About Me

Supath Dhital

Geospatial Water Resources Researcher & Developer

Spatial Data Science Developer

I work at the intersection of geospatial science, hydrology, AI, and open-source software to build practical systems for research, forecasting, and decision support.

View Projects View CV Background
Focus Areas
Open-Source Software
Flood & Water Science
GeoAI & Remote Sensing
WebGIS & Spatial Databases
5+ Open-source tools
80K+ Tool downloads
15+ Research outputs
4+ Datasets

I'm a geospatial data scientist, hydrologist, and developer working across GIS, spatial data science, GeoAI, hydroinformatics, WebGIS, and open-source scientific software. I build reproducible tools and data systems that turn complex location-based information into practical maps, models, dashboards, and decision-support workflows.

My work spans geospatial data engineering, model automation, spatial databases, cloud workflows, remote sensing, flood modeling, surveying, and scientific programming. I enjoy building systems that are useful beyond a single study: documented, reusable, scalable, and clear enough for researchers, planners, agencies, and technical teams to adopt.

I have led and contributed to open-source Python tools, benchmark datasets, WebGIS products, and AI-enabled modeling workflows for water resources, disaster preparedness, environmental analysis, and broader geospatial applications.

Core Expertise

Geospatial Data Science

Python, ArcPy, GDAL, rasterio, GeoPandas, Xarray, and cloud pipelines for scalable spatial analysis.

AI for Water Science

Machine learning, surrogate modeling, and time-series workflows for hydrology, forecasting, and environmental systems.

WebGIS Development

ArcGIS Online, Experience Builder, Google Earth Engine, Flask, Streamlit, and Leaflet for interactive geospatial systems.

Database & Automation

PostgreSQL/PostGIS schemas, spatial joins, QA/QC workflows, package development, and automated data pipelines.

Remote Sensing & Mapping

Satellite imagery, UAV mapping, LiDAR processing, DGPS, topographic surveys, and field data collection.

Open-Source Delivery

Documentation, technical workshops, reproducible workflows, peer-reviewed outputs, and collaborative software development.

Education

Academic Background

Jan 2024 — Dec 2025
MS in Geography and the Environment GPA 4.0/4.0
The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
Thesis: Enhancement of low-fidelity flood inundation mapping through surrogate modeling
Advisor: Dr. Sagy Cohen
Coursework: Process Hydrology, Environmental Data Analysis, GIS Programming, DBMS (PostGIS), WebGIS, Quantitative Methods
Nov 2018 — Apr 2023
BE in Geomatics Engineering GPA 3.7/4.0
Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Thesis: Short-term weather forecasting using LSTM deep learning: A study of Kaski district, Nepal
Coursework: Remote Sensing, GIS, Surveying I & II, Photogrammetry, Geodesy I & II, Digital Terrain Model, C/C++ Programming, Statistics, Mathematics
2016 — 2018
Computer Science GPA 3.71/4.0
Rehdon College, Samakhusi, Kathmandu, Nepal
Coursework: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Computer Science
Experience

