Nicholas Kinsella · Geospatial & Earth Observation
Remote sensing, GIS, and methane insight for complex sites
Independent consultancy supporting developers, operators, regulators, and research teams — from satellite-based emissions monitoring to spatial analysis you can act on.
Satellite-based detection and quantification for oil & gas, landfills, and industrial sites using Sentinel-2, Sentinel-5P, open-source workflows, and machine learning.
GIS & site constraint analysis
Spatial mapping, overlay analysis, environmental impact assessment, and constraint studies to support planning, permitting, and design decisions.
Remote sensing consultancy
Workflow design, data processing, and technical support for organisations including the European Commission, landfill operators, and research groups.
Spatial data & web GIS
PostgreSQL/PostGIS databases, GeoServer, OpenLayers, Python pipelines, and deliverables that integrate with your existing project environment.
Selected work
Projects, research & software
Open source
CH₄ Sentinel
Open-source tool to detect and quantify methane super-emitting point sources from Sentinel-2 SWIR data using a processor-light XGBoost workflow. Designed to run on a modest laptop.
MSc research monitoring Algeria’s largest oil field (2021–2024) with CH₄ Sentinel and Integrated Methane Inversion. OSNI award winner; nominated for the RGS Outstanding Postgraduate Research prize.
Wind-rotated plume method using hundreds of daily Sentinel-5P passes to quantify landfill methane — including Spanish sites near Madrid and Seville, validated against independent airborne measurements.
Norte III, Buenos Aires — WRPM compositeEl Pinto & Montemarta-Cónica, Spain
Environmental GIS
Wildfire risk & emergency GIS — Málaga
Forest fire risk assessment using LST and NDVI for two wildfire events in southern Spain, with land cover classification and temperature anomaly mapping.
Presented CH₄ Sentinel and Hassi Messaoud methane findings at SPIE Sensors + Imaging 2025 in Glasgow, with further talks at GeoCymru and RSPSoc Wavelength.
SPIE 2025GeoCymru 2025Wavelength 2026
Publication
Peer-reviewed research
Monitoring methane emissions at Hassi Messaoud from 2021 to 2024 using CH4 Sentinel and Integrated Methane Inversion
Proceedings of SPIE, vol. 13671. Assesses Algeria’s progress toward its 2030 GHG reduction target using Sentinel-2 plume quantification and Sentinel-5P basin-scale inversion.
Geospatial specialist with published research and industry delivery
I’m Nicholas Kinsella — a geospatial analyst and GIS project manager with a Distinction-level MSc in Geographical Information Systems from Ulster University and a background in geography from the University of Hertfordshire.
My work spans methane emissions monitoring, Earth observation, environmental GIS, and spatial data systems. I developed CH₄ Sentinel during my master’s research, presented findings at international conferences, and have delivered remote sensing analysis for the European Commission, landfill operators, and industry stakeholders.
I currently work as GIS Project Manager at Telespazio and take on independent consultancy engagements. I work in English and Spanish and am eligible to work in the UK and EU.
