Kate van Dam: Marine Corps attack helicopter pilot, now strategic leader in the space industry with SkyFi

In this episode, sponsored by Sky Fi, Ben journeyed with Kate Van Dam from her days as a Marine Corps attack helicopter pilot to her current role leading strategy at SkyFi. They explore SkyFi's mission to democratise access to geospatial data, touching on the ethical implications, privacy concerns, and the revolutionary potential of this technology. Kate shared insights on how her military background shapes her strategic vision, how SkyFi navigates the evolving space industry landscape, and the role of AI and machine learning in transforming geospatial analysis. They also discussed upcoming SkyFi projects and the next frontier in commercial space technology. Kate also discusses “Austin 4 America” and tells people how to get free tickets!

This weeks episode is sponsored by Sky Fi.

Check them out: https://skyfi.com/

OUTLINE:

Here’s approximate timestamps for the episode.

00:48 Introducing Kate Van Dam - frome Helicopter Pilot to SkyFi

06:48 A “Ariel view” of the world

09:40 The accessibility of pictures anywhere from space and mass use of technology

13:00 What is hyper spectral imaging and other uses of SkyFi

14:48 Increase in commercial activity and priorities for customer

18:40 Integrating AI and ML and security concerns

22:28 Upcoming projects for SkyFi (update mentioned here: https://skyfi.com/en/blog/planet-launches-single-order-tasking-powered-by-skyfi )

24:42 Austin 4 America - free tickets here! https://www.austin4america.org/

27:03 Kate’s personal thoughts about Space

29:03 Wrap Up & Socials

Follow SkyFi:

Website: https://www.skyfi.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skyfi.app

X: https://x.com/SkyfiApp

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skyfi-imaging/posts/?feedView=all

Austin 4 America: https://www.austin4america.org/

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