Clement Albergel

GDA AID Climate Technical Officer

I am a Climate Applications Scientist working at the ESA Climate Office in the UK. I focus on terrestrial activities under ESA’s Climate program (the Climate Change Initiative, CCI) and I am responsible for the CCI projects related to Soil Moisture, Lakes, Fires, Vegetation Parameters and RECCAP-2 on regional GHGs budget. I am also responsible for the GDA AID Climate Resilience Cluster. My main areas of expertise are in land surface modelling, remote sensing as well as data assimilation. I have a PhD on satellite observations data assimilation in land surface models. Prior to joining ESA, I have held positions in the research departments of ECMWF and Météo-France, developing land surface activities.

Christoph Aubrecht

GDA Programme Coordinator

I manage the #GDA program at ESA. I joined ESA in 2016 and initially served as ESA Representative and Senior Advisor to the WB until 2020, advising the Bank programmatically till end of 2021. Related intergovernmental tasks have included ESA delegation to UN, GEO, CEOS. Furthermore, I have served on the GEF and GPSDD Technical Advisory Groups and on the advisory boards of the Development Data Partnership and the UK FCDO-funded Humanitarian Innovation Hub. Prior to joining ESA, I led the spatial analytics efforts under the World Bank’s CDRP Disaster Resilience initiative. I have lived and worked on 3 continents and have gained cross-disciplinary experience (aside ESA and WB) through positions across academia, public and private as well as intergovernmental institutions including GFDRR, NOAA, EADS-Astrium, Columbia University, and the Austrian Institute of Technology. I have guest lectured on dynamic spatial modeling and Earth Observation at various universities in Europe, North America, and Asia, incl. an appointment as visiting professor in GIScience at University of Vienna in 2018. I have published widely on applied geospatial analytics particularly focusing on risk, environmental and societal issues, including articles in Remote Sensing of Environment, Earth-Science Reviews, and Environment International. I hold Master’s and PhD degrees in geography, integrated GI science and remote sensing (U Vienna, TU Vienna), and certificates in executive leadership and management development and impact communications (Harvard U, Cambridge U).

Philippe Bally

GDA AID Disaster Technical Officer

My name is Philippe Bally and I am a satellite EO specialist working with the European Space Agency (ESA). Graduated from the aerospace engineering Grande Ecole ENSICA, I worked with the French Space Agency (CNES) in Moscow and Paris and with Spot Image in 1996 working on remote sensing projects in Latin America and Asia in the fields of cartography, disaster risk management and security. I joined the ESRIN centre of ESA in 2000 and participate to the satellite Earth Observation (EO) programmes with focus on disaster risk management and international development; I collaborate with the United Nations and Multilateral Development Banks. I am the Agency representative of the Executice Secretariat of the International Charter ‘Space and Major Disasters’, an international collaboration for EO based disaster response.

Zoltan Bartalis

GDA AID Urban, Energy, and FFF Technical Officer

I am an Earth Observation Application Engineer in the Earth Observation Directorate of the European Space Agency (ESA), based in Italy. My work focuses on growing the prospects of satellite Earth Observation (EO) data and applications being used in a coherent and sustainable way in the day-to-day activities of various user groups and organisations. Thematically, I am particularly interested in EO applications for urban development, energy and natural resources, especially in the context of international development. I received a MSc degree in space engineering from Luleå University of Technology (Sweden) and a PhD in satellite remote sensing from Vienna University of Technology (Austria).

Yves Barthelemy

ESA Focal Point at the Asian Development Bank

I am the ESA focal point to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), based in Manila where I support the Global Development Assistance (GDA) program, bringing geospatial technologies into development projects across the ADB region. With over two decades of experience as an international geospatial information specialist, I focus on natural resource management, urban resilience, disaster risk management… Throughout my career, I have collaborated with organizations such as the World Bank, UNEP, UNESCO and various international institutions and companies, leveraging my expertise in geospatial analysis, nature-based solutions, and digital innovation for sustainable development.

Tânia Casal

GDA AID Marine Technical Officer

My name is Tânia Casal, and I am a Campaigns Scientist in the European Space Agency (ESA), in ESTEC, Netherlands since 2010. From the beginning, I have been coordinating campaigns, many in the polar regions for several ESA satellite missions, such as CS-2, SMOS, GOCE, and CIMR as well as the tropics in support of the upcoming BIOMASS mission. I have also been the campaign scientist for several oceanographic campaigns such as the FRM4OceanSatFlux and more recently FRM4CO2Flux as well as campaigns for Earth Explorers Candidates such as SKIM and SEASTAR. I have a Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography and a Masters in Climate.

