exactEarth
Canadian satellite-data company that provided global vessel tracking and maritime intelligence using space-based automatic identification system data.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
exactEarth was a Canadian satellite data services company specializing in the collection, processing, and delivery of maritime vessel-location information. Based in Cambridge, Ontario, the company used space-based automatic identification system, or AIS, detection technology to receive ship-transmitted messages beyond the range of conventional coastal receivers. Its services were designed to provide broad and frequent visibility of vessel movements for commercial, governmental, security, environmental, and maritime-sector users. The business originated from work by COM DEV International, a Canadian space-technology company that identified in 2005 that AIS signals emitted by ships might be detectable from orbit. COM DEV validated the concept through aircraft trials in 2007 and launched the EV0 nanosatellite in April 2008. exactEarth began commercial operations in June 2009, turning the technology into a data-services business rather than simply a satellite hardware project. The company’s offering centered on satellite AIS data, vessel tracking, maritime domain awareness, and analytical services. Customers could use the data to monitor vessel locations, identify unusual or unauthorized activity, support maritime-security operations, improve fisheries oversight, study shipping emissions, and analyze activity in remote or poorly instrumented waters. The company supplied data to both commercial customers and government users in markets including Canada, the United States, India, Australia, and Europe. Hisdesat acquired a 27 percent equity interest in exactEarth in September 2010 for CA$15 million in cash, while COM DEV retained the remaining 73 percent. exactEarth later pursued a public listing, filing a preliminary prospectus in June 2015. That plan was abandoned after COM DEV announced an agreement to be acquired by Honeywell in November 2015. As part of the transaction and corporate restructuring, exactEarth was separated into an independently traded company. COM DEV shareholders approved the arrangement in January 2016, and exactEarth began trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol XCT on February 9, 2016. The company also pursued large-scale satellite infrastructure partnerships. In June 2015, it announced an agreement with Harris Corporation to develop 58 AIS-detection payloads for the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation. The planned payload network was intended to improve global revisit performance and reduce customer data latency, supporting more continuous maritime monitoring. Around October 2015, exactEarth reported operating a constellation of nine satellites. Its data was used in a range of applications and projects, including security operations associated with the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, ship-emissions modeling by the Finnish Meteorological Institute, and work by ScanEx RDC to identify potentially illegal shipping in marine protected natural areas. The company’s satellite-AIS technology was also recognized in 2009 through the Ontario Premier’s Innovation Awards. exactEarth remained a publicly traded company until its acquisition by Spire Global in December 2021. Following the acquisition, its Toronto Stock Exchange securities were delisted and the standalone public-company structure ended. The exactEarth business and technology became part of Spire’s broader satellite-data and maritime-intelligence activities.
History
The origins of exactEarth lay in research conducted by COM DEV International during the mid-2000s. In 2005, COM DEV identified the possibility that automatic identification system transmissions from commercial ships could be detected by satellites. AIS is used by vessels to broadcast information such as identity, position, course, and speed. Coastal receivers can collect these transmissions near shore, but reception from orbit offers the possibility of monitoring ships across oceans and other remote waters. COM DEV tested the concept through aircraft-based trials in 2007 and launched the EV0 nanosatellite in April 2008. These activities provided the technical foundation for a commercial service capable of collecting maritime signals from space. exactEarth was established in 2009 and began commercial operations in June of that year. Its business model focused on turning satellite-collected AIS messages into usable data feeds, vessel-tracking tools, and maritime intelligence for commercial and government customers. In September 2010, Hisdesat acquired a 27 percent interest in the company for CA$15 million in cash. COM DEV remained the majority shareholder with a 73 percent holding. exactEarth subsequently expanded its service proposition beyond raw signal reception, providing data intended for maritime surveillance, fisheries management, environmental analysis, shipping oversight, and security operations. Its government and commercial customer base extended across Canada, the United States, India, Australia, and Europe. The company pursued a public-market transaction in 2015. It filed a preliminary prospectus with Canadian securities regulators on June 23, announcing an intention to launch an initial public offering. That route changed after COM DEV announced in November 2015 that it would be acquired by Honeywell. exactEarth was separated from the transaction structure so that it could continue as an independently traded company. COM DEV shareholders approved the acquisition in January 2016, and final court approval followed on January 25. On February 9, 2016, exactEarth began trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange with the ticker XCT. During its period as a public company, it continued to develop its satellite network and data infrastructure. In June 2015, the company had announced a partnership with Harris Corporation to build 58 AIS-detection payloads for the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation. The planned deployment was intended to improve the frequency with which vessels could be observed and to reduce the delay between signal collection and customer delivery. Around October 2015, exactEarth reported a constellation of nine satellites. The company’s data supported projects with operational, environmental, and regulatory purposes. It was used in security efforts connected with the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in ship-emissions modeling conducted by the Finnish Meteorological Institute, and in a ScanEx RDC initiative aimed at identifying potentially illegal shipping in marine protected natural areas. In 2009, the company’s technology received recognition through the Ontario Premier’s Innovation Awards. exactEarth’s independent public-company period ended in December 2021, when Spire Global acquired the company. The acquisition removed exactEarth from the Toronto Stock Exchange and ended the standalone listed entity. Its capabilities and maritime-data operations were incorporated into Spire Global’s broader satellite-data business. exactEarth is therefore best understood as a former Canadian corporate brand whose principal legacy is the commercialization of space-based AIS data for global maritime monitoring.
- 2021
Spire Global completes the acquisition
[1]Spire Global acquired exactEarth, ending the company’s independent public listing and leading to the delisting of XCT.
