We build it ourselves
From sensor firmware to servers and front ends, one team builds the whole stack. Fewer outside dependencies means fewer surprises.
NewSecret Pigeon: learn LoRaWAN on a five-minute flight over Basel
Software & data engineering · Basel
Independent software, built on open standards.
We build the whole stack ourselves, from device firmware to dashboards, so your platform runs on infrastructure you control rather than on a patchwork of third-party services. Open standards and documented APIs keep it connected to the systems you already use, from industrial sensor networks to multi-terabyte research archives.
- Self-hosted & on-premise
- Open standards & APIs
- Industrial IoT
- Big data platforms
- Geospatial & GIS
- Local AI & ML
How we build
Independent, not isolated.
We build as much as we can ourselves and keep dependencies few and deliberate, so your system runs on infrastructure you control. At the same time, everything we build speaks open standards, so it connects cleanly to the tools and partners you already work with.
Runs on your infrastructure
On-premise servers, a private cloud or a hosting provider of your choice. No mandatory third-party SaaS in the data path.
Works offline
Local-first apps and private radio networks keep working when the internet doesn't, and sync when it's back.
Open by default
Open protocols and formats such as LoRaWAN, GeoJSON and CSV, with documented REST APIs, so other systems can read, write and integrate.
Integrates with what you have
We connect your existing business systems, identity providers and analytics tools, and third-party devices or data sources where they add value.
No lock-in
Open-source foundations, data export in open formats and full documentation, so you can run, extend or move your system without us.
This website practises what we preach: no cookies, trackers, third-party scripts or fonts.
Services
From strategy to production, with one accountable team.
We advise where you need clarity, build where you need capacity, and run what we deliver on infrastructure you control.
Technology strategy & architecture
Independent advice before you commit budget. We assess where you stand and design a path that fits your team, timeline and constraints.
- Architecture and code reviews
- Dependency and lock-in audits, with exit plans from third-party SaaS
- Roadmaps your team can execute
Platforms & web applications
Portals, dashboards and multi-user platforms with clear roles and clean data, deployable on your own servers and connected to your existing systems through open APIs.
- Multi-tenant platforms with role-based access
- Local-first apps that work offline and sync later
- Websites with technical SEO and no third-party trackers
IoT & industrial data
From custom sensors to the dashboard, without relying on public networks or third-party IoT clouds. We turn physical signals into alarms and decisions.
- Custom hardware, firmware and private LoRaWAN networks
- Time-series storage and long-term archiving
- Configurable alarms and live monitoring
Big data & geospatial platforms
We make large spatial, scientific and sensor datasets usable: ingested, processed at scale and shared in tools your teams actually use.
- Research data infrastructure at 150+ TB scale
- Scalable pipelines for raster, vector and time-series data
- Self-hosted maps, layers and shared workspaces, no external map APIs required
Local AI & machine learning
AI where it pays off, running where your data lives: models built into your processes, on your own hardware when data is sensitive.
- Anomaly detection on sensor and operational data
- ML pipelines and MLOps from prototype to production
- Self-hosted language models, so data never leaves your infrastructure
Self-hosted infrastructure & operations
On-premise, private cloud or a hosting provider you choose: we run what we build, or harden what you already run, with infrastructure as code.
- Kubernetes and Terraform on infrastructure you choose
- Air-gapped and offline deployments
- Self-hosted monitoring, backups and updates
Architecture
From sensor to decision, on infrastructure you control.
We build every hop ourselves: firmware on the device, a private radio network, ingestion, storage and analytics on your own servers, and the dashboards people use. Open APIs at every step connect the rest of your systems.
Colomba is Italian for dove. Ours carry the packets.
Play
Fly a LoRaWAN packet across Basel.
Secret Pigeon is a five-minute browser game. You are Agent Coo, a carrier pigeon with a radio, flying over a 3D Basel built from open data: swisstopo's model of every building and its aerial photo, the canton's register of trees, and trams running to the real weekday timetable.
