Freelance geographer · GIS · remote sensing · drones
Hi, I'm Sam. I map mangroves, fly drones, run quizzes and go wherever the geography is. Scroll to see the work on the ground.
Tap a pin to turn the season
01 · Mangroves
Mahajamba Bay, Madagascar · 15.5° S 47.1° E
Mangroves look completely different at high and low tide, so global maps miss them. GEM maps them from Sentinel-2 imagery taken at consistent tides, as a desktop tool and an Android app built with Blue Ventures.
Read about GEMThe atlas
From Mahajamba Bay to a sub-Antarctic island, and the places mapped from a desk in the UK when disaster struck. Pick a pin.
Jolly Geo services
The question
Where is it happening, and what does the pattern tell you?
What I do
Location intelligence in QGIS and ArcGIS Pro, then the story told through maps people actually read.
Where it's worked
The question
What has changed, and where, across years and whole coastlines?
What I do
Satellite time series in Google Earth Engine, from Landsat to Sentinel-2's 10 m pixels, calibrated with ground-truthing in the field.
The question
Need more detail than any satellite can see?
What I do
Aerial photography, drone surveys and 3D models, flown with a DJI Mini 4.
Where it's heading
The question
What's really going on out there when no one is watching?
What I do
Trail cams, field sensors and smart tools that support conservation goals, built and tested in the field.
Where it's worked
The question
Who is doing what, where, when disaster strikes?
What I do
Volunteer mapping with MapAction: rapid situational maps for the UN and partners, practised in training and simulation exercises.
Projects
Mangroves
A smartphone app and desktop tool for local-level mangrove mapping.
Expedition
The RSPB's Gough Island Restoration Programme, 2021.
Conservation tech
DIY trail cams, hedgehogs and a mention in Parliament.
Dashboard
An Interrail journey across Europe, mapped as it happened.
Latest ramblings
6 December 2023
How did 2023 fare for The Jolly Geo?
24 May 2023
And he mapped the whole route using geolocation and GIS. See it on an online dashboard here
8 September 2021
Day 120, greetings from… Dublin! Touchdown at last! Well, in the country that neighbours my own… for now, that’ll do. Feels good to be on familiar shores! It’s the…
Jolly Geo extras
About
I live for all things geo. I've worked in all four sectors, from environmental consultancy and the Civil Service to marine conservation, and it has taken me to all corners of the globe. Now I want to bring geography to everyone.
