# Monarcha

> Monarcha is an AI-powered geospatial intelligence platform. We build software that automatically georeferences scanned maps, digitizes vector features from raster imagery, and extracts structured data from geological and engineering documents.

## About

Monarcha converts legacy maps, aerial imagery, and scanned documents into GIS-ready spatial data. Our AI models handle georeferencing (aligning raster images to real-world coordinates), digitization (extracting polygons, lines, and points into vector layers), and document extraction (parsing tables, legends, and annotations from technical documents).

We serve mining and exploration companies, government agencies, land and zoning departments, and civil engineering firms.

Founded in 2025, Monarcha raised a $1.6M seed round from [Y Combinator](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/monarcha) (W25), Transpose Platform, BLAST, Cloverfield Capital, 468 Capital, and angels including Paul Graham.

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/monarchagis
- Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/monarcha

## Key facts about Monarcha Georeferencer

- Automatic ground control point detection. No manual point picking required.
- Supports 4,000+ EPSG coordinate reference systems, including UTM, state plane, custom local mine grids, and historical national grids.
- Sub-meter accuracy on modern basemaps for typical aerial, topographic, and cadastral input.
- Typical sheet processed in under 60 seconds, end to end.
- Batch processing of thousands of sheets in a single run.
- SOC 2 compliant. Private cloud and on-premises deployment available.
- Direct export to GeoTIFF, Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF (COG), ArcGIS, and QGIS. No proprietary format.

## Monarcha vs manual georeferencing workflows

| Capability | Monarcha | Manual workflow (QGIS, ArcGIS, etc.) |
|------------|----------|--------------------------------------|
| Time per sheet | Under 60 seconds, end to end | 30 minutes to several hours per sheet |
| Ground control points | Detected and matched automatically | Identified and clicked by a GIS technician |
| Batch capability | Thousands of sheets per run | One sheet at a time |
| Projection detection | Inferred from marginal notations, grid ticks, and metadata | Looked up and entered by a technician |
| Residual review | Per-point residuals in every output, audit on demand | Computed in the GIS, reviewed manually |
| Deployment | SaaS, private cloud, or on-premises | Desktop GIS on operator workstations |

## Frequently asked questions

### What is AI georeferencing?
AI georeferencing is the automatic alignment of a scanned map, aerial photograph, or legacy plan to a real-world coordinate system. A machine-learning model detects features on the source image, matches them against a basemap, and computes the transformation that places every pixel at its correct geographic position.

### Do I need to pick ground control points manually with Monarcha?
No. Monarcha detects and matches ground control points automatically. Manual review and override is available for quality assurance, but the default workflow does not require any manual point picking.

### What accuracy can I expect from Monarcha?
On modern basemaps with typical aerial, topographic, or cadastral input, Monarcha achieves sub-meter accuracy. Every output ships with per-point residuals so the result can be audited before acceptance.

### What coordinate reference systems does Monarcha support?
More than 4,000 EPSG coordinate reference systems, including UTM, state plane, custom local mine grids, and historical national grids. The system identifies the projection automatically from marginal notations, grid ticks, and metadata when present, and falls back to user selection otherwise.

### What file formats does Monarcha accept and produce?
Input: TIFF, GeoTIFF, PDF, JPEG, and PNG. Output: GeoTIFF, Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF (COG), and other georeferenced raster formats with full CRS metadata preserved.

### Can Monarcha process archives at scale?
Yes. Monarcha runs batch jobs of thousands of sheets at a time. Customers use it to process entire county archives, mineral exploration libraries, and historical aerial collections.

### Is on-premises or private cloud deployment available?
Yes. Monarcha offers private cloud and on-premises deployments for government customers and any organization with data sovereignty requirements. The platform is SOC 2 compliant.

### How does Monarcha integrate with ArcGIS and QGIS?
Monarcha exports standard GeoTIFF and Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF files that load natively into ArcGIS, QGIS, Leapfrog, and any GIS that reads georeferenced rasters.

