GEOHABARI

Geohabari Pod

Amplifying African Tech Stories and Elevating Technical Brilliance. This is a podcast for the geospatial community. 

  1. S2E14: The Young Professionals Segment:Unconventional Geospatial Side Quests, Navigating Geospatial Careers Differently

    22/09/2025

    S2E14: The Young Professionals Segment:Unconventional Geospatial Side Quests, Navigating Geospatial Careers Differently

    Thank you for being here. Text Geohabari For the first time on the Young Professionals segment, we recorded this episode with a live studio audience of students and young professionals joining the conversation in real time. 🎟️ Don’t miss the Africa’s Women in Space Conference, happening November 27–28 at Strathmore University. It’s free and open to everyone, ⁠register here.⁠ In this Young Professionals segment of the GeoHabari Podcast, host Linus Anari sits down with Dr. Pamela Ochungo - a lecturer at The Technical University of Kenya (TUK), remote sensing specialist, mentor, and one of the most inspiring voices in African geospatial science. Together, they unpack how careers rarely follow straight lines and how the “side quests” we stumble into often open the most meaningful doors. From mapping livestock to studying honeybees, preserving archaeology, and even tackling public health, Dr. Ochungo shares how curiosity and open-mindedness shaped her journey into unexpected opportunities. This conversation is packed with insights for students and young professionals: why keeping a learner’s mindset matters, how to position yourself for opportunities, and why collaborations beyond your field could redefine your career. If you’ve ever felt uncertain about your next step or wondered whether detours are setbacks or stepping stoneS, this episode is for you. Listen in, reflect, and ask yourself: what unconventional side quest could change my journey?

    45 min
  2. S2E10: I Thought I Was Ready After Graduation… Until I Got the Job: The Young Professionals Segment

    27/07/2025

    S2E10: I Thought I Was Ready After Graduation… Until I Got the Job: The Young Professionals Segment

    Thank you for being here. Text Geohabari On this episode of the Young Professionals Segment hosted by Linus Anari and grounded in raw, relatable, and authentic lived experiences , we’re joined by Florine Kaino, Geospatial Advisor at Mercy Corps. From landing her first technical role at Microsoft to interning at Esri Eastern Africa, Florine shares the real, unfiltered journey of transitioning from school to work. She walks us through the shocks of walking into the workplace on day one, feeling out of place, navigating unfamiliar office culture, and realizing that school only prepared her for a solid 2% of the job. The rest? She had to figure it out on the go. We talk about:  Culture shocks at your first jobHow to deal with imposter syndrome that never really goes awayWhy soft skills aren’t soft at allNavigating meetings, reports, and corporate lingoThe difference between school skills and workplace survivalAnd yes… how to answer that “Tell us about yourself” interview questionIf you’ve just cleared school, wondering what’s next, or trying to figure out this thing called “career”, you're not alone.  This episode is a reminder that we’re all figuring it out, one awkward meeting, off-guard interview questions and surprise reports at a time. This is the episode you send to anyone just starting out, wondering “Am I the only one struggling with this transition?

    35 min
  3. S2E9: The Tech Stacks Series: What GIS Looks Like When It Works

    14/07/2025

    S2E9: The Tech Stacks Series: What GIS Looks Like When It Works

    Thank you for being here. Text Geohabari The Tech Stacks Series Finale: When GIS Works We’re closing out The Tech Stacks Series with a bang—joined by Francis Kioni, Senior Geoanalytics Engineer at M-Gas. From vehicle routing problems (VRP) to territory mapping, suitability analysis, and more, this episode is a masterclass in how GIS drives value when applied right. Expect plenty of banter, tried and true insights, and side-by-side reflections on the methods that worked (and why). It’s two analysts who’ve both worked in LPG, comparing notes on how GIS has shaped their work and evolved over time. Francis shares what it’s like being in a one-man show GIS role (aren't we all?), where everyone refers to you as the “map guy”—a label he finds both limiting and amusing. From writing clean code and automating workflows to building data pipelines and influencing business decisions, this episode explores how GIS professionals are doing far more than just making maps. Not every output is a map, but there’s often GIS behind the numbers, powering insights that drive strategy. It’s a reminder that geoenablement today looks very different. It’s about embedding spatial thinking into systems, dashboards, and decisions, even when no map is in sight. Francis also takes us behind the scenes of his AWS tech stack—QuickSight, Athena, DynamoDB, Glue—and shares how these tools supercharge his geoanalytics workflows. (Here's a certification prep you never thought you needed:-) If you’ve ever wondered what GIS looks like when it really works—this is it. Resources: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-kioni/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/milos-popovic-phd-89778117/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbforr/

    45 min

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2 Ratings

About

Amplifying African Tech Stories and Elevating Technical Brilliance. This is a podcast for the geospatial community.