Project Summary:

• Businesses face a changing landscape with stricter regulations demanding action on nature & climate risks, and they are starting to act. Earth Blox provides the geospatial data they need to navigate these complex requirements. Help build our library of high-impact solutions by collaborating with users, analysing research, and creating powerful tools. Shape the future of sustainability as an intern on this exciting project with Earth Blox.

• Find out more about SPIN and explore FAQs here.

Project Description

Financial institutions and global corporations are scrambling to integrate the risks and impacts of nature and climate into their decision-making. The rush to bring themselves up to speed is being driven by watershed changes in the regulatory disclosures they are required to make. The Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) led the way in demanding transparency on how climate change could cripple companies and livelihoods. The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosure (TNFD) is raising alarms, and making similar demands, about nature loss, and the subsequent impact that business activities are having to accelerate this.

This is where Earth Blox comes in, armed with petabytes of powerful geospatial data. Our customers think of us as their climate and nature risk compass, helping them to navigate the shifting regulatory landscape and environmental challenges. With growing pressure to make disclosures mandatory (indeed TCFD has now been integrated into other ESG mandatory reporting), Earth Blox is becoming essential to help these organisations meet their requirements. We're actively building a library of high-value solutions, diving deep into climate models and identifying key metrics that spell risk or reward.

During this project, the intern will collaborate with end-users to understand their most critical needs, then dive into cutting-edge research and existing solutions like a data detective. You will contribute by translating these findings into powerful solutions within Earth Blox, potentially shaping the future of our platform to support these crucial use cases. This is a chance to be at the forefront of a sustainability revolution!

Skills you will develop whilst carrying out the project

• Applications of Data Science

• Research and development practices

• Customer interaction and engagement

• Understanding of nature and climate regulations and how they impact organisations, plus the operational requirements under these schemes – what are organisations trying to achieve, and what are the technical parameters within which they need to operate, plus how that fits into the wider picture of environmentally sustainable business practises

Applicant Specification:

• Has attained or is in the process of attaining a bachelor's degree in Geosciences (for example Geography, GIS, Ecology, etc.).

Minimum requirements:

• Knowledge and experience in remote sensing and Earth observation

• Knowledge and experience of Google Earth Engine

• Some knowledge of Python

• Ability to work in a small team.

• Passion and enthusiasm

Desirable (but not mandatory):

• Has some knowledge of environmental regulations

• Knowledge of Python, JavaScript, or other coding languages;

Process details:

• 8 weeks minimum fixed term contract to be agreed with successful candidate

• In-person Induction Event and an in-person/hybrid Showcase Event

• 5 days holiday to be taken during the placement

Company Description

Earth Blox unlocks climate and nature positive action at a planetary scale by empowering change-makers with scientifically robust analytics using satellite and geospatial datasets. Each organisation's ‘footprint’ of interactions with nature, biodiversity, and climate is unique, meaning there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and flexibility is essential. Nature and climate data are difficult to find, let alone analyse and use. Teams of experts typically collaborate with climate scientists and ecologists to make sense of these data to drive action. These complexities raise challenges to the speed and scale at which this analysis needs to be undertaken.

Earth Blox solves this by making nature and climate data accessible under a single cloud infrastructure and usable through its interoperable LEGO-like solutions builder. This builder empowers users who can now create their own highly tailored and sophisticated analytics in minutes rather than months.

The intern would join a dynamic, mission-driven and award-winning team. We have received funding from the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Innovate UK and won both the highly competitive Converge Challenge and Scottish Edge prizes in 2020. We are considered a High Growth Venture by Scottish Enterprise.