ian thomas

Main proponent and team leader of the successful winning Mekong Maps Co Ltd proposal for the first Carbon REDD mapping contract in Laos PDR. Successfully ensured completion of the project as team leader for the consortium including the National University of Laos and the North-South Center of the University of Bern coordinating six field survey staff and providing GIS and Remote Sensing Training to the Laos Forestry Dept.

Prepared a short report and advised the UN on practical steps to improve Integrated Spatial Planning (ISP) within the Government of Laos PDR

Staff Training & Consultancies: Providing forest and land cover map-ping and GIS/ Database training & Integrated Spatial Planning. Pro-vided GIS/Database support to develop National Environmental Guideline in Biomass Removal from Hydropower Reservoirs

Team Leader developing a Land Use Plan for Mondul Kiri Province Cambodia under contract to WWF Cambodia

Local Project Support for ‘Larger Scale EO exploitation Activities in Support of International Development Initiatives - Agriculture and Rural Development’ in Cambodia under the European Space Agency Earth Observation For Sustainable Development (EO4SD) Programme.

Providing remote mapping support and cartographic products of areas in Mali in support of Humanitarian Landmine Clearance/EOD efforts by The Development Initiative Limited (TDI).

Spatial analysis of Zambian Health Facilities Coverage and identification of service gaps based on the "Preliminary Report. The GIS Data was created from the report: "Zambia_HFs_Preliminary Report_(31.07.2017)". Administrative boundaries of Zambia were updated to 2017 using various sources.

Gathering and preparing geospatial & satellite derived data sets to enhance the WWF Water Risk Filter for the Mekong Region using ArcGIS Online and Google Earth Engine.

Put together and coordinated the winning tender effort and will now act as lead GIS/RS Expert. Our consortium is led by University of New South Wales, and partner institution include Mekong Maps Co Ltd, CDE in Laos (University of Bern), Royal University of Agriculture (RUA Cambodia), National University Of Laos (NUOL), Can Tho University (Vietnam), AIT (Thailand) and GMAP (connected to University of Yangon, Myanmar) and both the Chinese Academy of Science and Chinese Academy of Forestry. Project duration is three years and total tender value is above half a million dollars Final product will be a new regional forest cover map covering the GMS and capacity building in our partner institutions. Project is still waiting final green-light from ADB...

Setting up an Opensource Geoserver to deploy large satellite and topographic map layers that will be added to the online map viewer (Wordpress/Javascript/Google Maps API client at: http://www.opendevelopmentcambodia.net/maps/

To support the capacity building process of GIZ LM-RED Program in Laos especially of the two components Decentralized Development Planning and Land Management and Land Registration at the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), the Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment (MoNRE) and as well of the Target Provinces of LM-RED, Luang Namtha, Sayabouri, Attapeu.

Mekong Consultants in collaboration with EcoNet (Helsinki) successfully undertook the mid-term review of the on-going USD$9 million SNGS Orthophoto program for Southern Laos on behalf of the donor, the Government of Finland. Our strong recommendation is to continue the project and cover the rest of the country.

Mekong Maps Co Ltd Team leader for JICA for remote sensing forest change study.

GIS Consultant for the World Wildlife Fund to provide remote sensing support to the NLMA. Support included staff training and creation of 150 scene ALOS high resolution satellite imagery mosaic covering most of Lao PDR. Now continuing to develop land cover and land use products from the imagery

Agriculture and Natural Resources Sector Needs Assessment Support to ADB Project Team, Southern Laos PDR

Consultant under a contract for the Swiss Foundation for Demining (FSD) responsible for establishing the National UXO Database of Lao PDR. Directly responsible for over-seeing and training several GIS staff in Vientiane. Produced atlases and other cartographic products showing all important existing UXO action data and numerous other socio-economic data anlysis products and reports. Completed large regional topographic and imagery mosaics of Laos PDR.

Mapped urban center HIV/AIDS hotspots and health datasets in the Greater Mekong Region for a consortium of NGO’s including PSI, FHI & CARE. Assembled a large collection of regional and national geospatial datasets, satellite and ortho-photography, census and health related information for Cambodia, China (Yunnan & Guangxi provinces), Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand & Vietnam into a single GIS database.

