Spatial Engineer · Digital Twin Developer
52.2215°N 6.8937°E
Rakibun
Athid
MSc Spatial Engineering · University of Twente · Master Honours Program
⬡ Energy Digital Twins ◉ Green Infrastructure ◈ MCDA & Scenario Planning

I’m interested in building interactive digital twins and spatial decision-support tools that turn complex urban, environmental, and energy data into clear, usable systems for planning, sustainability, and stakeholder engagement.

Twekkelerveld Demo Point of Interest System Get in Touch
5+
Years in Field
4+
Conferences
10+
GIS Projects
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About
Spatial Systems.
Sustainability Impact.

I'm a Spatial Engineer and Digital Twin Developer at the University of Twente (Faculty ITC), working at the intersection of 3D city modelling, energy systems, ecological analysis, and multi-criteria decision-making.

My flagship project is a neighbourhood-scale Urban Digital Twin for Twekkelerveld, Enschede — built with CesiumJS and grounded in municipal datasets, LoD2 building models, solar evidence, ecological layers, and planning-oriented indicators. The system supports scenario planning and MCDA-based evaluation for public-sector stakeholders.

Before spatial engineering, I spent five years as a development and disaster risk reduction professional in Bangladesh — leading field teams, coordinating Interreg-funded programmes, and delivering stakeholder-facing technical documentation for organisations including ActionAid and Solidarités International.

I am also a Master's Honours Programme alumnus (top 10% university-wide) in Change Leadership and Management, and am transitioning into an EngD programme at ITC starting July 2025.

Status
MSc Thesis Researcher · FutureBEEing (Interreg NL-DE)
Location
Enschede, Netherlands
Stack
CesiumJS · Python · QGIS · Google Earth Engine
Next
EngD Programme · University of Twente · Jul 2025
0+
Years of Experience
0
Conferences
0+
GIS Projects
0
Live Prototypes

⬡ Energy Systems

Solar potential mapping, energy flow visualisation, retrofit scenario planning, and building-level BIPV yield estimation for neighbourhood grid analysis.

◉ Green Infrastructure

Greenspace structure, tree inventories, canopy patterns, and ecological planning indicators translated into actionable neighbourhood-scale evidence.

◈ Social–Spatial Planning

MCDA-based scenario evaluation, stakeholder co-design, public-sector documentation, and route analysis integrating social equity indicators.

Live Demonstrations
Featured digital twin
and participation tools

A cleaner showcase of the two live experiences you wanted surfaced most clearly: the Twekkelerveld Digital Twin and the Point of Interest System.

12.4 kWp 9.8 kWp 16.2 kWp TWEKKELERVELD DIGITAL TWIN
Live Demo · Interactive
⬡ Twekkelerveld Digital Twin

Neighbourhood-scale planning
and scenario platform

A live CesiumJS environment connecting building models, solar estimates, retrofit scenarios, and decision-support logic for academic research and public-sector planning communication.

CesiumJS Neighbourhood Scale Solar & Retrofit Scenario Planning MCDA Research Prototype
Open Twekkelerveld Demo →
POINT OF INTEREST Culture · Mobility · Access Citizen-facing planning layers POINT OF INTEREST SYSTEM
Featured Demo · Interactive
◉ Point of Interest System

Interactive participation-
oriented mapping interface

A dedicated interface for showcasing points of interest, scenario communication, and stakeholder-facing map storytelling in a more accessible and presentation-friendly format.

POI Layers Stakeholder Interface Citizen Participation Scenario Storytelling Interactive Map UI
Open POI System →
Course Projects
Selected Work

Research and GIS projects from the MSc Spatial Engineering programme at University of Twente ITC.

Curated academic project portfolio
Energy Model Applied GIS
Solar suitability workflow for city-scale rooftops
A cleaner project snapshot focused on source data, outputs, and validation rather than decorative placeholder graphics.
Study AreaZwolle
SourcesWMS + irradiance
OutputRooftop yield map
ValidationCBS energy stats
⬡ Solar Energy
Dashboard · Applied GIS

Zwolle Solar Dashboard

// Energy Systems Analysis · University of Twente ITC

Developed an interactive solar energy potential dashboard for Zwolle using WMS building footprints and solar irradiance data. Estimated city-wide installation potential, visualised rooftop yield in QGIS, and checked outputs against CBS energy statistics.