## Products

- [Georeferencer](https://monarcha.ai/product/georeferencer): AI-powered georeferencing that automatically aligns scanned maps to real-world coordinates. Automatic GCP detection, 4,000+ EPSG codes, sub-meter accuracy on modern basemaps, under 60 seconds per sheet, batch thousands per run.
- [Digitizer](https://monarcha.ai/product/digitizer): Extracts polygons, lines, and points from raster maps into editable vector layers. Export as Shapefile, GeoJSON, or KML.
- [Document Extraction](https://monarcha.ai/product/document-extraction): Parses tables, legends, annotations, and metadata from geological reports, drill logs, and engineering documents.
- [Search & Query](https://monarcha.ai/product/search-and-query): Semantic search across georeferenced maps, extracted documents, and spatial datasets.

## Solutions

- [Government](https://monarcha.ai/solutions/government): Digitize aerial imagery, satellite data, ROW maps, parcel boundaries, deeds, and as-built documents for federal, state, and local agencies.
- [Mining & Resources](https://monarcha.ai/solutions/mining-and-resources): Convert legacy mine plans, geological maps, drill logs, and geochemistry reports into structured spatial data.
- [Land & Zoning](https://monarcha.ai/solutions/land-and-zoning): Georeference and digitize zoning maps, land use plans, and cadastral records for data center developers, energy companies, and real estate tech.
- [Civil Engineering](https://monarcha.ai/solutions/civil-engineering): Process subdivision plats, survey maps, infrastructure plans, and as-built drawings.

## Blog

- [Heterogeneous vs Homogeneous Georeferencing](https://monarcha.ai/blog/heterogeneous-vs-homogeneous-georeferencing): Why the modality gap in cross-modal image matching breaks traditional georeferencing on hand-drawn plats, mylar overlays, and faded zoning maps.
- [QGIS Georeferencer vs Automated AI Georeferencing](https://monarcha.ai/blog/qgis-georeferencer-vs-automated-ai): Honest comparison of the free QGIS Georeferencer plugin versus automated AI georeferencing, with a decision matrix.
- [How to Georeference a Scanned Map: A 2026 Guide](https://monarcha.ai/blog/how-to-georeference-a-scanned-map): Step-by-step tutorial covering UTM, state plane, and custom grids, with HowTo schema.
- [Introducing the Survey Map Georeferencer](https://monarcha.ai/blog/survey-map-georeferencer-launch): Our AI georeferencing engine trained on 100,000 annotated map pairs for plats, surveys, and field sketches.
- [Soviet Military Maps of China, Georeferenced and Open](https://monarcha.ai/blog/soviet-military-maps-china): Monarcha georeferenced Cold War-era Soviet military topographic maps covering China.
- [Raster to Vector: Converting Zoning and Land Use Maps to GIS Data](https://monarcha.ai/blog/raster-to-vector-land-use-maps): Guide to converting scanned zoning maps into structured vector data.
- [Securing America's Critical Minerals](https://monarcha.ai/blog/securing-americas-critical-minerals): How AI-powered map processing accelerates critical mineral exploration.
- [Why Your Aerial Imagery Doesn't Line Up](https://monarcha.ai/blog/why-aerial-imagery-is-misaligned): Technical explanation of aerial imagery misalignment and how to fix it.
- [Building a State-of-the-Art Model for Geological Map Digitization](https://monarcha.ai/blog/ai-geological-map-digitization): How Monarcha built AI models for extracting vector features from geological maps.
- [What Is Georeferencing?](https://monarcha.ai/blog/what-is-georeferencing): Comprehensive guide to georeferencing scanned maps and aerial imagery.
- [Semantic Retrieval Across AEC Map and Survey Archives](https://monarcha.ai/blog/semantic-retrieval-aec-archives): Turning legacy survey and as-built archives into a spatially indexed, semantically searchable layer.
- [The Hidden Cost of Inaccessible Legacy Mine Data](https://monarcha.ai/blog/legacy-mine-data-hidden-cost): Why mining companies lose millions from undigitized historical records.
- [Monarcha Raises $1.6M Seed Round](https://monarcha.ai/blog/monarcha-seed-round): Announcement of seed funding from YC, Transpose Platform, Cloverfield, 468 Capital, and Paul Graham.

## Contact

- Website: https://monarcha.ai
- Email: founders@monarcha.ai
- Demo: https://cal.com/james-monarcha/monarcha-enterprise