Mariangela Cataldo

GDA ABC Technical Lead

I am a scientific consultant providing specialised support to the Earth Observation Science, Applications and Climate Department at ESA’s Earth Observation Centre (ESRIN) in Frascati, Italy. My responsibility mainly consists of supporting the technical management of projects within a variety of EO programmes. I am also involved in and coordinating communication and promotion activities, including the preparation of the EO for Green Growth reports and the EO Science for Society website. Prior to working with ESA, I was with a private company providing EO-based information services. I graduated in Physics at the University of Bari.

Alex Chunet

GDA Climate Adaptation & Finance Technical Officer

I am the European Space Agency Representative to the World Bank and I support coordination of collaborative activities under the ESA partnership and the joint Space for International Development Assistance initiative across the World Bank. I previously worked for the World Bank from 2017 to 2020 as a geospatial data scientist and I contributed to the deployment of earth observation techniques and their application and adoption within World Bank operations and analytical pieces. Subsequently I also led the development of the first geospatial strategy of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD). I hold a Master of Science from the London School of Economics, a Masters in Public Management from Sciences Po Paris and I have completed trainings from the MIT, the French Space Agency and EUMETSAT in Data Science and Earth Observation technologies.

Fabio Cian

ESA representative at World Bank

Fabio brings a strong background in aerospace engineering with a specialization in Earth Observation (EO) and holds a PhD in Science and Management of Climate Change. His career includes roles as a research scientist in the Department of Economics at Ca’Foscari University, Venice, and positions at DLR, Columbia University in New York, and most recently over 7 years at the World Bank. There, he focused on developing EO solutions for disaster risk management, crisis and disaster risk finance, and nature-based solutions. This role marks a return to his roots, as Fabio previously spent time at ESRIN as a Stagiaire early in his career.

Michela Corvino

GDA AID Fragility Technical Officer

My name is Michela Corvino, and I am an Earth Observation Security Applications Engineer in the Data Application Division, Science, Applications and Climate Department at ESA, working on defining and implementing innovative actions to expand the uptake and use of EO data, involving stakeholders in environment, natural resources, law enforcement and security domains, and to support EO industries and research centres with their innovation strategies. In previous assignments within EU agency and industry, I worked on security research activities and provision of EO based operational services, such as Copernicus Emergency and Security Services, as well as on SAR and altimetry data processors development.

Piera Di Vito

GDA AID Transport Technical Officer

I work in ESA phi-lab invest Office and I am part of the new Investment in Industrial Innovation (InCubed) team. I previously worked for the ESA Business Applications and Space Solutions Department in the Telecommunications and Integrated Applications Directorate in ESA-ECSAT in the United Kingdom. I hold a Master of Science (MSc) in Telecommunications from the Universita degli Studi di Roma di Tor Vergata.

Katrien Espagnet

GDA Contracts Officer

My name is Katrien and I am a Contracts Officer in the European Space Agency (ESA), based in Italy. I mainly focus on EU and ESA-funded procurement activities in the field of Earth Observation. I have master’s degrees in Law, Economics and International Politics. Prior to joining ESA, I worked for the European Commission.

Patrick Griffiths

GDA APP Technical Officer

My name is Patrick Griffiths, I am an Earth Observation Scientist at the European Space Agency (ESA), based in ESRIN, Italy. My main expertise is in developing analytical methods applied to large EO data volumes and time series in the context of land application domains. At ESA, a good part my work focusses on cloud-based enabling technologies that help abstracting underlying complexities when working with large EO data archives. Some of my activities also involve machine learning and dedicated tools that make working with these methods more efficient. I also continue working on vegetation phenology and biomass in rangeland/grassland ecosystems utilising the synergies offered by the Sentinel missions.