Python QGIS WMS Solar Irradiance CBS Data
With: Joan Waithira · 2 members
GitHub →
Ecology Model Indicator Design
Carbon storage and habitat indicators for campus planning
The new visual uses structured project evidence blocks so the section feels like real work documentation instead of illustration filler.
Remote SensingSentinel-2 NDVI
CalibrationField biomass
FrameworkHMI + MCDA
ScenarioStudent housing
◉ Ecological Infrastructure
Campus scale · Indicator design

Map2Carbon — Ecosystem Services

// Spatial Analyses of Ecosystem Services · University of Twente ITC

Mapped above-ground carbon storage on the University of Twente campus using Sentinel-2 NDVI calibrated with field biomass data. Built a Habitat Modification Index linking carbon storage, habitat quality, and runoff regulation, then assessed scenario impacts for proposed student housing.

Python (Rasterio) QGIS Sentinel-2 NDVI LiDAR Carbon HMI / MCDA EPSG:28992
Team: Map2Carbon · 4 members
UT Report
Mobility Analysis Routing Study
Comparing greener and faster routes in an urban network
A more editorial card style that highlights the method, trade-off, and output of the project in a compact way.
NetworkOSM streets
Greenness30 m NDVI buffer
WorkflowOSMnx + NetworkX
OutputFast vs green routes
◈ Urban Mobility
Routing · Environmental quality

Green vs Fast Routes — Utrecht

// Data Mastery Challenge · University of Twente ITC

Compared fastest and greener walking and cycling routes in Utrecht using OSM streets, Sentinel-2 NDVI within 30 m buffers, and NetworkX in a reproducible workflow.

Python (OSMnx) Google Earth Engine NetworkX Sentinel-2 NDVI GeoJSON
With: Nawwar F. Procheta · 2 members
GitHub →
Decision Support MCDA Ranking
Environmental option screening for tailings management
This redesign keeps the emphasis on analytical logic, evidence layers, and ranking outputs instead of visual placeholders.
EvidenceNDVI + DEM
MethodBuffer analysis
FrameworkWeighted MCA
OutcomeOption prioritisation
◆ Environmental Management
MCDA · Site suitability

Sustainable Tailings — Neyshabur, Iran

// Earth Observation Science · University of Twente ITC

Investigated sustainable tailings management at the Neyshabur turquoise mine through NDVI time series and multi-ring buffer analysis. Applied weighted multi-criteria analysis across environmental, economic, and global dimensions to identify Hydraulic Dewatered Stacking as the preferred option.

ArcGIS / QGIS Sentinel-2 NDVI DEM Hydrology Multi-Ring Buffer MCA / Weighted Scoring
Team: Sustainable Mine Diggers · 4 members
Nov 2024
Technical Stack
Skills & Tools
🗺
GIS & Spatial
QGIS Vector Analysis Raster Processing Spatial Joins QA/QC Map Production EPSG Projections WMS / WFS
🏙
Digital Twins & 3D
CesiumJS CityGML / LOD2 BlenderGIS glTF / 3D Tiles FME (basic) Scenario Planning MCDA Indicator Design
🛰
Remote Sensing
Google Earth Engine Raster Indices Time-Series Environmental Mapping Solar Irradiance Shadow Analysis GeoTIFF / COG
⌨
Programming
Python GeoPandas Rasterio Jupyter Git / GitHub osmnx / NetworkX Streamlit Automation
🌐
Web & Deployment
HTML / CSS / JS Cloudflare Pages Cloudflare R2 Asset Management Web Deployment API Integration
📢
Communication
Stakeholder Reports Scientific Writing Conference Talks Non-Technical Docs Policy Alignment Change Leadership Multilingual
Research & Dissemination
Publications & Conferences

All outputs stem from the Twekkelerveld Neighbourhood Digital Twin thesis project.

0 Accepted
0 Submitted
0 Planned
2025 Expected graduation
Presentation-ready research highlights
✓ Submitted
Journal Track

ISPRS Journal Paper

// International Society for Photogrammetry & Remote SensingISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing

Manuscript submitted, centred on the neighbourhood-scale Digital Twin methodology, prototype design, and cross-domain evaluation workflow developed for Twekkelerveld.

