01about me
I am a postgraduate student at Stellenbosch University where I am working hard towards completing my masters degree in Geoinformatics by March 2021.
I am passionate about GIScience, web development and solving problems using programming. When I'm not spending time working on my research project, I can be found blogging or fiddling with some or other technological gadget.
Being from a farm in the Northern Cape province, I love the outdoors and will grab my hiking boots, drone and camera for an outdoor adventure whenever I have the time and the weather allows for it. Over the past ten years I've also developed an interest in genealogy. That lead to me digitizing my family tree into a user-friendly website.
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SurnameBarnard
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Birth NamesJohannes Jacobus
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NicknameJano
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NationalitySouth African
My Blog
I use my blog as a platform of raising my personal thoughts and projects, not limiting myself to a single topic. Have a look!
Visit my blog
02work experience
02Click entries for more information
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Student TutorStellenbosch UniversityFebruary 2019 – November 2020
I was the tutor (head demi) for several university modules where I was responsible for weekly practical assignments (setup and all administration related to marking). I also helped out with test marking and presented lectures when needed.
I tutored the following modules:
- Geographical Information Technology 311Spatial Data Acquisition February – June 2019
- Geographical Information Technology 242Photogrammetry July – November 2019
- Geographical Information Technology 311Spatial Data Acquisition February – June 2020
- Geographical Information Technology 241Spatial Data Management July – November 2020
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Student AssistantStellenbosch UniversityJuly 2017 – November 2018
I was a student assistant (demi) for several university module where I helped students with practicals and assessed their practical work. I find joy in helping others where I can and being a student assistant gave me the opportunity to do so.
I demi'ed students from the following modules:
- Geographical Information Technology 242Photogrammetry July - November 2017
- Geographical Information Technology 241Spatial Data Management July - November 2018
- Geographical Information Technology 341Spatial Modelling July - November 2018
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Freelance Web DeveloperSxuirrelFebruary 2018
I took a very short project on at Sxuirrel, a start-up storage and venue company based in Stellenbosch, after being reffered by a fellow Computer Science student. I used HTML, CSS and JavaScript to add functionality to their existing website.
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Research AssistantStellenbosch UniversityFebruary – November 2017
In February 2017, I became a research assistant for Dr. Jaco Kemp to assist him with his research projects in Synthetic Aperture RADAR on mapping water bodies and vineyards. During this assistantship I wrote an automated script to weekly download Sentinel-1 imagery to build up a catalogue of SAR data. See the Portfolio section for more details.
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Student GIS InternPeace Parks FoundationJune 2016
I did a short internship of three weeks at Peace Parks Foundation. In my time there I improved my ArcGIS skills and I was introduced to the SMART conservation software. For the rest of the time there I helped with tasks like setting up data capturing devices to be used by game rangers, printing and scanning large format maps and working through potentially useful data of Namibia to decide if it should be added to their database.
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Junior GIS Data CapturerTracks4AfricaMay 2016 - December 2019
Initially I did some digitizing of rivers in Angola to be used for the maps Tracks4Africa produces including web maps, GPS maps and printed maps. I used QGIS to complete the work. During the December vacation of 2016 I helped to produce the Tracks4Africa Traveller's Atlas of Southern Africa. It was a great experience being part of the whole process. In January 2017 I started working part time at Tracks4Africa. One of my last projects was to create customer support videos for their YouTube channel.
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Owner & Web DeveloperJango HostingMay 2015 - March 2021
I've been interested in programming and web development since high scool. I've made my own websites before and in my first year at university I decided to apply my skills to help others get an online presence. As a result I've launched Jango Hosting - a web development business that offered design & hosting services.
Being a more affordable solution and engaging more personally with customers was always my number one priority. Due to my studies coming to an end and the fact that this was only a side project that was likely due to end at some stage as it doesn't fit perfectly with my main field of study, I have taken the decision to end Jango Hosting by March 2021. All clients were migrated to another well-respected web hosting company.
03education
02Click entries for more information
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2nd Year MSc GeoinformaticsStellenbosch University2020
While the plan was to complete my masters research by December 2020, I had to extend it until March 2021 due to the impact of COVID-19 on my fieldwork. A field trip was undertaken in October 2020. From analysis of satellite imagery and landowner interviews, management action effectiveness will be derived. Subscribe to my blog for more details and updates on progress.