Benjamin Koetz

Head EOP Long-Term Action Section

My name is Benjamin Koetz and I am the head of the Long-Term Action Section in the Earth Observation Directorate of the European Space Agency. The tasks of the Section focus on partnerships co-designed together with international user communities and stakeholders with the goal of long-term and sustainable adoption of Earth Observation (EO) information in operations. These partnerships are based on the development of innovative EO applications in close collaboration with relevant user communities, scientists and EO service providers. In particular, I collected over the last 15+ years extensive experience collaborating with the African EO community and relevant users – I act as focal point for Africa at the Earth Observation Directorate of ESA. As Mission Scientist of the Land Surface Temperature Monitoring (LSTM) mission I prepare one of the proposed Copernicus Expansion missions aiming at improved agricultural management. I received my M.S. degree in Environmental Sciences with a major in Remote Sensing from the University of Trier, Germany and also hold a Ph.D. with a specialization in Earth Observation from the University of Zürich, Switzerland.

Marc Paganini

GDA AID Water Technical Officer

I am a technical officer of the European Space Agency with more than 25 years of experience in Earth Observation satellite missions. My responsibilities are to elaborate, organise and manage novel EO applications and information services, with the objective to provide user communities with reliable, timely and continuous information about the Earth and its environment. My main field of expertise is the exploitation of satellite data for environmental governance and sustainable development. I also represent ESA in a number of multilateral environmental agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Ramsar Conventions on Wetlands as well as the 2030 Agenda on sustainable development.

Fabrizio Pera

GDA Web Administrator

My name is Fabrizio Pera and I have been a full-stack developer based in ESA-ESRIN since 2016. I am contributing to the GDA programme by providing support for the GDA website, focusing also on IT security and personal data protection.

Anika Ruess

Young Graduate Trainee

I joined the Global Development Assistance team as a Young Graduate Trainee with the primary purpose of supporting the Earth Observation (EO) Science, Applications and Climate Department at ESA’s Earth Observation Centre (ESRIN) in Frascati, Italy. In this dynamic role, my focus will be on various cross-cutting initiatives within the programme, including the Fast EO Co-Financing Facility (FFF), the Knowledge Hub (ABC) and the Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E). In 2021, I completed my Master’s thesis in climate science at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. During my tenure there, I specialised in the intricacies of global and regional land carbon uptake modelling, utilising CMIP6 global climate model data as a foundational element. I hold a M.Sc. in Sustainable Resource Management with a major in Environmental Data Analysis from TU Munich, as well as a B.Sc. in Law and Economics, further broadening my knowledge base. Prior to working with ESA, I gained experience in climate, energy, and sustainability consulting, primarily in Switzerland, Germany, and Scandinavia. I collaborated with various industries, assisting them in the development of climate strategies and incorporation of legal sustainability requirements. In 2019, I founded a non-profit organisation, dedicated to facilitating environmental-related capacity building actions in South America.

Frank Martin Seifert

GDA AID Forest Technical Officer

I’m Frank Martin Seifert and have been working for the European Space Agency at ESRIN in Frascati, Italy since 2000 as Earth Observation Application Engineer. With my enthusiasm for Earth observation I’m following mainly science and applications on land from local to global scale, with a specific focus on forests. My current interest lies in the use of remotely sensed data supporting developing countries, for example to measure, report and verify the status of their forests in the framework of REDD+. Related to this I’m ESA’s Lead in the GEO Flagship Global Forest Observation Initiative (GFOI) and a co-chair of the CEOS AFOLU initiative towards the Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement. Climate is close to my heart, where I’m ESA’s designated contact point to UNFCCC and active in our Climate Change Initiative with applications in the cryosphere and for biomass.

Pepita Verbeek

Administrative Assistant

Claudia Vitolo

GDA AID Health Technical Officer

My name is Claudia Vitolo, and I am an Earth Observation Digital Twin Earth Applications Scientist at the European Space Agency (ESA). I leverage digital twin technology to enhance climate policy and decision-making, specializing in environmental modeling and geospatial data analysis with a focus on big data and machine learning. Beyond climate and environmental issues, I explore EO data to address public health risks, particularly the effects of environmental factors on human health. This interdisciplinary approach helps inform effective policies and interventions. Committed to open science and innovation, I strive to make these technologies accessible and impactful, bridging the gap between research and practical applications to foster a resilient and informed society.