- 2016
XCT begins trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange
[1]After the corporate restructuring connected to Honeywell’s acquisition of COM DEV, exactEarth became a separately traded company under the symbol XCT.
- 2015
Preliminary prospectus is filed
[1]exactEarth filed a preliminary prospectus as it prepared for a proposed Canadian initial public offering.
- 2015
Harris Corporation payload partnership announced
[1]exactEarth announced plans with Harris Corporation for 58 AIS-detection payloads to be deployed on Iridium NEXT satellites.
- 2010
Hisdesat acquires a 27 percent stake
[1]Hisdesat invested CA$15 million for a minority equity interest, while COM DEV continued to hold majority ownership.
- 2009
exactEarth is founded and begins commercial operations
[1]exactEarth was established in Canada and commenced commercial operations in June, delivering satellite-derived maritime vessel information.
- 2009
Technology receives Ontario innovation recognition
[1]exactEarth’s satellite-AIS technology was recognized through the Ontario Premier’s Innovation Awards.
- 2008
EV0 nanosatellite is launched
[1]A nanosatellite known as EV0 was launched, supporting development of the space-based AIS detection concept.
- 2007
Aircraft trials validate AIS detection
[1]COM DEV conducted aircraft trials to validate the ability to detect AIS transmissions away from conventional coastal receiving infrastructure.
- 2005
COM DEV identifies the potential for space-based AIS reception
[1]COM DEV International recognized that AIS messages transmitted by ships might be detected from orbit, establishing the technical concept later commercialized by exactEarth.
Products and positioning
A specialist provider of space-based maritime surveillance data, combining satellite AIS reception with vessel-tracking and maritime-intelligence services.
Maritime data · 2009
Satellite AIS Data
Processed automatic identification system messages collected by satellites from vessels operating across oceans and remote waterways. The data could be used to identify ships, follow their movements, reconstruct routes, and support maritime monitoring where terrestrial AIS infrastructure was unavailable or incomplete.
Maritime intelligence · 2009
Vessel Tracking Services
Services built around satellite-derived vessel positions and movement histories. They supported global vessel visibility for commercial shipping, maritime authorities, security organizations, fisheries users, and environmental researchers.
Data analytics
Maritime Analytics
Analytical applications and data services that transformed vessel-location signals into maritime intelligence. Potential uses included monitoring unusual activity, analyzing shipping patterns, supporting fisheries enforcement, studying emissions, and identifying activity in protected marine areas.
Satellite technology · 2015
Satellite AIS Detection Payloads
AIS-detection payload technology developed for deployment on satellites. The company’s announced Harris Corporation partnership contemplated 58 payloads for the Iridium NEXT constellation, with the objective of increasing observation frequency and reducing delivery latency.
Marketing campaigns
- 2010Olympic and Paralympic maritime security support
Canada
exactEarth satellite AIS data was used in security efforts associated with the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, demonstrating the potential of space-based vessel monitoring for major-event security.
Outcome. The project is cited as an operational use of exactEarth data for maritime situational awareness.
- Finnish Meteorological Institute ship-emissions modeling
Finland · Europe
Satellite AIS data supported a Finnish Meteorological Institute project that modeled emissions from shipping activity.
Outcome. The project illustrated the use of vessel-movement data in environmental and atmospheric analysis.
- ScanEx RDC marine-protected-area monitoring
International
exactEarth data was used by ScanEx RDC in efforts to identify potentially illegal shipping activity within marine protected natural areas.
Outcome. The initiative applied satellite vessel tracking to conservation and enforcement monitoring.
Brand decisions
2021
Sell the company to Spire GlobalM&ABackground
After operating as a public company on the Toronto Stock Exchange, exactEarth entered an acquisition by Spire Global.
Action taken
Spire Global acquired exactEarth and absorbed its operations into its satellite-data business.
Aftermath
exactEarth ceased to operate as an independent listed company and XCT was delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange.
2015
Change from planned IPO to separation from COM DEVStrategyBackground
exactEarth had filed a preliminary prospectus for an initial public offering, but COM DEV subsequently announced its proposed acquisition by Honeywell.
Action taken
The planned IPO was abandoned and exactEarth was separated into an independently traded company as part of the broader COM DEV transaction structure.
Aftermath
The restructuring led to exactEarth’s Toronto Stock Exchange listing in February 2016 under the symbol XCT.
2015
Expand satellite AIS capacity through Iridium NEXTStrategyBackground
The company sought to improve global vessel-observation frequency and reduce the time required to deliver satellite AIS data to customers.
Action taken
exactEarth partnered with Harris Corporation on a plan to build 58 AIS-detection payloads for the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation.
Aftermath
The partnership was intended to support more frequent global coverage and customer data latency of less than one minute.
Recent events
Reported
Spire completes acquisition of exactEarth[3]
Spire Global completed its acquisition of exactEarth. exactEarth became a wholly owned subsidiary of Spire and will continue operating from Cambridge, Ontario.
Reported
Spire Global agrees to acquire exactEarth[4]
Spire Global and exactEarth announced an agreement for Spire to acquire exactEarth for approximately US$161.2 million in cash and stock. The source says exactEarth would become a wholly owned Spire subsidiary after the merger.
Reported
exactEarth launches exactAIS Platinum Plus[5]
exactEarth announced the launch of exactAIS Platinum Plus, a new service in its exactAIS family that adds coastal and vessel-based terrestrial AIS receivers to its satellite AIS capability.
Sources5 sources
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