Robert Cheetham

I am an independent consultant specializing in remote sensing and geospatial technology. For 23 years I was the founder and CEO of Azavea, a B Corporation that created geospatial software and data analytics with a public service mission. Azavea developed and contributed to many open source geospatial projects, including GeoTrellis, Raster Vision, DistrictBuilder, OpenTreeMap, Raster Foundry, Loam, Franklin, Granary, OpenDataPhilly, and Model My Watershed.

I sold Azavea in 2023 to Element 84 where I served as the Chief Strategy Officer during 2023. Prior to founding Azavea, I was a software developer and GIS analyst for the University of Pennsylvania, the City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Police Department. Before that I was a civil servant in Japan.

🔭 I’m currently working on:

• Consulting work related to Earth observation, cloud native geospatial technology, open source, open data, and open standards
• Japan Earth Observer - a monthly newsletter on the space, remote sensing, and geospatial industries in Japan
• OpenDataPhilly.org - I answer the inbox and help maintain the data catalog
• Coaching and learning Crossfit

🌱 I’m currently learning:

• Python in the context of geospatial work
• Japanese
• Thailand and Burma history, particularly related to WWII

🤔 I’m looking for help with

• Tips and introductions to folks that do work related to space, remote sensing, and geospatial technology industries in Japan
• Introductions to folks doing geography and history research related to the border of Thailand and Burma

💬 Ask me about

• Geospatial technology
• Remote sensing and Earth observation
• Open geospatial data
• Geospatial open source software