Hi, I'm Maryn

Nature, its intricacies and complexities fascinate me.

We're facing a dilemma: we need to reduce biodiversity loss, while improving the well-being of all people.

That is what is on my mind and I strive to use my interdisciplinary skills to help improve such difficult situations.

Ultimately, I want to have a good impact on the world.

My technical skills

I've learnt much by doing, especially everything that I wasn't taught during my engineering degrees. I have a keen interest in remote sensing and building geospatial web applications to communicate important things to people. I also like to borrow things from scientific literature that make sense and apply them on the ground.

My skills include the following:

• I'm comfortable in Python, JavaScript, Typescript and R and have used SQL, Dart and Apex . I've interacted with databases such as MySQL, MariaDB and Postgres with PostGIS
• I've built apps using Vue, FastAPI, Mapbox, Leaflet and GeoDjango. Some of them using Docker, which has changed the game
• I've deployed apps in the cloud in Azure and AWS
• I really enjoy Google Earth Engine and Microsoft's Planetary Computer - remote sensing at ridiculous scale!
• I've built custom apps using the Frappe framework and EPRNext
• I make beautiful and accurate maps

My endeavour

I'm busy to map and monitor from space how we are interacting with natural landscapes. Although our interactions with our environment are complex, mapping the emerging result is simpler. Think of settlement expansions, landcover change to agriculture, deforestation and dam constructions.

Using this, I hope to then identify areas where opportunities for resilient human-nature systems still exist, where ecosystems flourish and people thrive.

Anyone, and I hope to also set an example, can then come up with inclusive home-grown solutions and start working towards better futures together.

“... it is repeatedly unruly, bottom-up ‘transformations’ rather than top-down structured ‘transitions’ (in these senses), that typically achieve the most profound (sometimes rapid) radically progressive social changes.” - Andy Stirling

All the while, I hope to remotely track efforts to build resilience and share it in a beautiful and accessible manner to anyone interested.

Home

I spend my time either in South Africa or in one of the most remote and incredible places in the world, Chinko in Central African Republic. Luckily, I mostly have internet wherever I am, so reach out!

Find me on iNaturalist or GitHub, or...