Journal article
Under Review
✓ Accepted · April 2026
Netherlands

4TU – 14 UAS Research Day

// Urban & City Planning DomainUniversity of Twente · April 2026 · Netherlands

Accepted to present findings and demonstrate the live prototype at a cross-university research showcase for an interdisciplinary academic audience.

Conference talk Live demo
✓ Accepted · Oral · 05 May 2026
EGU26-7450

EGU General Assembly 2026

// Vienna, Austria · Room D2EGU General Assembly 2026 · Tuesday, 05 May 2026 · 10:00–10:10 CEST · Room D2

DOI-linked conference abstract for “Digital Twin For Improvement of The Sustainability of Neighbourhoods Through Scenario Planning”, accepted as an oral presentation on neighbourhood-scale digital twin methodology and cross-domain scenario evaluation for sustainability planning.

Conference abstract
View DOI abstract →
✓ Abstract Accepted
USA

IGARSS 2026

// Washington D.C., USAIGARSS 2026 · IEEE Geoscience & Remote Sensing Symposium

Accepted abstract sharing the Digital Twin prototype and methodological workflow with the international remote sensing research community.

Symposium Accepted abstract
◈ Strategic Outlook
AI Track

GeoSofia 2026

// GATE AI TrackGeoSofia 2026 · AI-Driven Geospatial Intelligence

Planned prototype showcase connecting the Digital Twin research to AI-driven geospatial intelligence and emerging urban analytics discussions.

Planned showcase Prototype focus
Thesis
Expected June 2026

Digital Twin for Improvement of the Sustainability of Neighbourhoods through Scenario Planning

// University of Twente ITCFaculty ITC · MSc Spatial Engineering · Enschede, NL

The central research project integrating energy, ecology, and scenario-based decision support into a single neighbourhood-scale Urban Digital Twin.

MSc thesis View Live Prototype →
Timeline
Experience &
Education
Experience
Sep 2025 – Present

Intern / MSc Thesis Researcher

Provincie Overijssel · FutureBEEing (Interreg NL-DE)

Designing and deploying a neighbourhood Digital Twin for Twekkelerveld, Enschede. Integrated pipeline from municipal open data to a live 3D web prototype with scenario planning, MCDA, and stakeholder documentation for public-sector users.

Jan 2025 – Jan 2026

Chair – Education & Research

Green Hub Twente

Coordinated education and research activities around sustainability at the university–community interface. Supported collaborations between academic teams and civic stakeholders across the Twente region.

Jan 2025 – Jan 2026

Student Member – Programme Committee

University of Twente, Faculty ITC

Contributed to programme quality reviews and student–staff feedback mechanisms for the Spatial Engineering and Geo-Information Science faculty.

2019 – 2024

Development & DRR Professional

ActionAid Bangladesh · Solidarités International · SAJIDA Foundation

Led field teams and coordination programmes in disaster risk reduction and community development across Bangladesh. Five years of stakeholder management, technical reporting, and community-focused programme delivery reaching thousands of beneficiaries.

Education
Sep 2024 – Jun 2026 (expected)

MSc Spatial Engineering

University of Twente, Faculty ITC · Netherlands
★ Top 10% — Honours Programme

Thesis: "Digital Twin for Improvement of the Sustainability of Neighbourhoods through Scenario Planning." Also completed the Master's Honours Programme in Change Leadership & Management (15 ECTS) — a selective programme exclusively open to the top 10% of students university-wide.

2020 – 2021 · GPA 3.69 / 4.00

MSc/MSS Development Studies

Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP)

Cross-disciplinary focus on development policy, social systems, and research methodology. Graduated with distinction. Foundation for cross-domain sustainability thinking.

2015 – 2018 · GPA 3.64 / 4.00

BSS Disaster & Human Security Management

Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP)

Foundation in disaster risk management, human security frameworks, and community resilience — the analytical base for later cross-domain work in spatial sustainability and digital urban systems.

Contact
Let's Build Something
That Matters

Open to research collaborations, EngD/PhD opportunities, and GIS/Digital Twin roles. Reach out on any channel.

Personal Email
rakib.athid@gmail.com
University Email
r.athid@student.utwente.nl
Work Email
r.athid@overijssel.nl
Phone
+31 6 8645 0137
Live demos
Twekkelerveld  ·  POI System
Available for collaborations · Enschede, Netherlands
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