CV: Instrument Data Processing Engineer

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Instrument Data Processing Engineer at EUMETSAT, Darmstadt, Germany

    Feb 2010-present

• Experience of working in an international organization
• Support Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) image processing in both operational (real time) and validation environments
• Monitor and report on the geometric and radiometric quality of the raw and rectified image data acquired from MSG satellites
• Analyze, design and prototype algorithms to be included/improved in real time image processing facility for navigation and registration of MSG images

Research Assistant at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Munich, Germany

  Sep 2006-Jan 2010

Project: DeSecure (Ph.D. Topic: “Automatic Image to Image Registration for Multimodal Remote Sensing Images)

• Independent research to develop software modules for remote sensing image registration
• