How do you personally and professionally relate to water and/or space technologies?

Space has always been something mysterious and fascinating since childhood. I covered aspects of space technologies and water management in my courses in my bachelor’s degree in Geography as well as in my master’s degree in Cartography and Geoinformation. However, my hands-on experience with both subjects truly began with my internship at UNOOSA.

Can you briefly tell us about your current position as UNOOSA intern and student of Cartography and Geoinformation at the University of Vienna? How do the two relate and what did you learn that you would like to consider for your future career?

As a Space4Water intern at UNOOSA, I got to engage with the topics of space technologies and water management every day. My assignments ranged from adding content to the Space4Water portal to writing and editing short articles as well as translating them from English to Russian. The stakeholder meeting that took place in May 2025 was one of the most rewarding experiences of the internship. Partly due to the intense preparation that went into it, but even more so because of the chance of seeing experts in the fields of space technologies and water management, professionals and young professionals, collaborating on pressing water-related issues.

As a master’s student in Cartography and Geoinformation at the University of Vienna, my studies revolve around topics related to geographic information systems (GIS). I attended courses on photogrammetry, spatial data science, programming, multimedia technology, applied image processing and remote sensing.

Essentially, the internship and my studies relate in the topics they cover. By applying what I learned at university in the “real world”, I feel I have deepened my knowledge, and I now better understand how my work can make a difference. Through this internship, I learned some of the step-by-step approaches to addressing water-related issues with space-based solutions in a team. I am now better informed on how space technologies can help, for example, in wetland monitoring in Nigeria and in identifying potential groundwater locations in Bahrain. I will undoubtedly be applying my new knowledge on space technologies in my future career.

During your internship, you have engaged quite closely with the Space4Water community of practice. Could you share information on one water-related challenge and solution in development that you find especially meaningful?

The water-related challenge and its corresponding space-based solution that I have been contributing to, is one that I would like to highlight. This water-related challenge focuses on monitoring land cover changes in hydrographic basins in Venezuela, especially those leading to loss of vegetation cover and changes in water bodies. The proposed space-based solution involves applying satellite imagery analysis to detect the land cover changes and to subsequently suggest possible causes based on the results. The solution would help minimise adverse effects on the water reservoirs and inform competent authorities on improved water management.

You’ve written and translated several articles on the integration of space technology and water management for the Space4Water Portal. What do you think is the biggest challenge for the general public to understand these topics?

Foremost, I believe it would be the technical terms used in the articles that could be overwhelming to some readers. However, for this purpose, the Space4Water portal has a glossary, which can be referred to for definitions. It may also be difficult to understand the discussed concepts and processes at first, but the articles should do well to explain these. On a broader scale, the general public may at first not be aware of the wide range of applications of space technologies. The articles serve to inform on these topics and present concrete use cases of space technologies for water management around the world.

With your background in cartography and geoinformation, where do you see the greatest potential for GIS to help address real-world challenges, especially climate change or water-related issues?

To address pressing problems like climate change and water-related issues, GIS is used as a tool for data analysis and visualisation. With the results obtained through GIS, decision-makers can assess the situation and make informed decisions on the next steps.

I would argue that the greatest potential of GIS is its many applications, including interdisciplinary crossovers such as with remote sensing. In the context of climate change and water-related issues, for instance, GIS is employed for the monitoring of changes such as glacier retreat and greenhouse gas emissions. It is also used for modelling climate change scenarios and hydrological modelling. Furthermore, GIS is applied in risk assessment and management of weather-related disasters like droughts and floods, to name a few.

You’ve used GIS tools like ArcGIS Pro, QGIS and Feature Manipulation Engine (FME). What are the specific advantages of each tool?

ArcGIS Pro from Esri is arguably the leading GIS software, but QGIS, the free alternative, does not lag far behind. Both are used to process data, such as satellite imagery, to perform geoprocessing and to visualise the results typically on a map. For example, for the space-based solution that I am helping with, I am using QGIS for land cover change detection, specifically with the Semi-Automatic Classification (SCP) plugin. The plugin allows the user to compare two raster files with land cover classifications from different years and to identify the changes from one land cover class to another over time. Otherwise, ArcGIS Pro offers the Hydrology toolset, which is used to model water flow such as based on a digital elevation model (DEM). QGIS offers multiple plugins that can be applied for modelling the water network, among other things. Moreover, the Feature Manipulation Engine (FME) is used to automate workflows, often for data processing and transformation. FME can be combined with other tools for water management.

How do you best approach designing a map for public understanding versus for expert users?

One of the main principles of mapping is that the resulting map should be straightforward enough for the audience to grasp what is visualised on it within a few seconds. Independent of the target audience, the map should always carry a legend and should convey meaningful geographic information. In terms of the target audience and required level of expertise to read a map, whether the map is for public understanding or for expert users, the difference would depend on the topic that the map addresses. Both the content of the map and the target audience determine how technical and specific the visualisation should get. For example, a park map, showing the facilities that can be found in the green space would be directed at the general public, while a nautical chart with information on the seafloor and shoreline is for expert users, specifically mariners.

Your master’s thesis explores the intersection between literature and map visualisation. Would you briefly explain how these two forms connect in your work?

My master’s thesis explores how storytelling techniques can be applied in web mapping applications. This means that elements that one would typically find in literature such as the three-act narrative structure with a setup, confrontation and resolution, or a hook that captures the reader’s attention from the onset can be used in a web mapping application with text, images and maps. This so-called story map can be designed in an innovative and engaging way to relate a narrative involving geospatial information. A particularly well-made example is called “Sustaining Access to Clean Water”. This story map is by the World Vision Water Team and discusses the topics of water security and Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

What advice would you give to young professionals interested in this field?

Being a young professional myself, it is difficult to determine the best advice at the moment. From my experience so far, I would argue to say “yes” to assignments, which may seem out of your capacity at first. With every new project that is demanding, you will learn new skills and knowledge that can be applied in the future, and you will also find out if you would like to work on this topic and in that field onwards.

What do you need to innovate?

To innovate, one needs to be creative and ready to commit to lifelong learning.

What is your favourite aggregate state of water?

My favourite aggregate state of water is liquid because it is essential to human life.