Lines in the landscape
Clifford, C., Bieroza, M., Clarke, S.J. et al. (including Habib, W. & Connolly, J.) (2025). "Lines in the landscape." Communications Earth & Environment, 6, 699.
CV
Education
- Ph.D in Remote Sensing, GIS, and Machine Learning, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, 2019-2023
- Thesis: “Multi-spatial-temporal remote sensing and machine learning for mapping management impacts on peatlands in Ireland”
- Supervisor: Dr. John Connolly
- Funded by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ireland (SmartBog project)
- M.S. in Remote Sensing & GIS, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand, 2016-2018
- CGPA: 3.90/4
- Thesis: “Machine learning for flood forecasting – A case study of Yom River sub-basin, Thailand”
- HM King Scholarship recipient
- B.S. in Geomatics (Remote Sensing & GIS), University of Peshawar, Pakistan, 2011-2015
- CGPA: 3.90/4
- Research: “Flood hazard and vulnerability risk assessment – A case study of Islamabad, Pakistan”
Work Experience
- 2023-Present: Postdoctoral Researcher
- Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
- Leading development of ICONEEx model for upscaling Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) of CO₂ across Irish ecosystems
- Integrating Sentinel-1/2, MODIS PAR, and flux tower data for national climate monitoring
- Supervisor: Dr. John Connolly
- 2019-2023: PhD Researcher
- Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
- Applied multi-temporal-spatial optical remote sensing and machine learning for peatland ecosystem assessment
- Developed deep learning models for artificial drainage mapping using VHR aerial imagery
- Conducted national-scale peatland land use change analysis (1989-2020)
- Supervisor: Dr. John Connolly
- 2023: Visiting Researcher
- INRAE, Occitanie-Montpellier, France
- Developed semantic segmentation models for peatland drainage mapping
- Collaborated with Orfeo Toolbox-TensorFlow development team
- French Research Residency Award recipient
- 2018: Research Assistant
- Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand
- Comparative risk assessment of hydrologic hazards in Jiulong River Basin (China) and Chao Phraya River Basin (Thailand)
- Conducted LULC change analysis using Landsat and MODIS imagery
- Built comprehensive geodatabase for regional hazard modelling
- 2014-2016: Research Assistant (GIS)
- University of Peshawar, Pakistan
- Developed GIS-based Decision Support System for FATA Secretariat
- Maintained online spatial planning and monitoring systems using GeoServer
- Processed field-collected GPS data and conducted spatial data QA/QC
Technical Skills
- Programming & Scripting
- R (intermediate)
- ArcPy (intermediate)
- Google Earth Engine (JavaScript)
- Python
- Machine Learning & Remote Sensing
- TensorFlow, Keras
- Semantic segmentation
- Time series analysis
- eCognition, ENVI, ERDAS IMAGINE, ER Mapper
- GIS & Spatial Analysis
- ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, SAGA GIS
- IDRISI TerrSet, uDIG, JOSM
- Hydrological Modelling: HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS
Publications
Mapping and monitoring peatland conditions from global to field scale
Minasny, B., Adetsu, D.V., Aitkenhead, M. et al. (including Habib, W.) (2024). "Mapping and monitoring peatland conditions from global to field scale." Biogeochemistry, 167(4), 383-425.
Mapping artificial drains in Peatlands – A national scale assessment of Irish raised bogs using sub-meter aerial imagery and deep learning methods
Habib, W., Cresson, R., McGuinness, K., & Connolly, J. (2024). "Mapping artificial drains in Peatlands – A national scale assessment of Irish raised bogs using sub-meter aerial imagery and deep learning methods." Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation.
Quantifying Peatland Land Use and CO2 Emissions in Irish Raised Bogs: Mapping Insights using Sentinel-2 Data and Google Earth Engine
Habib, W., Ruchita, I., Saunders, M., & Connolly, J. (2024). "Quantifying Peatland Land Use and CO2 Emissions in Irish Raised Bogs: Mapping Insights using Sentinel-2 Data and Google Earth Engine." Scientific Reports, 14, 1171.
A national-scale assessment of land use change in peatlands between 1989 and 2020 using Landsat data and Google Earth Engine—a case study of Ireland
Habib, W. & Connolly, J. (2023). "A national-scale assessment of land use change in peatlands between 1989 and 2020 using Landsat data and Google Earth Engine—a case study of Ireland." Regional Environmental Change, 23, 124.
Upscaling methane fluxes from peatlands across a drainage gradient in Ireland using PlanetScope imagery and machine learning tools
Ingle, R., Habib, W., Connolly, J. et al. (2023). "Upscaling methane fluxes from peatlands across a drainage gradient in Ireland using PlanetScope imagery and machine learning tools." Scientific Reports, 13, 11997.