- Geographical Information Technology 875Geoinformatics Thesis T.B.A.
Results
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1st Year MSc GeoinformaticsStellenbosch University2019
In my first year of my MSc in Geoinformatics I aimed to map the current extent of the Prosopis invasion in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. I undertook a month's field work in the study area and covered a staggering distance of 6 311 kilometres while I collected ground truth data.
The scale of the study area combined with uncertainty in distinguishing Prosopis from other woody plants made mapping the extent of Prosopis in the Northern Cape in a year's time unfeasable. It was decided at the end of 2019 to focus only on farm-level invasions in 2020. See the Portfolio section for more details. Subscribe to my blog for updates on the project.
- Geographical Information Technology 875Geoinformatics Thesis T.B.A.
Results
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Honours BSc GeoinformaticsStellenbosch University2018
- Geographical Information Technology 712Advanced Remote Sensing 69%
- Geographical Information Technology 713Geographical Information Systems 76%
- Geographical Information Technology 716Spatial Modelling and Geographical Communication 77%
- Geographical Information Technology 742Environmental Geography Research Application 72%
Results
For my honours research project I used LiDAR data to detect canopy gaps in Cape Town plantations. See my blog post with findings and figures.
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3rd Year BSc GeoinformaticsStellenbosch University2017
- Geographical Information Technology 311Spatial Data Acquisition 82%
- Geographical Information Technology 312Spatial Analysis 69%
- Computer Science 244Computer Architecture 65%
- Computer Science 314Concurrency 64%
- Computer Science 334Web Development 92%
- Geographical Information Technology 341Spatial Modelling 78%
- Geographical Information Technology 342Advanced Remote Sensing 70%
- Computer Science 344Software Engineering 73%
- Computer Science 354Computer Networks 76%
- Scientific Computing 372
86%
Results
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2nd Year BSc GeoinformaticsStellenbosch University2016
- Computer Science 214Data Structures and Algorithms 80%
- Geographical Information Technology 211Earth Observation 73%
- Geographical Information Technology 214Geographical Information Systems 90%
- Computer Science 244Computer Architecture 65%
- Geographical Information Technology 241Spatial Data Management 81%
- Geographical Information Technology 242Photogrammetry 81%
- Statistical Methods 176Statistical Methods with Computer Implementation 75%
- Scientific Computing 272
95% - Socio-Informatics 262Electronic Business and Government 69%
Results
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1st Year BSc GeoinformaticsStellenbosch University2015
- Physics 114Introductory Physics A 50%
- Computer Science 114Introductory Computer Science 86%
- Mathematics 114Calculus 56%
- Geo-Environmental Science 124Introduction to Human-Environmental Systems 76%
- Physics 144Introductory Physics B 50%
- Computer Science 144Introductory Computer Science 89%
- Mathematics 144Calculus and Linear Algebra 51%
- Geo-Environmental Science 154Introduction to Earth Systems Science 65%
- Computer Skills 171
82% - Scientific Communication 172
83%
Results
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National Senior CertificateDuineveld High School2014
- Afrikaans Home Language 83%
- English Home Language 80%
- Mathematics 78%
- Life Orientation 88%
- Geography - Top Candidate in Northern Cape 89%
- Physical Science 78%
- Information Technology 91%
Results
04skills
Languages
GIS & Remote Sensing
Programming & Scripting
I am a member of
05portfolio
06testimonials
Dr Zahn Münch Honours Research Project Supervisor & Lecturer"Jano is a focused young man, conscientious and eager to learn new skills. He is reliable and hardworking, and has the will to succeed in his endeavours. His attitude towards his work is exemplary. He works well in a team and is supportive of his peers using his skills to assist with difficult analyses."
Prof Helen de Klerk Masters Research Project Supervisor & Lecturer"He is a self-starter and has demonstrated initiative and problem solving in approaching field work planning and execution. Mr Barnard also showed his ability to persevere until a problem is solved. He worked hard and came to the fore as a natural leader."