👈 Aaaand, that's me!
In ❤️ with science & technology
I am Niklas Jordan, a technologist and German-speaking European. I explore different ways to use technology for social and environmental good. I’m doing this professionally since 2008. Actually, I’m helping organisations to use Earth observation technology with environmental impact and human rights in mind.
With OpenSpaceData → I’ve founded an organisation with the mission to democratizing satellite data – through easy to use tools and education, and with DisasterTech →, I’m leading an international community of designers, developers, scientists and engineers to develop tools that help humans in crisis situations.
👈 Aaaand, that's me!
Through my work, I have given various interviews or been featured in media stories. You can see a selection here.
For the past few years, I have been studying Earth science at The Open University alongside my job. I am particularly interested in natural hazards, how they arise, what risks they pose and how we can protect ourselves from them. But I also get excited about climate topics, oceanography & hydrology or urban planning.
Most projects arise from my interest in science and technology. So tools like Jupyter Notebooks or Google’s Earth Engine have become my daily companion. For example, I use them to research how to make earth observation data more accessible to everyone, develop apps to monitor urban heat islands, and more. I try to use my skills to make science and technology accessible to a wider audience and thus achieve greater interest and responsibility for our society and the planet.
I’m holding professional membership in: Society for Conservation GIS ♦ The Oceanography Society ♦ European Geosciences Union ♦ The Open University Geological Society
Sure, as you can imagine, I can do some coding. But I wouldn’t call myself a developer. I use programming as a kind of tool to communicate. Kind of like writing. But I’m not a writer either. There are many who can write much better, more reliable and cleaner code than I can.
You get the most out of me, in a job where I’m a kind of a connector: I have a deep understanding of engineering and design, I can develop ideas and communicate them. I can help you build a product and make it better.
My strengths:
Now, a pretty important information: I would absolutely love to work in domains of satellite imagery providers or EO analysis platforms. So if you work at Planet, Up42, Sinergise or at the ESA, by all means, drop the coffee and text me. Now.
Throughout the years, I have worked with many great organizations. A selection of them are these: German Center for International Peace Operations (ZIF), German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, German Aerospace Center, Greenpeace Germany and Goethe-Institut.
These are some side-projects I’ve actively working on:
🛰 Democratize satellite data with OpenSpaceData.org →.
🌋 Founder of DisasterTech →, a community that help people in crisis situations.
🎙 Hosting the Hotspot Podcast → about natural hazards.
🌳 Writing a monthly newsletter about People, Planet & Technology →.
I believe that technology can have a positive impact on the world. It can empower oppressed people, protect the environment, help people in emergencies and much more. Too often, however, it is used to exploit people and infiltrate human rights. This can lead to significant damage to people and the environment. I aim to promote the use of technology for good.
For talks or lectures please also check my travel policy.
Disclaimer: I fully support the UN Sustainable Development Goals →. I reject projects that work against any of the 17 global goals.
My social media hell of choice is Twitter →, where I’m pretty responsive. I also have a GitHub AMA repo → where you can ask me things, or read what other people have asked me. I also have a LinkedIn → profile for… Well, it’s just a business thing, y’know? If you really need to, you can send me an email, but know that it’ll take me an embarassing time to reply. It’s not you, it’s misplaced anxiety.