Talks
From the Arctic tundra to temperate peatlands: Improving net ecosystem CO₂ exchange modelling for Irish peatland ecosystems
Conference presentation at ESA Living Planet Symposium, Vienna, Austria
Multi-spatial temporal remote sensing and machine learning for mapping land use on peatlands
Conference presentation at ML4EO, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
Automated Mapping of Artificial Drainage in Peatlands Using Deep Learning and Very High-Resolution Aerial Imagery
Conference presentation at EGU General Assembly, Vienna, Austria
Satellite-driven model to upscale Irish CO2 Net Ecosystem Exchange (ICONEEx)
Conference presentation at EGU General Assembly, Vienna, Austria
Mapping artificial drainage on Irish Raised bogs using very high-resolution aerial imagery and deep learning methods
Conference presentation at AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California (Online)
From pixels to peat: Discerning management practices and their implications in peatlands using machine learning and multi-temporal spatial remote sensing
Conference presentation at Royal Geographical Society (RGS-IBG) Annual International Conference, London, UK
Mapping vegetation communities across a drainage gradient in Irish raised bogs using PlanetScope Imagery
Conference presentation at 14th Irish Earth Observation Symposium, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Machine learning and deep learning for multi-temporal-spatial assessment of anthropogenic stressors on peatlands – A case study of Ireland
Conference presentation at Flow Country Research Conference, University of the Highlands and Islands, Thurso, Scotland
Mapping vegetation communities Irish raised bogs using PlanetScope imagery and Google Earth Engine
Conference presentation at 32nd Irish Environmental Researchers Colloquium, Ulster University Belfast, Northern Ireland
Mapping vegetation communities across a drainage gradient in Irish raised bogs
Conference presentation at Irish Geosciences Early Career Symposium, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
Spatio-temporal assessment of management impacts on peatlands - A case study of Ireland
Workshop presentation at Open Data Science Europe, Wageningen, Wageningen, Netherlands
Land-use change dynamics in the context of Irish raised bogs
Conference presentation at 52nd Annual Conference of Irish Geographers (Online), Online
National scale peatland land use mapping using google earth engine and Landsat data – a case study of Ireland
Conference presentation at International Peatland Congress (Online), Tallinn, Estonia (Online)
Characterisation of the 2020 Drumkeeran peat landslide: a large peat slide in Ireland
Conference presentation at EGU General Assembly, Vienna, Austria (Online), Vienna, Austria (Online)
Mapping land use on Irish raised bogs using Sentinel-2 image data and Google Earth Engine
Conference presentation at EGU General Assembly (Online), Vienna, Austria (Online)
Geospatial Analysis of Peatland Land Use and Drainage in Ireland
Conference presentation at 5th Annual Insight Student Conference, National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway, Ireland
Smart Observations of Management Impacts on Peatland Function (SmartBog)
Conference presentation at 13th Irish Earth Observation Symposium, National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway, Ireland
Teaching
Awards and Achievements
- 2025: Selected as Emerging Leader for Arctic Frontiers Conference, Tromsø, Norway (€5,000 funding)
- 2024: Travel grant by ICIMOD for Understanding Risk Field Lab, Kathmandu, Nepal ($1,200)
- 2024: Invited Reviewer, Natural England Technical Report on England Peat Map
- 2023: Eileen Reilly Award to attend Royal Geographical Society Annual Meeting, London (€500)
- 2023: French Research Residency Award, Embassy of France in Ireland (€1,250)
- 2022: Best overall oral presentation award, 32nd Irish Environmental Researchers Colloquium (€500)
- 2019-2023: EPA SmartBog PhD Scholarship (€93,600)
- 2019-2023: E3 Scholarship, Trinity College Dublin (€31,000)
- 2016-2018: HM King Scholarship for Master’s Degree, Thailand (THB 979,000)
- 2017: DAAD Scholarship for International Summer School (€1,500)
Certifications and Licences
- IAA UAV Pilot Competency Certification
- A1/A3 Open subcategory
- A2 Open subcategory
- STS standard scenarios
- Specific category
- BSAC Sports Diver Certification
- Advanced scuba diving skills, decompression techniques, underwater navigation and rescue drills
Professional Training
- Maps and Geospatial Revolution (Coursera)
- GIS for Humanitarian Mine Action (ESRI)
- Getting Started with ArcGIS, Authoring Web Maps, Mobile GIS (ESRI Virtual Campus)
- Spatial Analysis, Raster Data for Site Selection (ESRI)
Service and Leadership
- 2016-Present: URISA GISCorps Volunteer
- International humanitarian mapping missions
- Sri Lanka Flood Response mapping
- Global Polio Eradication Initiative support
- OpenStreetMap digitization and validation using JOSM and ArcGIS Online