About Us
We specialize in a wide range of geospatial and AI driven solutions. Our expertise have extensive experience in identifying abandoned hazardous waste.
Who We Are
Led by John Gibbons, an aerospace engineer with 20+ years space industry experience, AquaGuard Technologies is powered by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in spacecraft systems engineering, geospatial intelligence, software development and environmental compliance. Backed by ESA-BIC and the Swedish National Space Agency, we deliver a dual-use SaaS solution tailored for both civil and defence applications. Our proprietary system integrates high-resolution satellite imagery, AI-powered object detection, and real-time monitoring to identify unregistered vessels, derelict wrecks, and other hazardous surface anomalies — including abandoned and derelict vessels (ADVs) — across coastal, inland, and terrestrial zones. These unmanaged assets often violate marine and environmental regulations, pose risks to navigation and ecosystems, and may expose critical infrastructure to unregulated or illegal activity.
Through advanced analytics and intuitive delivery, we transform satellite data into actionable, compliance-ready intelligence. Whether enabling maritime authorities to enforce regulation, supporting recyclers in identifying recoverable assets, or providing national security agencies with real-time surface anomaly alerts, AquaGuard empowers public and commercial actors to respond faster, more precisely, and smarter — protecting coastlines, ecosystems, and strategic assets worldwide.
Our Vision
To redefine how environmental and strategic risks are detected, prioritised, and acted upon, through AI-powered geospatial intelligence at scale.
At AquaGuard Technologies, we envision a future where software-first geospatial intelligence becomes the foundation of environmental enforcement, circular economy logistics, and national security strategy. Our platform is purpose-built to convert high-resolution satellite imagery into policy-ready insights — offering advanced object detection, environmental risk scoring, and mission-specific intelligence across maritime, environmental, and defence domains.
What sets AquaGuard apart is our layered architecture, fusing AI-powered software, commercial-grade satellite data (optical and SAR), and validated ground-truth sources including UAVs, USVs, and field-based verifiers. This combination enables dynamic retraining and precise classification across complex, wide-area environments. As the industry shifts from sensor-driven observation to software-led interpretation, AquaGuard delivers scalable, automated intelligence to help governments, regulators, recyclers, and security agencies safeguard ecosystems, enforce compliance, and respond to emerging risks in real time.
Vaxholm Municipality – AGT Geospatial Detection Results
Operational Recreational Boats / Abandoned Derelict Wrecks
Our Values
What drives us forward at AquaGuard Technologies?
We believe that impactful innovation is built not just on code and satellites, but on trust, responsibility, and mission-aligned principles. Every decision we make — from how we train our AI to how we deliver insights — reflects our commitment to the organisations and environments we serve.
Environmental & Security Responsibility
We build technology that detects not only environmental risks but potential threats to homeland and maritime security. From abandoned vessels to illicit dumping
and critical asset intrusion, our SaaS platform empowers stakeholders to prevent pollution, recover assets, and safeguard strategic zones — across both land and
sea.
Precision Through Intelligence
We fuse AI-powered software, high-resolution satellite imagery, and verified ground-truth data to deliver accurate, real-time geospatial intelligence — without
burdening our users. Our detections are verified, our outputs are policy- and mission-ready, and our systems are built for speed, scale, and clarity — serving both
environmental and national security needs.
Accountability by Design
Our platform is aligned with EU regulations, ESG compliance frameworks, circular economy mandates, and dual-use operational standards. We provide riskscored data, legal metadata, and audit-ready reporting tools that support confident action — whether for environmental regulators, defence actors, or interagency
missions.
Trust Through Collaboration
We are proudly supported by ESA BIC, SNSA and ALMI. Developed with real-world users across Europe, our solution reflects collaboration with civil regulators,
national defence entities, and cross-border security teams — ensuring our dual-use platform meets both environmental and security sector demands.
Innovation with Purpose
We prioritise scalable, high-impact innovation — focused on solving both strategic and environmental challenges. Every algorithm, alert, and detection model we
deploy is designed to deliver actionable results for defence, security, and sustainability. At AquaGuard, we don’t just monitor — we empower response.
Our Journey
Founded in Sweden in 2024, AquaGuard Technologies emerged in response to a critical blind spot in maritime and environmental oversight — where unregistered abandoned and derelict vessels (ADVs), along with other hazardous waste, continue to pollute ecosystems, breach regulations, and evade detection across both coastal and inland zones. From the outset, our mission has been clear: to build a geospatial intelligence platform that does the hard work of detection, classification, and monitoring — so that government agencies and commercial operators can focus on informed action, not complex analysis. Powered by high-resolution satellite imagery, proprietary AI models, and contextual ground-truth data, our system automatically identifies and maps threats, delivering actionable results through intuitive 3D map displays, regulatory-ready reports, and real-time alerts.
Our growth has been supported by some of Europe’s leading space and innovation institutions. We were selected and funded by the ESA Business Incubation Centre (ESA BIC) Sweden, in recognition of our technical novelty and environmental impact potential. National support from the Swedish National Space Agency (SNSA) followed, enabling our acceptance into the ESA-BASS Kick-Start programme to begin feasibility testing and early service development. To date, we have built and validated our proprietary core software architecture, achieved ADV detection using satellite and ground-truth data, and completed all ESA Kick-Start review milestones. Now progressing our MVP to full product delivery and commercial deployment, AquaGuard remains aligned with EU zero-pollution targets, marine strategy frameworks, and circular economy directives — delivering the results to modernise environmental recovery, maritime compliance, and national security oversight from satellite data to software-driven response.
Turn oversight into action. We’re ready when you are.
Discover how AquaGuard Technologies can help your organisation.