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I have a firm bond with West Africa, because I grew up there. When I came to Europe, I was determined to get the highest education possible to later return and let the people of Africa benefit of the chances I had and many Africans would never have.
Now that I have graduated as a geochemist and worked for some years as a hydrogeologist, it is time for me to return to africa and put my skills to good use. I am now volonteer with Stichting Faso and the Burkina Faso Platform. I am also developing a website to give easy access to information on Burkina Faso in Dutch: auBurkina.nl
Everybody seems to love maps, but for me it is more than fascinating. To be able to make them, and to get new insights from overlaying and analysing data in a visual way is wonderful. They are powerful tools to support informed decision making in natural resources management and spatial planning, but I wish they would be used more in sustainable rural development as well.
With the current geoweb developments, web-based GIS and data storing and serving become increasingly important, including workflow automation. The following sites therefore bring together hydrogeology and web 2.0.
I was always fascinated by the fact that the world is actually made up of minuscule building blocks (molecules, atoms and even smaller entities), the numbers and interactions of which are so massive, they determine the material properties of what we, at our scale, can see and interact with.
My training in geochemistry gives me the pleasure of understanding earth processes a little bit better, and to be able to work in humanely relevant fields as Arsenic and Fluoride contaminations in groundwater. I hope to apply my knowledge of geochemistry to sustainable rural development and natrual resources management.
I presently work as a hydrogeologist at IGRAC and Deltares. IGRAC is a not-for-profit organization which focuses on groundwater knowledge and information sharing on a global scale. Deltares is a Dutch knowledge institute focussing on everything one needs to know to live safely and sustainably in a delta, like the Netherlands.
I find groundwater a fascinating resource, because it has a lot of potential while being a potential threat at the same time. There is still a lot to learn about groundwater, as it is a hidden resource.
Growing up in West Africa, I was always aware of social and environmental dependencies and interactions, as these are clearly visible when poor people try to survive in a harsh, arid environment.
For me sustainability is about society as much as environment. And therefore about world peace, justice, equality, green thinking, conservation, buying biologic products, fair trade etc.
In 1999, at the age of 16, I registered my first website. 10 years later, the Internet has drastically changed. Scripting has become easier, possibilities are endless. I believe in the positive influence of the internet on global processes and believe that by developing the net, we can develop the world.
Therefore, I am now exploring how web 2.0, mashups, APIs and the Geoweb can be applied to improve our workflows, promote international collaboration and advance scientific research, sustainable development, rural development etc.
(c) geocheryl, 2009