As the Geoinformatician at the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, I support scientific staff and students with processing, management and knowledge transfer of geodata. I support ongoing research, generate spatial visualizations, and develop geospatial analysis workflows.

I use my expertise to access, analyze, visualize and integrate multiple sources of information, including LIDAR data, weather and bird radar data, and GPS tracking data (UvA-BiTS). My research activities include data management, analysis/interpretation and visualization using SQL, R, ArcGIS or any other computational tool that best solves the problem.

I enjoy working on interdisciplinary, collaborative projects with multiple partners from across academia, industry, government and consulting. I have extensive experience in project management, technical writing and facilitating communication amongst stakeholders and collaborators, especially for large, technical projects. My work also includes fostering a collaborative work environment for researchers and students by ensuring that knowledge and skills are being communicated and shared efficiently.

Work History

As a Research Assistant at IBED from 2018-2019 I worked on the Eemshaven Showcase project, a feasibility study designed to investigate spatial and temporal dynamics of bird migration around the Eemshaven wind  park using meteorological radar data, improve knowledge about collision-induced mortality of migrating birds, and explore the use of temporary shutdowns to mitigate bird mortality. From 2015-2017 I was a Research Fellow in the Clinical Informatics & Health Outcomes Research Group at University of Surrey, UK, where I supported the Integrate study, a real-world implementation of one-health and big data concepts which focused on innovative, rapid gastroenteritis surveillance based on UK primary care data. From 2010-2014 I was a Research Assistant at IBED in animal movement and also supported education and research activities at UvA’s GIS Studio. Prior to that, I worked for over ten years in environmental consulting in the United States and Venezuela on projects that gave me extensive experience with field work and kick-started my interest in data collection, management, and analysis using GIS and environmental databases.

Education

I earned a master's degree in environmental biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, USA and a bachelor's degree in environmental science and biology from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

• de Lusignan S., Shinneman S., Yonova I., van Vlymen J., Elliot A.J., Bolton F., Smith G.E., O'Brien S. (2017).  An Ontology to Improve Transparency in Case Definition and Increase Case Finding of Infectious Intestinal Disease: Database Study in English General Practice. JMIR Med Inform 5(3): e34. DOI: 10.2196/medinform.7641
• Liyanage H, Shinneman S, Hoang U, Ferreira F, Alexander D, Rigby M, Blair M, de Lusignan S. (2018). Profiling Databases to Facilitate Comparison of Child Health Systems Across Europe Using Standardised Quality Markers. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics 247: 61-65. DOI 10.3233/978-1-61499-852-5-61
• UvA-BiTS database passes 10 million record mark. Posted on UvA Bird Tracking System website, May 2013.
• Over 5 million GPS fixes in the UvA-BiTS database. Posted on UvA Bird Tracking System website, June 2012.