James Wheeler

GDA FFF Technical Support

I am a remote sensing engineer for Solenix Italia Srl. offering support for ESA on the GDA FFF project through PLES (EO Platform and Phi Lab Engineering Support Service). I have a background in GIS and Remote Sensing from my MSc (University College Cork) and PhD (University of Leicester), specialising in measuring biophysical parameters from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). I have worked in numerous application domains of optical and SAR remote sensing using traditional statistical and more recent machine learning methods, and my thematic interests include Agriculture, Forest Management, Health and Clean Energy.

Iñigo Alonso Etxebarria

GDA Alumni – Impact Analyst (Intern)

I am Iñigo Alonso Etxebarria, contributing to the impact assessment of the Global Development Assistance (GDA) program and its precursor Earth Observation for Sustainable Development (EO4SD) initiative at the European Space Agency (ESA). My previous professional experience resides in the private sector and NGO context as engineer as well as in a start-up as CFO. My educational background is in engineering, both aerospace (Msc) and industrial (Bsc), and business management/finance (BA). My main objective is to connect space and finance worlds with focus on sustainable development.

Antoine Bavandi

GDA Alumni – World Bank DRFI Assignment at ESA

I am a senior risk finance specialist with the Crisis and Disaster Risk Finance team at The World Bank. In this role, I advise developing countries on designing and implementing disaster risk financing and insurance solutions through analytical work and policy dialogue. Key activities include developing customized financial products with Ministries of Finance to strenghten financial resilience to climate, crisis and disaster risks. As a catastrophe risk modeling and management expert, I have worked at Lloyd’s of London, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty and the European Space Agency. I hold degrees from École Centrale, Imperial College and Stanford University.

Nathalie Boisard

GDA Alumni – Contracts Officer

Stephen Coulson

GDA alumni – former head EOP-SI

Stephen Coulson was head of ESA’s Sustainable Initiatives Office until his retirement in 2021. From 2000 onwards, Stephen was in charge of ESA’s activities to support the development of a wide range of EO-based environmental information products & services for more than 400 public & private sector user organisations (European EO downstream services industry) in preparation of the EU Copernicus programme. Over the last 10 years, Stephen then focused on developing the ESA cooperation with the International Development Banks in order to expand the use of EO-based environmental information into the working practices and financing of development assistance.

Charlotte Fafet

GDA Alumni – Young Graduate Trainee

My name is Charlotte Fafet and I am supporting the overall coordination and implementation of the GDA programme. Before joining ESA in September 2021, I worked on different topics including disaster risk management, climate change adaptation, urban resilience and water-related disasters. I got introduced to Earth Observation through my interest in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and I acquired basic skills in remote-sensing through a self-contained course from Gothenburg University (Sweden), that I did after my Master of Science in Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation from Lund University.

Paolo Manunta

GDA Alumni – ESA Representative at ADB

My name is Paolo, I have more than twenty years of experience in EO (Earth Observation), Web-GIS (Geographic Information System) and SDI (Spatial Data Infrastructure). I am currently promoting the Asian Development Bank’s digital solutions in development to ensure the financial sustainability of capacity building in Developing Member Countries. During the last year I contributed to significant steps toward the integration of Earth Observation, GIS, and Artificial Intelligence for projects notably implemented in Timor-Leste, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, and Indonesia.

Rochelle Schneider

GDA Alumni – AID Health Technical Officer

My name is Rochelle, I am the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Applications Lead for the European Commission’s Destination Earth Initiative at ESA. I develop and disseminate AI for Earth Observation (EO) capabilities to new communities but mainly focused on public health applications. I lead ESA Φ-lab’s projects in the fields of infectious diseases modelling and reconstruction of human exposure to environmental stressors (extreme temperatures and air pollution). I also collaborate with world-leading universities, industrial partners, and NGOs to introduce the benefits of EO satellite products and Digital Twins (DT) technologies to society, unlocking and ensuring a global impact.

Alberto Lorenzo Alonso

GDA AID Disaster consortium lead

I work for Indra, leader of the project of the GDA program devoted to Disaster Resilience. I am graduated in Geography and PhD in Cartography with a thesis devoted to applications of Earth Observation and Digital Elevation Models. I am a remote sensing and geospatial information scientist having worked in the private and public sector (Joint Research Centre, the European Environment Agency among others). I lead projects related to Earth Observation Applications in the domain of environment, security and disaster risk reduction. As Disaster Resilience specialist I led ESA’s project Earth Observation for Sustainable Development Disaster Risk Reduction (EO4SD-DRR), I play an advisory role in the EC’s Copernicus Emergency Management Service Risk and Recovery Mapping, framework contracts 2012-2015, 2015-2018 and 2020-2023 and lead other actions of Indra mainly in developing countries.