Consultant under a UNDP special service contract responsible for maintaining and updating the National Mine Action Database of Cambodia. Directly responsible for over-seeing and training four staff in Phnom Penh. Produced the first National Mine Action Atlas showing all important existing mine action data and numerous other socio-economic data products and reports. Completed large regional orthophoto mosaics of Cambodia. Previously this position was funded by the Canadian International Development Agency.

Provided cartographic support and training to 250 research scientists based at the research center. Produced an Arcview Management Decision Support System for Fish and Wildlife Service refuge managers. Provided GIS and remote sensing training to Fundaeco, a NGO environmental group in Guatemala. Provided maps and satellite imagery on East Timor to the US State Department. Received an award for creating the best agency geospatial website with over 30,000 maps online. Helped produce several very large continental scale geospatial data mosaics. Representative to a Federal interagency working group that provided GIS support and data during various disasters including Hurricane Mitch in Guatemala. Provided support to a Federal aircraft crash investigation team on several occasions.

Consultant for Danish Demining Group providing support to GIS and database management for Mine Action activities (Mine risk education, victim assistance and non-technical survey) conducted in Myanmar.

Remote Sensing Specialist supporting an ADB feasibility study for "Weather Indexed Crop Insurance " in Cambodia.

Responsible for the design of a Drought Warning System for Kampong Speu Province under the “Building Disaster Resilient Communities in Cambodia IV” (BDRC IV) project”, financed by European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO). The implementation period is June 2017 - November 2018.

Desktop based UXO & Landmine Risk analysis for rural electrification and water supply sub-projects under the DFAT funded i3 Development Program.

In charge of collecting and compiling relevant data sets. Project is supported by a USAID grant thru Mekong SERVIR.

World Bank Project "Establishing a new cadastral system for the Laos Department of Mines and Department of Geology & Mapping" in Vientiane using the Flexicadstre system developed by www,spatialdimension.com

Researching methodologies for producing new drought hazard, vulnerability and risk maps for the Mekong region.Gathering and analyzing a multi-year regional database of socioeconomic data (Thai NRD2C village census, Cambodian Commune Database, Laos Agriculture Census) and satellite derived monthly precipitation (TRMM) and NDVI (Modis).

To produce a brief annotated list of new technological options becoming available for assessing forest status and monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) that be adapted for the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex.

Providing methodological recommendations for the design of the remote sensing component for a national forest monitoring system for Cambodian REDD+ activities;

Successfully conducted a two week long advanced supervisors training course covering ESRI Production Mapping software for 16 students from the GIS Unit of the National Survey Department. The training was given as part of the final stages of a FINNMAP/PASCO $25 million GIS and Orthophotography project.

Evaluated ADB’s cartography services, assessing the Bank’s overall requirements for cartography, remote sensing, GIS and geospatial data, and providing a detailed gap analysis report with recommenda-tions. Mission was coordination with the Director, Office of Insti-tutional Services and members of the Logistics Management Unit at ADB headquarters, and consulted with other key institutional stake-holders including, the Regional and Sustainable Development, the Department of External Relations, the Office of the Secretary, the Information Services Unit and Regional Departments, to assess all existing remote sensing, GIS and geospatial data and applications being utilized at ADB.

Processed in two weeks several hundred high resolution satellite scenes (Geoeye, Ikonos, Worldview) provided by the US State Department for the purposes of supporting humanitarian demining.

Team leader for regional project funded by a Google Foundation geo-grant to prepare GIS datasets and database to provide very large regional geospatial imagery mosaics and GIS data for Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam straight over the internet into Google Earth in order to support humanitarian demining efforts.

Team Leader Mekong Maps: Providing forest and landcover mapping and GIS Remote Sensing training.

GIS/Database Consultant collecting and analyzing socio-economic (health, poverty and vulnerability) data for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Viet Nam, Indonesia, Timor Leste, Philippines and North Korea (DPRK).

