"The traditional means of testing water for pollutants is to go out in boat, scoop up a few samples, and send them off to the lab for evaluation," explains Milt Baker, president of Blue Water Satellite.
The problem with that method, he says, is that a handful of random samples is a poor representation of the body of water at large. And then there is the expense of sending live people out to perform the work.
Blue Water has a better (and far cheaper) way.
Using patented image-processing software developed by the company's chief technology officer, Blue Water can determine the location and concentration of pollutants in lakes, rivers and streams without ever getting wet. Starting with high-resolution satellite imagery, the proprietary technology translates various light intensity patterns into components such as cyanobacteria, phosphorus, and chlorophyll a.
Whereas a typical water test consists of a handful of grab samples for an entire body of water, Blue Water is able to provide the equivalent of five samples for every acre. In the case of a 1,000-acre lake, that's the difference between six to 10 samples versus 5,000 � at roughly the same price.
Blue Water's customers range from federal, state and local governments to large environmental engineering firms tasked with remediating large environmental problems. The technology makes it easy to perform work for clients scattered across the globe.
Founded in 2008 in Bowling Green, the company currently employs 20 people. Baker envisions a high-growth curve that will increase sales from $1 million next year to $30 million in five short years.
Source: Milt Baker, Blue Water Satellite
Writer: Douglas Trattner