Alexander Kreisel

GDA FFF consortium lead

My name is Alexander Kreisel and I work as a Project Manager in the International Development Assistance Department at GeoVille. In this role, I am also involved in two more GDA activities (Water as well as Marine Environment and Blue Economy) and have been leading one consortium of the GDA FFF precursor activity EO Clinic. It is now a pleasure to lead this large consortium of 13 companies over the next three years. My background is in human geography, development assistance, human-environment interactions with a focus on protected areas and GIS applications. I hold a Master’s Degree in Geography from the University of Innsbruck as well as a B.A. in Romance Studies from the University of Freiburg.

Angelo Amodio

GDA Alumni – GDA AID Marine consortium lead

I am Angelo Amodio, the project manager of the GDA AID Marine Environment & Blue Economy activity. I am working as a project manager in the SpaceStream Business Unit of Planetek Italia since 2017, and I have been working in Research & Development in different space domains (EO, GNSS, robotics) for almost 25 years, acquiring skills in Management, System Engineering, Business Development and Communication. Before Planetek Italia, I have been working in companies of the Esri Italia group and ENI group.

Antonello Aiello

GDA AID Marine consortium lead

Antonello, with 12+ years’ expertise in GIS and Earth Observation, holds a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences and a background in Civil and Environmental Engineering. His work spans TIR data for SST, VHSR classification, coastal dynamics, and more. He’s a Senior Technical Specialist at Planetek Italia, contributing to international projects and mentoring students. Antonello also served as an innovation and technical coach at Hackathon Copernicus Editions and is an Expert Member of the Scientific Board at Sapienza University of Rome’s National PhD Program in Earth Observation since November 2022.

Annalaura Di Federico

GDA AID Fragility consortium lead

My name is Annalaura Di Federico and I am an environmental engineer in e-GEOS, an ASI (Italian Space Agency) / Telespazio leading international player in the Earth Observation and Geo-Spatial Information business, jointly coordinated by Leonardo S.p.A and Thales S.A. I work as project manager in several European Program involving the design, development and deployment of emergency and security application. I have a pragmatic approach and I like to work in team. My main achievements in the past few years were related to the smooth transition of prototypal services from RD to operations, such in the case of the disaster management geospatial application. Since 2012 I am managing the Copernicus EMS Rapid Mapping service, that e-GEOS leads as prime contractor for the European Commission. More recently I’ve been tasked by e-GEOS to lead the Consortium awarded by ESA with the Fragility, Conflict and Security cluster contract within the GDA program. So far, the team has succeeded in defining 8 Use Cases with the reference IFIs, that soon will enter into operations. These span across very different fragile context and situation worldwide, such as monitoring population movement through the Afghanistan and Tajikistan frontier, supporting the Emergency Response Locust Program in Africa, identifying indicators to measure the impact of large IDP camps to the local economy in Bangladesh.

Asaf Covo

GDA Impact Communication (CCC) consortium lead

I work as a Communication and Marketing Manager at Evenflow, where I provide strategic advice and leads teams of content creators, digital media experts, creative, production and all aspects of communication campaigns. In this context, I am managing all service provision activities under the impact communication contract and I act as a central point for regular interaction with the ESA GDA programme management team. I draw on diverse perspectives gained from my track record in the private and third sector, including for public affairs and communication agencies serving the EU institutions and NGOs. Prior to this, I had a successful career in worldwide advertising agencies, delivering creative campaigns for global brands. My passion for digital and social impact led me to managing a communication team serving a variety of clients including EUSPA and ECMWF.

Carlos Domenech

GDA AID Climate consortium lead

I am a Senior Manager of Climate Change and Sustainability Services at GMV (Spain) with more than 10 years of experience in management of Earth Observation projects. My main expertise is in the fields of environmental physics, climate services and remote sensing. I received a PhD degree in Environmental Physics, from the University of Valencia, Spain. I held a position as Research Fellow at ESA and worked as scientist at the Institute for Space Sciences in the Free University of Berlin. I joined the GMV’s Division of Remote Sensing and Geospatial Analytics Services in 2016, where I coordinate projects related to natural resource management, environmental safeguards, and climate for the European Commission, ESA, The World Bank, UN Environment Programme, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. I am currently leading the Climate Resilience cluster of the ESA’s GDA AID programme.