Level by level, you put together a working LoRaWAN network: wrap a message in its headers, place the gateways and servers, complete the join handshake, trade spreading factors against the duty cycle and seal an encrypted frame. Or simply tour the city, today or as it stood in 1615.
Free in your browser, on a computer or a phone. No sign-up, no tracking.
Selected work
Platforms we have designed, built and operate.
A selection of client and product work, described by the problems we solved and the capabilities involved.
Challenge
Production sites needed continuous temperature and humidity monitoring with reliable alarms. They had to get it without running cables, managing devices themselves or keeping a technician on hand for upkeep.
What we built
- Custom battery-powered wireless sensors, designed from component selection to firmware, that run five years or more without recharging
- A private, isolated LoRaWAN network, set up and managed for each site
- Off-the-shelf LoRaWAN sensors integrated alongside our own: CO₂ and air quality, water leaks, desk occupancy, sound level, people counting and current clamps for energy monitoring
- A platform running on infrastructure we operate ourselves, with live dashboards, multi-state alarms, per-project user roles and long-term data archiving
- Open interfaces to third-party devices, applications and visualisation tools
- Delivered as a subscription, including on-site evaluation, installation and maintenance
- Battery voltage
- External RH
- Internal RH
- Internal temperature
- Air temperature
- PT100 probe
- RSSI
- SNR
- Relative humidity
- Temperature
Challenge
Teams making spatial decisions worked across scattered files, map tools and message threads. Nobody had a single view of the evidence, the discussion or how either had changed over time.
What we built
- Real-time, multi-user map rooms with presence, invitations and view/edit permissions
- Import of GeoJSON, GeoPackage, Shapefile and GeoTIFF, with server-side tile pyramids and band, stretch and colour-map controls for rasters
- Markers, drawings and threaded comments with @mentions that can be filtered and resolved
- Full change history and offline editing through conflict-free (CRDT) synchronisation
- Packaged as containers (Docker), so it can be deployed on your own servers
- A presentation mode that turns curated map views into a guided story, plus public sharing, in four languages
Industries
Where we bring the most experience.
- Manufacturing & industryCondition monitoring, alarms and production data.
- Environment, climate & researchRemote sensing, field data and research data platforms.
- Public sector & planningSovereign, self-hosted platforms for planning and coordination.
- Healthcare & life sciencesAnalysis pipelines that keep sensitive data in-house, plus practice websites.
- Start-ups & SMEsMVPs, platforms and a digital presence that can grow.
Approach
No black box, no surprises.
We work in short, focused cycles. You see results early, stay in control and steer the direction at every step.
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01
Discovery & assessment
2–4 weeksWe clarify goals, users and constraints, review what already exists and identify the most valuable first step.
→ Clear goals, priorities and a decision-ready plan
-
02
First release
2–4 weeksWe build the most important functionality and put a first usable version in front of real users.
→ A working product you can test
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03
Iterate
1–3-week sprintsWe extend the product in short increments. After each one, we decide together what comes next.
→ Steady progress and full transparency
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04
Operate & evolve
OngoingWe monitor, maintain and improve the product, or hand operations over to your team with full documentation. Your choice.
→ Stable operations, no lock-in
Why Colomba
Engineers who stay accountable.
Colomba is an engineering consultancy based in Basel. Our team combines product engineering with a research background in data science, geospatial analysis and life-science software, so we are at home where data is big, messy and the stakes are real.
Our team includes people who build and configure devices, deploy IoT installations in the field, set up servers and cloud infrastructure, and develop front-end applications. The people who design your architecture are the ones who build it, ship it and keep it running.
End-to-end ownership
From sensor firmware and cloud infrastructure to the interface your users see: one team and one point of accountability.
Built to be maintained
Clear architecture, readable code and automated deployments keep change affordable long after launch.
Integration first
We connect new systems cleanly to what you already run, so data flows instead of being copied by hand.
Pragmatic delivery
Short cycles and early results. You see working software within weeks, not months.
Let's discuss your project.
Tell us about your goals and constraints. We'll come back promptly with a concrete proposal, including where and how it will run.