ABOUT Francis Cheruiyot Onyambu

Francis is an early career researcher in the fields of geoinformatics (GIS) and remote sensing. In his capacity as a research officer, Francis supports different projects such as the Integrated Deprived Area Mapping System (IDEAMAPS) in developing a data ecosystem that enables routine, accurate mapping of deprived urban areas across low and middle-income cities. IDEAMAPS is currently being piloted in Nairobi (Kenya), Accra (Ghana), and Lagos (Nigeria). He also supports the Integrated Deprivation Area Mapping System for displacement durable solutions and socioeconomic reconstruction in Khartoum, Sudan (IDeAMapSudan) which focuses on building capacity to co-create and use spatial data on deprived areas. 

Francis holds a BSc. in Geomatics Engineering and Geospatial Information Systems and is currently undertaking his graduate degree in Geospatial Information Systems and Remote Sensing from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and Hochschule Karlsruhe – Technik und Wirtschaft. Previously, he aided in the implementation of an integrated location intelligence system at the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO). He has also worked in the fields of geomatics, GIS, and remote sensing in other projects in the past. 

He is passionate about using location information and earth observation resources to map spatial trends and communicate this information to different stakeholders for them to make better and informed decisions in their fields.