidly understand the massive volume of information, both in archive and newly generated, across commercial and open data sources,” said Maj. Zach He, of the U.S. Space Force’s tactical surveillance and reconnaissance tracking program.
Keith Masback, an investor in Danti and a former senior official at NGA, said the company’s search engine differs from conventional geospatial tools by contextualizing information. Unlike traditional intelligence platforms that require analysts to sift through raw data manually, Danti’s AI automates the process by cross-referencing imagery with other intelligence inputs.
Masback recalled that intelligence analysts had long envisioned a tool that could instantly provide relevant information on a given location — such as an airfield — by simply highlighting it on a screen. “Now, this technology exists,” he said. “Think of it like an AI analyst that military operators can use in the field, even if they’re not geospatial intelligence experts or have access to NGA analysts.”
Danti has secured $8.3 million in venture capital funding to date and has announced $4 million in government contracts, according to Kallman.
