Caucasus SDI
The Caucasus Spatial Data Infrastructure (C-SDI) Team was established in 2015 in order to improve the spatial data sharing mechanisms and data geoprocessing capacities; to support gap analyses in spatial data availability, infrastructure and institutional arrangements; and to support capacity building of key local actors related to countries’ involvement in international and regional flagship initiatives through the Group on Earth Observation (GEO).
The Caucasus SDI Team is responsible for the Caucasus spatial data GeoNode platform (//sustainable-caucasus.grid.unep.ch), which to date contains more than 100 datasets from various sources (global, regional, national and local) on a wide range of themes.
C-SDI Team:
Natavan Jafarova is a Senior Science Researcher at the “Political and Economic Geography of Azerbaijan” Department of the Institute of Geography (IGAZ) of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. She has received her Ph.D. degree in 2014 by defending the thesis “Development and processing of the database of socioeconomic conditions of the Caspian coastal zone of Azerbaijan through GIS technologies”. Her research activities are mainly about the analysis of settlements and socioeconomic situations of regions, as well as the study of impacts of disasters and natural risks through GIS technologies. Part of her works are devoted to mapping social and economic impacts and consequences of the flooding in the Kura-Aras region, and also the impact of natural disasters on resettlement in the Lankaran-Astara region. She is a lector in Baku State University, Faculty of Geography.
Hayk Igityan is a specialist in Geology, Geohazard and Risk Reduction, Geodynamics, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI) at the Institute of Geological Sciences at the National Academy of Sciences RA, and a specialist at “Georisk” Scientific-Research company. In 2016, he was awarded a PhD in Geology. From 2014 to 2015 he was an engineering geologist at Yerevan State University, Faculty of Geography and Geology. Since 2012, he has been working at the Institute of Geological Sciences at the National Academy of Sciences, RA, and “Georisk” Scientific-Research company, focusing on earthquake and landslide hazard mapping and risk reduction
Mamuka Gvilava is specialized in a wide range of environmental subjects with 20 years of experience with cooperative projects in the Caucasus and Black Sea eco-regions, and Europe. His expertise includes environmental and strategic (programmatic) impact assessments, environmental informatics (SDI, GIS and remote sensing, earth observations, data cube, hydrological and coastal models), green design and construction, nature-based solutions, climate change assessment and development of methodologies and practices in integrated coastal management. Mamuka Gvilava serves as the National Focal Point on Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM); Member of the ICZM Advisory Group to Black Sea Commission; Member of the working group developing EU’s Black Sea Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), also Correspondence Contact for GEO Principle of Georgia, as well as Caucasus Spatial Data Infrastructure (C-SDI) Working Group Member and Focal Point, based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Kamran Shayesteh is an assistant professor at Malayer University Iran. Since 2015 he is the dean of Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment. He is the board member of the Iranian Association for Environmental Assessment, as well as the founding member of the Scientific Network for Caucasus Mountain Regions (SNC-mt) and its Scientific Steering Group. His research interests include land-use change analysis. landscape ecology, ecological economics, carrying capacity.
Since 2016 he is a member of the Caucasus Spatial Data Infrastructure (C-SDI) working group and Focal Point from Iran. With SNC-mt he has been involved in a number of projects including the project "Supporting Sustainable Mountain Development in the Caucasus" funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and an ongoing project "Strengthening Climate Adaptation Capacities" funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
Hakan Yiğitbaşıoğlu graduated from Ankara State University and holds a Ph.D. in Physical Geography. He is a professor at the same university since 2005 and the Head of the Physical Geography Sub-department starting from 2001. Before that Mr. Yiğitbaşıoğlu was the Head of Social Environmental Sciences Sub-Department in Social Sciences Institute of Ankara University, as well as the Vice Dean of Faculty of Language and History and Geography at the Ankara University.
Andrei Medvedev graduated from the Faculty of Geography at Moscow State University and holds a Ph.D. in Geography and Cartography. He has profound experience in teaching GIS, remote sensing, and topography both in Moscow State University and the High School of Economics. He was a member of organizational committees of more than 20 international scientific conferences. He is also a member of the Technology Committee of standardization in the fields of geographical information, geodesy, and cartography; a member of the Scientific Committee on geodesy and geophysics at the International Association of Academy of Science; an expert of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST).