Ivan Palmegiani

Ivan Palmegiani

Environmental Data Analyst and Consultant

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About Me

With a strong background in land ecosystems, I bring a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to the field of environmental analysis. My proficiency in spatial and quantitative data analysis, as well as my expertise in remote sensing, allow me to design and carry out precise data analysis projects.

This combination of theoretical understanding and practical experience make me a valuable addition to any team striving to comprehend ecological dynamics and sustainably manage natural resources. It's important to note that I am committed to only supporting projects and working with clients who have a positive impact on the environment and society, aligning with my values and principles.

General Information

Email
ivan.palmegiani@gmail.com
Location
Berlin, Germany
Languages
English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German

Technical and Organizational Skills

QGIS
Advanced
Python for Geospatial Analysis
Advanced
R Spatial, Stats and Visualization
Advanced
Database Management in PostgreSQL-PostGIS
Intermediate
Remote Sensing in Google Earth Engine
Intermediate
Linux Bash & CLI Tools
Intermediate
Containerization in Docker
Just Enough
Self-Motivation
Jedi
Physical & Mental Organization
Excellent
Problem Solving
Excellent
Communication
Very good
Prioritization
Very Good
Planning
Very Good
Teamwork
Very good

Work Experience

Land Use Consultant at Climate Focus
Full-time, Berlin, Jul. 2022 - present
As an expert ecologist, I work at the intersection of science and policy, conducting research and advisory projects in the fields of sustainable land use, Nature-based Solutions (NbS), ecosystem restoration, sustainable agriculture, and environmental finance. My aim is to bring a holistic perspective to these crucial areas, leveraging my expertise and experience to drive positive change.
Geospatial Data Consultant at WWF Water Risk Filter
Contract, Home-based, Feb. 2021 - present
Reviewed methodologies for corporate water risks assessment and scenarios analysis in close cooperation with the technical project manager | Designed data visualizations and maps of global water risks for efficient data communication in stakeholder engagement | Established automation workflows for data analysis and for data reporting | Developed a R package with over 70 exported functions necessary to generate Risk Assessment and Scenarios Analysis reports

Tech stack: R Spatial, Tidyverse, R-Plotly, OfficeR, RStudio, MS Office, Conda, Git & GitHub
Data Analytic Consultant at UNCCD
Contract, Home-based, Jan. 2022 - May 2022
Development of an analytical framework for the synthesis of data gathered within the CRIC 21 reporting process | Prototyping data visualizations for the CRIC synthesis documents | Cooperation with internal and external stakeholders at the development of a relational database for the effective storage and querying of reporting data

Tech stack: Python, Jupyter, PostgreSQL-PostGIS, R Tidyverse, RStudio, Docker, Conda, Git & GitHub
Geospatial Data Consultant at WWF Sweden
Contract, Home-based, Jul. 2021 - Feb. 2022
Analysed data to estimate corporate water risks at site level | Generated data visualizations such as charts and maps | Produced reports and slide-shows presentations in accordance with WWF Water Risk Filter reporting process and standards

Tech stack: R Spatial, Tidyverse, R-Plotly, OfficeR, RStudio, MS Office, Conda, Git & GitHub
Research Fellow at PlanAdapt Climate Co-Adaptation Lab
Fellowship, Home-based, Apr. 2021 - Jun. 2022
Proposal development with focus on GIS and Earth Observation technologies for the design of Nature-Based Solutions.
Geospatial Data Scientist at SmartCloudFarming GmbH
Contract, Home-based, Mar. 2020 - Jan. 2021
Coordinated a small team of data professionals in a production context, i.e. research and development. Developed a minimum viable product (MVP) for soil moisture monitoring from Earth Observation data
  • Performed literature research to identify state-of-the-art methods for the estimation of soil water content and soil organic carbon from satellite imagery
  • Presented key findings in bibliographical reports
  • Identified suitable data sources to facilitate programmatic access to satellite imagery, and to ground data
  • Developed data science pipelines to source and composite satellite imagery to train machine learning models, and prepared ground data to test and validate predictions
  • Co-developed and fine-tuned ML models to predict soil moisture content from satellite data. The accuracy of predictions is satisfactory (R squared > 0.95, RMSE < 0.05)
  • Generated interactive data visualizations and 3D maps to report model predictions to executives
  • Developed dashboards to display ground data and model predictions to investors, and to potential clients
Tech stack: Python Spatial Modules, Jupyter, QGIS, Google Earth Engine, Scikit Learn, Python-Plotly, Streamlit, Conda, Git & GitHub, Docker, PostgreSQL-PostGIS, Google Cloud Platform, Google App Engine
Data Scientist at Earth Ratings UG
Contract, Home-based, May 2020 - Jun. 2020
Explored CDP data and methodologies | Identified additional data sources on Corporate Environmental Footprint (CEF) and Social Responsibility (CSR) | Developed a web scraper program to source publicly available data sets in accordance with the respective terms of use | Transformed unstructured data into to tabular formats and integration of open data sets from several sources | Exploratory analyses and visualization of the resulting data sets

