Balerion Senior Associate Aidan Daoussis sits down with Jake Schneider, Founder and President of Atlas Analytics, to discuss satellite-based GDP forecasting. Atlas Analytics uses satellite imagery, remote sensing, and machine learning to forecast GDP ahead of official government releases. The company aims to give investors, governments, and businesses earlier visibility into economic activity.
Timestamped Overview
00:00 – Introduction and Atlas Analytics overview
02:28 – Jake Schneider’s background and the origin of the company
04:23 – Using satellite imagery to forecast GDP and market signals
07:33 – How Atlas identifies useful economic signals from satellite data
09:00 – Tracking construction, land use, vegetation, and port activity
11:08 – Why nightlights are limited as an economic signal
12:34 – Validating Atlas’ GDP forecasts against official releases
16:21 – Sentiment, fundamentals, and the relationship between GDP and markets
20:46 – Explaining a major forecast miss and the role of trade data
22:06 – Jack: Atlas’ container-tracking algorithm for port activity
23:45 – Beachhead markets, including hedge funds and governments
25:42 – Defensibility, patents, stickiness, and first-mover advantage
28:53 – Why AI alone cannot easily replicate the Atlas pipeline
33:22 – Satellite imaging inputs, band math, and convolutional neural networks
35:57 – How investors can use Atlas data for macro-exposed ETFs
39:09 – How better Earth observation systems could improve the product
41:13 – Fundraising plans and geographic expansion
43:27 – Product roadmap and country-specific geospectral signatures
47:00 – Future applications in industrial intelligence and local forecasting
49:42 – Why Atlas matters beyond financial returns
51:31 – Final takeaway and closing remarks