Christophe Sannier

GDA AID Urban consortium lead

Dr. Christophe Sannier recently joined GAF AG and brings 30 years’ experience in EO based applications. Initially an academic researcher, he spent the last 17 years in the private sector. His expertise centres on integrating in situ observations and Remote Sensing technologies for land resource monitoring. Holding a PhD from Cranfield University, UK, in strategic vegetation mapping in Africa, he previously worked at IGN FI and SIRS, later part of CLS. Noteworthy contributions include leadership in ESA, FP7, and H2020 projects, especially in Copernicus Land Monitoring. His international work focuses on capacity building, knowledge transfer, and support for programmes such as GEO and more specifically GFOI, and GEOGLAM.

David Taverner

GDA M&E consortium lead

David Taverner is a Senior Director at Caribou Space. David is supporting the Global Development Assistance programme with strategy analysis, Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E), and communications. David has previously supported ESA Earth Observation for Sustainable Development (EO4SD) since 2018 and has led Caribou Space’s role in EO4SD-Urban Development and EO4SD-Forest Management. He recently joined the ESA Human & Robotic Exploration Innovation Board. David supported UK Space Agency International Partnership Programme, using space for development impact in over 40 countries, delivering a range of space solutions for development benefit. David co-founded the Digital Financial Services Innovation Lab, a US$4M fund for emerging market financial technology startups. Previously, David was also a Senior Director at GSMA Mobile for Development working with the development community and the mobile industry to build mobile services to improve lives in developing countries. David started his career as a management consultant in the renewable energy division of Accenture. David has a 1st class BSc in Science and Management from Leeds University.

Eirini Politi

GDA AID Public Health Consortium Lead

My name is Eirini Politi and I am the Project Manager on behalf of the Prime to the GDA AID Public Health activity. I hold a BSc degree in Marine Science (University of Aegean, Greece), a MSc degree in Remote Sensing, Image Processing and Applications (University of Dundee, Scotland), and a Ph.D in Remote Sensing and Limnology (University of Dundee, Scotland). My research interests focus on water quality remote sensing in inland, transitional and coastal waters, and the development of socio-ecological system applications and indices. I use Earth Observation and GIS to combine a wide variety of data sources for my work (satellite, modelled, in-situ, etc.). Having worked in the academic sector (Greece and UK), a national research centre of expertise (Ireland) and the private sector (Switzerland and Germany), my work experience has mainly revolved around project management, communications, R&D and upstream and downstream product and services development.

Elke Krätzschmar

GDA AID Energy consortium lead

I am Elke Krätzschmar, coordinating and being the Project Manager of the Global Development Assistance activity on Clean Energy at IABG Geospatial Solutions. As a graduated engineer in Cartography, I have been working for more than two decades in the field of remote sensing and advanced image analysis, based on (semi)automatic approaches with a focus on machine learning and object-based image analysis. The continuous evolution of geospatial data as well as the related analysis techniques have enabled me to gain extensive insights into various methods of analysis. Within the energy context, I was responsible for the development and implementation of a site-selection approach for microgrids in India and Africa with respect to energy demand assessment and forecasting, as well as the site exploration for the German Renewable Energy sector. I have been leading the group of remote sensing experts of IABG’s Geospatial Department, providing solutions covering various projects and thematic domains by addressing users such as ESA, the European Commission, the Environmental Agency, or the World Bank.

Eva Haas

GDA AID Water consortium lead

I am Eva Haas, originally from Munich, Germany, with Austrian roots and I am a passionate traveller. I am holding a diploma (MSc) degree and a Dr. (PhD) degree in Physical Geography with focus on Earth observation and hydrology. In the past 15 years I have led and managed projects and teams at international institutions such as the European Commission and in the private sector, amongst others ESA CCI Soil Moisture, EO4SD Agriculture and eoWorld projects. I am excited to join the GDA family as project manager of the GDA AID Water activity. My passion for mapping and monitoring aquatic environments and connecting with people was a strong motivation to become Head of Strategic Accounts at EOMAP in 2020, the leading service provider of global satellite-derived aquatic information.