Tech stack: all technical work was performed in Python
Data Management Consultant at University of Primorska
Contract, Home-based, Jan 2020
Revised data storage procedures at the Conservation and Population Genetic research group | Data wrangling | Migration from data sheets to relational database (ETL) | Automation of data queries | Advising the research team on data management

Tech stack: data wrangling in Python, user interfaces for data entry were generated with Microsoft Access
Professional Requalification at On-site and Online Training Institutes
Oct. 2018 - Nov. 2019
Data Science and Python programming courses | German language course | Conflict management and non-violent-communication (NVC) self-training | Personal development
Graduate Research Assistant at Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research
Full-time, Berlin and Central Namibia, Apr. 2013 - Jun. 2018
Desk research activities:
  • Development of data collection protocols
  • Field project management
  • Planning and supervising field campaigns for the live-capture of cheetahs
  • Spatial and movement analyses of high-resolution GPS-telemetry data
  • Modeling distribution of the species and the use of space
  • Modeling individual movement patterns and interactions
  • Data management in Movebank
  • Design and maintenance of PostgreSQL-PostGIS database
  • Formulation and statistical testing of evolutionary hypothesis
  • Presenting scientific results to stakeholders and to the general public through talks, data visualizations and reports
  • Organization of scientific symposia
Field activities:
  • Undertaking live-capture campaigns of cheetahs using custom-build box traps
  • Assisting in the live-capture of leopards using custom-build box traps
  • Collecting and analyzing presence-absence data via camera-trap surveys
  • Engaging with local stakeholders and rural communities for the mitigation of human-wildlife conflict
  • Coordinating data collection in the field, supervising technicians and volunteers
Graduate Research Assistant at CIBIO - Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources
Full-time, various areas of Portugal and Spain, Feb. 2012 - Feb. 2013
Field activities:
  • Undertaking live-capture campaigns of wolves
  • Collecting presence-absence data along transects and via camera-trap surveys
  • Engaging with rural communities in the attempt to mitigate human-wildlife conflict
Desk research activities:
  • Modeling species habitat, distribution and use of space with statistical learning models
Graduate Research Assistant at Department of Zoology and Evolutionary Genetics, University of Sassari
Full-time, various areas of Italy, Nov. 2010 - Nov. 2011
Field activities:
  • Undertaking live-capture campaigns of wolves
  • Estimating pack size and reproductive success via wolf-howling surveys
  • Collecting presence-absence data along transects and via camera-trap surveys
  • Engaging with rural communities in the attempt to mitigate human-wildlife conflict
Desk research activities:
  • Biocustical analysis of wolves vocalizations
  • Ensuring proper storage and management of GIS data

Education

Masters in Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources Management from University of Sassari
Grade: 110/110 Summa cum Laude, Jul. 2010
Systems ecology, landscape ecology, regional geology, pedology, sedimentology, wildlife conservation and management, conservation genetics, environmental modeling, statistical inference, advanced statistical theory, environmental economics