Helped evaluate national forestry planation projects in Lao PDR and Vietnam, multiple field visits includingteam leader for social and poverty impact field survey in Lao PDR

Mapped water shed boundaries for the Global Fresh Water Eco-regions project. Compiled a global GIS database of current and future mining industry Conducted an intensive high profile media campaign, with frequent national and international press interviews to inform the public of the threat posed to biodiversity by plans to allow oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Extensive GIS hydrological modelling on non-point source pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. GIS & remote sensing trainer for the ESRI Conservation Technology Support Program. Established a GIS and remote sensing facility and provided intensive three month GIS training in Guyana for the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

Overall responsibility in this large project including, on a daily basis, the design and operations of all the many aspects required to conduct a national forest inventory in very difficult terrain including responsibilities for all spatial mapping and database activities, formulation of the necessary forestry information standards, tendering and procurement of satellite imagery, coordination and training of staff. Very actively involved in supporting the Government of Nepal’s preparations for REDD+ and Nepal’s commitments especially those under World Bank & GEO FCT. Very actively developing new GIS and Remote Sensing techniques for forestry and biomass measurement using the full range of the latest imagery including Lidar data and software technologies. FRA Nepal continues to conduct a five year National Forest Inventory of the country.

Served as the Joint Geocell's system administrator and lead technical cartographer. Produced 3D visualization of the border area using SPOT satellite imagery and digital elevation data which was then used to locate sites for the construction for new border posts within line-of-sight of each other. Successfully installed ArcIMS for an internal geospatial server. Provided support and established good working relationships with demining agencies, Eritrean national institutions, the staff of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) and staff at many of the other field offices of UN agencies based in Asmara.

Teaching undergraduate ArcGIS & QGIS course.

Providing remote mapping support and cartographic products of areas of NE Nigeria affected by Boko Haram activities in support of humanitarian demining efforts by Danish Demining Group.

Here Be Dragons!"​ If you need a topographic map of a remote place or analysis done of Satellite & GIS Data please ask me. I have full global coverage of similar national mosaics ready for download and many other GIS datasets. Please contact me for all your mapping needs ! The online Facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/TheCuriousMapShop

Consultant for Winrock / LEAF "Lowering Emission in Asian Forests" http://www.leafasia.org Project supported by USAID and the FAO Study of Drivers of Deforestation . Prepared the Laos PDR national country report assessing both negative drivers of deforestation and forest degradation and positive drivers of sustainable forest management, forest conservation, afforestation and reforestation; presented the results at a regional workshop.

* ADB Project "Climate Resilience under the Provincial Road Improvement Project". * Project has four target provinces: Kompong Speu, Kompong Chnnang, Prey Veng & Svay Rieng * ADB Loan 2839-CAM (SF) / 8254-CAM and Grant 0278-CAM

The mission was organized based on the invitation from Government of Myanmar. The purpose of the mission was to advise the Government of Myanmar and the Relief and Resettlement Department (RRD) of the Ministry of Social Welfare in particular regarding how to enhance their capacity to use space-based information in all phases of the disaster management cycle, aiming also at being better prepared for the 2012 cyclone season.

Various short consultanies for GIS & remote sensing support to gold mining and oil exploration companies in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam Specializing in the delivery of UXO risk analysis, geological data, imagery, LIDAR elevation, hydrological and environmental GIS modelling and UXO risk analysis to mining companies in SE Asia. including Oxiana, Southern Gold, Greater Australian Resources, Salamander, Liberty & Euromax. Completed a hydrology stream model of Sepon Gold Mine for Oxiana LXML used for flood risk assessment.

The Cambodia Community Based Adaptation Programme (CCBAP), funded by Sweden has the overall objective of improving community based adaptation and climate resilience in vulnerable communities in flood/drought prone provinces of Cambodia. The CCBAP will end on 31 March 2015 with a total budget of US$5 million and completed a total of separate projects. The purpose of the impact assessment is to help evaluate programme achievement, and to draw "lessons learnt" on i) water resource management, (ii} resilience agriculture techniques; (iii} livelihood improvements; and (iv) capacity building on climate change to community through qualitative and quantitative data analysis.

A GIS and Remote Sensing Company that has in the past been mapping for various distinguished clients in Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia. Specializing in GIS and satellite data collection & processing forestry/REDD mapping projects and landmine/UXO cartographic support.

Technical Adviser Drought Management Programme, Mapped the failure of rice crop cross the Greater Mekong Subregion during the 2015-2016 Regional Drought Disaster using Sentinel-1A Satellite imagery and Google Earth Engine. Established a partnership with NASA JPL and Mekong-SERVIR to bring the NASA developed RHEAS climate tool to the Mekong region. Ran the "Mekong Drought Information Portal" on Facebook and gave frequent press interviews to enhance public understanding of the drought crisis.

Activities and Societies: Teaching Assistant, Undergrad Environmental Chemisty

Bachelors in Civil Engineering