Researcher and consultant in the domains of geospatial data, data infrastructures and digital transformation

About Me

I’m a consultant, researcher and capacity-building expert in the domains of geospatial data, data infrastructures and digital transformation. My main field of expertise is related to the governance and policy aspects of geospatial data and data infrastructures.

Career Snapshot

  • 18 years of expertise in consultancy and research, specializing in geospatial data, data infrastructures, and digital transformation
  • Contributed to 35+ projects in international development, research, consultancy, and capacity building
  • Author of over 100 publications, including research papers, reports, book chapters and articles
  • Extensive international experience across 20+ countries in diverse regions
  • PhD in Social Sciences at KU Leuven (Belgium) on the topic ‘Coordination within Spatial Data Infrastructures’
  • Awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship at TU Delft (Netherlands) on the topic ‘Governance of open geospatial data and data infrastructures’
  • Comprehensive experience in designing, implementing, managing, and evaluating international projects, funded by the World Bank, European Union, and other international organizations
  • Expert in capacity building, conducting skills needs assessments, designing courses, and delivering education and training to enhance expertise across various domains.
  • Provided support to various key EU policy initiatives, on geospatial data, open data, digital transformation & space
  • Owner of GEONOTGEO, a recently established consultancy company targetting sustainable development and policy impact through research and capacity building

Expertise

My work centers around (geospatial) data and technologies, data sharing and infrastructures and digital transformation. My in-depth knowledge of governance, institutional frameworks, business and funding models and policies allows me to analyze and evaluate how data are used, managed and shared and provide guidance and recommendations on how to take advantage of data and data infrastructures. Since I strongly believe in the importance of research as a driver of positive change, I aim to ensure that outcomes of my research are not only scientifically rigorous but also socially relevant, ethical, and sustainable. I combine new insights with deep domain expertise to support policy and decision-making processes for government organizations, providing assistance in drafting policy documents, engaging stakeholders, and driving innovation and transformation. I have extensive expertise in assessing the performance and impact of policies, programmes, and projects. As a trainer and expert in capacity building,I have been involved in the full cycle of capacity development —from analysing needs and desiging curricula to preparing learning activities and delivering training to a diverse range of target groups.

Experience

Since 2007, I have been involved in many national and international projects in the domains of space, earth observation and geospatial data, in which I mainly focused on data policies, the governance of (spatial) data infrastructures, the assessment of data policies and infrastructures, business & funding models and the integration of geospatial data in digital government. I provided support to the development and implementation of (geospatial) data infrastructures in many countries in the world, such as Belgium, Mozambique, Peru, Algeria, Morocco, Moldova, Romania, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy. In many of these countries, I contributed to the design and implementation of new business and fundings models and effective data sharing arrangements.

Research & Education

I obtained an MSc degree in Sociology and a MSc degree in the Management of Public Organizations. In 2013 I obtained a PhD-degree on the topic of ‘Coordination in the context of Spatial Data Infrastructures’. In my PhD research I explored how different coordination instruments and mechanisms can be used to coordinate the exchange of, the access to and to use of spatial data. In 2016, I was awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellowship for my research project on the governance of open geospatial data and data infrastructures. I have strong experience in the use of both quantitative and qualitative research methods and tools, including survey research, in-depth interviewing, case study research and statistical data analysis.