Training Courses

ARSET - Evaluating Ecosystem Services with Remote Sensing by Applied Remote Sensing Training Program, NASA
Aug. 2022, Certificate of Completion
Summarize primary concepts of ecosystem services and natural capital accounting | Recall global frameworks and initiatives for ecosystem assessments Outline the role of NASA Earth Observations (EO) in conducting ecosystem assessments | Identify natural capital accounting models that incorporate EO Discover case study examples of the use of EO for ecosystem assessments 
ARSET - Using the UN Biodiversity Lab to Monitor the Pulse of the Planet by Applied Remote Sensing Training Program, NASA
Apr. 2022, Certificate of Completion
Using remote sensing and geospatial data within the NASA-supported UN Biodiversity Lab (UNBL) to take action on national conservation and sustainable development priorities
Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Earth Monitoring by EUMETSAT and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)
Feb. 2022, Certificate of Completion
Introduction to European Union's Copernicus Programme | Copernicus Data Collections | Types of AI, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning algorithms | Practical, Real-world Applications of AI for Earth Monitoring of Land, Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate | Hands-on training using Python in Jupyter Notebooks on the WEkEO platform
ARSET Advanced Training - Using Earth Observations for Pre- and Post-Fire Monitoring by Applied Remote Sensing Training Program, NASA
Jan. 2022, Certificate of Completion
Identify land cover and climate variables related to wildfire risk | Access and display geospatial wildfire risk data layers | Create a burn severity map using satellite imagery | Calculate burned area using satellite imagery
End-to-End Google Earth Engine by Spatial Thoughts
Nov. 2021, Certificate of Completion
Data Import/Export | Calculating Indices | Extracting Time Series | Supervised Classification | Building UI Apps | Using Python API
Danube Floodplain Management by Technical University of Munich within EU Interreg Project
Sept. 2021Certificate of Completion
Principles of floodplain management and its relevance to EU legislation | Knowledge on technical aspects such as modelling, ecosystem services valuation, stakeholder engagement | Principles of feasibility studies and cost-benefit analysis | Presentation of newly developed Web-GIS tools for evaluating floodplains and their restoration potential
Advanced QGIS by Spatial Thoughts
Sept. 2021, Official QGIS Certification
Modeling and Automating GIS Workflows | Visualizing Time Series and 3D Data | Advanced Expressions
ARSET - Species Distribution Modeling with Remote Sensing by Applied Remote Sensing Training Program, NASA
Aug. 2021, Certificate of Completion
Overview of Species Distribution Models (SDMs) | Data Sources for Species Distribution and Remote Sensing Data for Landscape Characterization | Tools for conducting SDM for a variety of ecosystems such Wallace R-based platform for modeling of species niches and distributions
ARSET - Satellite Observations and Tools for Fire Risk, Detection, and Analysis by Applied Remote Sensing Training Program, NASA
May 2021, Certificate of Completion
Overview of Species Distribution Models (SDMs) | Data Sources for Species Distribution and Remote Sensing Data for Landscape Characterization | Terminology regarding type and components of fire (pre, during, post) | Climatic and biophysical conditions pre-, during-, and post-fire | The satellites and instruments used in conducting fire science | The applications of passive and active remote sensing for fires | How to visualize fire emissions and particulate matter | The use of tools for active fires, emissions, and burned areas | How to acquire data for conducting analysis in a given study area
Echoes in Space by EO College, European Space Agency & Friedrich-Schiller University Jena
Jul. 2020, Certificate of Completion
History of Radar technology and the discovery of electromagnetic waves | Image acquisition | Geometry of airborne and space borne Radar systems | Land applications of Radar remote sensing | Applications of radar remote sensing over Water | Application of Radar remote sensing for Hazard management
Data Science Bootcamp by Business Trends Academy
Aug. 2019 - Nov. 2019, Certificate of Completion
Data protection and ethical matters | Linear and nonlinear regression | A/B testing | Hypothesis testing | Data visualization in Tableau | Object oriented programming (OOP) | Python modules and functions | Pandas and NumPy | Multiprocessing and multithreading | RESTful API | Webscraping | Neural Networks and Machine Learning techniques | Keras and TensorFlow

Contact

ivan.palmegiani@gmail.com

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