Fabian Enssle

GDA Forest Management consortium lead

I am a remote sensing specialist and forester with more than 13 years professional experience. I am holding a university degree in forest science and a professional qualification as land surveyor. Throughout my studies and work I focused on GIS and remote sensing, using various kinds of remotely sensed data. In the last years I focused on EO applications and algorithm development for tropical dry, humid and temperate forest ecosystems as well on project development & coordination activities. Since 2016 I have been working at GAF AG coordinating the technical developments, production and quality assurance in the Solutions for Sustainable Development & Climate Change Unit. My work is at the interface between stakeholder requirements and in-house technical developments helping to facilitate and translate the user needs into compliant and valuable solutions. I am actively involved in the ESA GDA Urban Sustainability activity and was part of the ESA EO4SD-Forest Management and ESA EO4SD-Urban team. Any inquiry related to the GDA Forest Management activity can be sent to ‘gda-forest@gaf.de’.

Gregor Herda

GDA Alumni – GDA AID Urban consortium lead

I am a Project Task Manager at GAF AG, and coordinate the Global Development Assistance programme’s activity on Urban Sustainability. I am an urban planner with a background in GIS and remote sensing. Before joining GAF AG, I prepared and implemented urban infrastructure projects covering, among others, social housing, urban transport, as well as water supply and sanitation in South and South-East Asia (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank). In addition, I provided policy advice on municipal solid waste management (World Bank HQ and Nigeria Country Office) and affordable housing/resource efficiency in buildings (UN-Habitat HQ and India Country Office). I hold a Master’s degree in Planning and Sustainable Development (University College Cork), a Postgraduate diploma in Public Financial Management (SOAS, University of London), and a MSc in Geographic Information Systems (Ulster University).

Juan Suárez Beltrán

GDA AID Agriculture consortium lead

I am a Senior Manager in Earth Observation, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development Service at GMV. My main expertise is earth observation application in the field of natural resources, agriculture and food security. I am a Geographer from the Autonomous University of Madrid. Early in my professional career I held a position as Research Fellow at the Fire Ecology and Global Change Group of the University of Castilla – La Mancha. I joined the GMV’s Division of Remote Sensing and Geospatial Analytics Services in 2008. As project manager at GMV I got experience in a broad number of topics like sustainable forest management, wildfire modelling and prevention, humanitarian relief, disaster reduction and reconstruction, climate smart agriculture, climate resilience & adaptation. Since 2015 I am fully focused on the implementation of earth observation services in the field of food security and agriculture.

Peter Schauer

GDA Transport and Infrastructure lead

My name is Peter Schauer and I work as a Project Manager and Developer at IABG Geospatial Solutions. I am glad to manage the consortium of the Global Development Assistance activity on Transport and Infrastructure. My background is in GIS and Earth Observation, where I focus on the development of customer solutions and am responsible for R&D activities in our department. As a Geographer I like the cross-domain working. In the last years I put emphasis to introduce AI approaches to EO in our work.

Ravi Kapur

GDA Knowledge Hub (ABC) consortium lead

Ravi Kapur is the Managing Director of Imperative Space, which leads the GDA Knowledge Hub (‘ABC’) activity, plays a supporting role in the GDA M&E activity, and produced the Space for IDA MOOC for GDA/EO4SD. He has overseen numerous knowledge exchange, training and education projects for ESA, including several EO MOOCs (massive open online courses), and supports the ESA Climate Change Initiative (CCI) Knowledge Exchange activity. He has extensive multidisciplinary experience in education, science communication, environmental communications, space sector outreach, media production, data visualisation, public policy and public sector innovation. He has also helped to establish several social impact ventures and charities working in climate change, education and socio-economic development contexts.

Simone Mantovani

GDA APP consortium lead

Simone Mantovani, graduated in Atmospheric Physics from University of Ferrara (2001). He received a fellowship at the National Council of Research in Bologna dealing with the development of microwave cloud radar, then moved to Space sector focussing on cloud-native services. Currently CTO of the MEEO space data infrastructure and head of the ADAM platform, he leads the technical team involved in the development of data access and processing services for Destination Earth, WEkEO and many relevant European initiatives. Passionate about learning by doing and doing while having fun, he’s excited to lead the GDA APP team to support the Global Development Assistance.