SORA Technology Acquires Malaria-Focused Satellite Analysis Firm Zmart, Announces Full-Scale Entry into Space Business

SORA Technology Inc. (Headquarters: Nagoya, Aichi; Founder & CEO: Yosuke Kaneko), a company addressing global health and climate change challenges through AI and aerospace technology, announces the acquisition of a majority stake in Zmart Ltd. (Zmart), a company specializing in satellite analysis for malaria control. By integrating SORA Technology's ground-based data acquisition and operations using drones and AI with Zmart's satellite data and AI analysis technology, the company aims to accelerate the efficiency and global expansion of its malaria control efforts. Background of the Acquisition SORA Technology has been working to advance local breeding site surveys and infectious disease control operations using drones and AI. To grasp risks over wider areas and optimize the prioritization of countermeasures, the company believes that combining these efforts with analysis utilizing satellite data and geospatial information is essential. Zmart possesses technology that uses AI to analyze satellite imagery and GIS data to identify high-risk malaria areas and support strategic planning. The development and application of this technology have yielded significant results, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa, demonstrating its practicality and effectiveness: ・Ghana (Obuasi): The introduction of the application improved the accuracy of breeding site detection, reducing the mosquito population by over 60% and significantly lowering control costs.

・São Tomé and Príncipe: In a collaborative project with the government, the mosquito population was reduced by approximately 75%, and the malaria incidence rate decreased by about 52%. The cost per protected person was achieved at 0.44 USD (PPP-based) in urban areas and 1.41 USD (PPP-based) in rural areas.

・Tanzania (Zanzibar): Supported by the Gates Foundation, a project utilizing drones, satellite imagery, and AI to identify mosquito breeding sources and implement larval control is currently underway in partnership with Zmart, Aberystwyth University, and the Zanzibar Malaria Elimination Programme.

Through this acquisition, SORA Technology will integrate its drone-based local operation technology with Zmart's satellite-based wide-area analysis technology to further promote the efficiency and scalability of malaria control measures. 【Overview of the Acquisition】 Target: Zmart Ltd. Representative: Arnon Houri Yafin Business Description: Malaria control platform using AI-based satellite and geospatial data analysis.