Innovating Geospatial Analysis: The Geo Gemma Story

Homegrown satellite imagery tool wins top Google prize - Pakistan...

In 2024, Ahmed Iqbal and Hanzila Bin Younus, who were studying at Islamabad’s Institute of Space Technology, had to submit a final-year project to receive their bachelor’s degree in space sciences. They chose to turn their project into something that a giant like Google may be interested in, which led to the development of Geo Gemma — an open-source Large Language Model (LLM) integrated with the Google Earth Engine, to analyse spatial data and satellite imagery without the need for lengthy codes.

Recognition from Google

Last week, Geo Gemma won the ‘Best AI Use Case’ award at the Asia-Pacific (APAC) Solution Challenge, jointly organised by Google and the Asian Development Bank in Manila. The team from the Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad says their innovation can be used across several fields, such as oil and gas, real estate, and supply chain.

Speaking to Dawn from Manila, Mr. Iqbal said Geo Gemma was created with the idea of automating geospatial analysis. The tool aims to make satellite data accessible to anyone who wants to analyse it by writing just a few prompts detailing what data they need.

With funding from Google, Mr. Iqbal and his team were able to develop Geo Gemma, which simplifies spatial analysis by fetching satellite data through natural language prompts.

Overcoming Limitations

While Google Earth Engine hosts updated satellite imagery from the entire planet, it requires a certain level of programming and coding expertise to retrieve and analyze the data. Geo Gemma aims to make this data accessible to a wider audience, eliminating the need for advanced coding skills.

With funding from Google, Mr. Iqbal and his team were able to develop Geo Gemma, which simplifies spatial analysis by fetching satellite data through natural language prompts.

The Journey to Success

Geo Gemma was selected as one of the top 10 projects from a pool of 750 entries from over 200 universities in the APAC Solution Challenge. The team continued to expand, bringing on board Abdullah Asif and Khaleelullah, undergrads studying Computer Science at IST, to enhance their resources and expertise.

Mr. Iqbal envisions Geo Gemma as a tool that can be deployed on any laptop without the need for servers. The team plans to release the software before the end of the year, with a focus on partnering with various industries and developing custom modules for specific needs.

As the future unfolds, Geo Gemma holds the potential to revolutionize geospatial analysis and establish itself as a key player in various industries.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2025