Professional Appointments

Jan 2026 — Present
Geography Researcher II
Surface Dynamics Modeling Lab, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL · Supervisor: Dr. Sagy Cohen
  • Leading the development of FIMbox — a modular, open-source testbed for Flood Inundation Mapping (FIM) research and operations
  • Architecting configurable simulation pipelines with standardized APIs, custom dataset support, and automated benchmarking workflows
  • Facilitating cross-institutional collaboration through technical workshops, documentation sprints, and peer-reviewed publications
  • Advancing research-to-operations (R2O) pathways by integrating reproducible geospatial software into operational hydrologic frameworks
Jun — Jul 2025
Water Prediction Innovators Summer Institute Fellow
CUAHSI, Tuscaloosa, AL · Mentors: Dr. Jonathan M. Frame & Dr. Marouane Temimi
  • Developed novel Pluvial (Urban) Flooding representation within NOAA's Next Generation Water Modeling Framework (NextGen)
  • Designed and validated two Pluvial Flood Indices (PFI-1 and PFI-2) to detect and characterize urban flood signatures in streamflow data
  • Validated detection capability across 595 flood events in 251 catchments spanning the contiguous United States
  • Competitively selected from 100+ national applicants; awarded $7,500 fellowship for 7-week intensive research program
Jan 2024 — Dec 2025
Graduate Research Assistant
Surface Dynamics Modeling Lab, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL · Advisor: Dr. Sagy Cohen
  • Developed a hybrid AI surrogate model that improved flood inundation accuracy by 35% and accelerated processing speed by 10,000× over hydraulic baselines
  • Led development of FIMserv (40K+ downloads), FIMeval (15K+ downloads), and RiverJoin open-source Python packages
  • Collaborated on river-slope attribution using ICESat-2 satellite altimetry data; methodology adopted by NOAA Office of Water Prediction (OWP)
  • Co-led 2 hands-on training workshops at the CIROH Developers Conference 2025, Burlington, VT
  • Maintained fully funded graduate research assistantship (RA) with full tuition waiver and stipend throughout MS program
Oct 2022 — Jan 2023
Geospatial Data Quality Intern
Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT), Remote, Nepal
  • Validated 70+ HOT mapping projects across 12 countries using systematic QA/QC protocols for humanitarian geospatial data
  • Designed automated validation workflows that reduced data error rates by 40% compared to manual review processes
  • Selected as 1 of 28 global interns from a competitive pool of 1,000+ applicants worldwide
  • Contributed to open data quality standards supporting disaster response and humanitarian aid targeting
Feb — Oct 2022
Geospatial Analyst / Mapper
Kathmandu Living Labs, Nepal
  • Mapped and validated river and road network data across 21 districts in Pakistan as part of a World Bank-funded infrastructure project
  • Digitized and updated OpenStreetMap data for 15+ Nepal earthquake-affected sites, enabling aid organizations to optimize assistance delivery
  • Produced ready-to-use geospatial datasets integrated into emergency response logistics and planning workflows
Community

Leadership, Service & Community Work

Humanitarian mapping, open-data collaboration, student leadership, and community-oriented technical training that complement my research and software work.

Volunteer Junior ML Engineer Jan – Apr 2023

Omdena · Collaborative Projects · Remote

Contributed to collaborative machine-learning projects spanning agricultural nitrogen-flow modeling, flood prediction in Belgrade, and biodiversity-focused dark-corridor mapping in Brussels.

  • Built deep-learning workflows from remote sensing and environmental data.
  • Worked across climate, flood, and ecological use cases in international project teams.
Advanced Mapper, Trainer & Intern 2021 – 2023

Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT)

Supported humanitarian mapping through large-scale OpenStreetMap contribution, quality validation, volunteer training, and structured geospatial data-quality work.

  • Contributed to 100+ HOT projects and later served as a global Data Quality Intern.
  • Earned the Missing Maps Professional Mapper recognition.
Executive Committee Member 2021 – 2022

Geomatics Engineering Students' Association of Nepal (GESAN)

Helped lead trainings, webinars, and hands-on student activities in mapping, Earth observation, DGPS, drone surveying, and geoinformatics practice.

  • Delivered training and community learning opportunities to 100+ students and 150+ participants.
  • Supported broader geospatial literacy through student-led workshops and outreach.
Participatory Mapping Trainer Jan – Feb 2022

Palungtar Municipality, Gorkha

Organized a mapathon and field-informed participatory mapping effort in one of Nepal's earthquake-affected districts to improve open geodata and preparedness-oriented thematic mapping.

Mapper & Validator 2022

Kathmandu Living Labs (KLL)

Supported humanitarian and social-impact mapping through CLARISSA-related OpenStreetMap work and volunteer data-validation practice.

Workshop Co-Lead May 2025

CIROH Developers Conference

Co-led technical training workshops on FIM generation and evaluation, connecting open-source research software with practitioner and agency audiences.