Geospatial and Earth Observation Intern

Job Posting Organization:
The internship is offered by the Environment and Development Division of the United Nations, which focuses on sustainable development and environmental protection in the Asia-Pacific region. The organization aims to support countries in their efforts to achieve sustainable development goals through various initiatives, including satellite-based environmental analytics. The UN has a global presence, operating in multiple countries and employing thousands of staff members dedicated to various missions.

Job Overview:
The Geospatial and Earth Observation Intern will be involved in a program that utilizes satellite-based environmental analytics to address pressing urban issues such as urban heat, land subsidence, and air quality in cities across Asia and the Pacific. The intern will engage in a range of activities that require proficiency in Python and GIS, focusing on the preparation and analysis of Earth-observation data. This position is designed for individuals who are passionate about environmental science and geospatial analysis, and who are eager to contribute to meaningful projects that have a real-world impact. The internship is expected to last between four to six months, with a full-time commitment of 35 hours per week, and can be conducted remotely or in Bangkok, Thailand, depending on the intern's preference and approval.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The intern will have a variety of responsibilities, including:

• Assembling and quality-assuring satellite and geospatial inputs, which involves building download manifests, verifying spatial and temporal coverage, and screening for data quality flags (30% of time).
• Supporting the onboarding of new cities into configuration-driven pipelines, which includes sourcing administrative boundaries and population/exposure layers, authoring city configurations, and conducting screening analyses under supervision (25% of time).
• Conducting validation and reality-check work, which entails comparing derived values against published literature ranges, compiling ground-truth reference data, and preparing comparison tables and method-validation notes (25% of time).
• Supporting InSAR analysis for land subsidence, where applicable, including coherence diagnosis, SBAS/PS reconciliation, GNSS absolute-tie research, and preparing supporting figures and maps to UN cartographic standards (20% of time).

Required Qualifications:
To qualify for this internship, applicants must meet one of the following criteria: (a) be enrolled in or have completed a graduate school program related to remote sensing, geoinformatics, geodesy, Earth observation, GIS, geography, environmental science, or related disciplines; or (b) be enrolled in or have completed the final academic year of a first university degree program (minimum bachelor's level) in a related field. Additionally, proficiency in Python for geospatial work is required, along with a working knowledge of GIS platforms and remote-sensing fundamentals. Familiarity with Earth-observation data platforms and InSAR processing is highly desirable.

Educational Background:
Candidates should have a background in fields related to remote sensing, geoinformatics, geodesy, Earth observation, GIS, geography, or environmental science. This can include either a graduate degree or a bachelor's degree nearing completion in one of these disciplines.

Experience:
The internship is designed for individuals who may have limited professional experience but possess relevant academic knowledge and skills. Candidates should demonstrate a strong understanding of geospatial analysis and environmental science principles, as well as practical experience with Python and GIS tools, either through academic projects or previous internships.

Languages:
Fluency in spoken and written English is mandatory for this internship, as it is one of the working languages of the United Nations. Knowledge of another language used in the Asia-Pacific region, such as Persian, Chinese, Bahasa Indonesia, Hindi, Nepali, or Thai, is considered an asset and may enhance the candidate's application.

Additional Notes:
This internship is unpaid, and interns are responsible for their own travel, visa, accommodation, and living expenses. Interns who are not citizens or permanent residents of Thailand may need to obtain the appropriate visa and work authorization. The internship is full-time, requiring a commitment of 35 hours per week, and can be conducted remotely or in Bangkok, depending on the intern's situation. The United Nations does not charge any fees during the recruitment process, ensuring that all applicants can apply without financial burden.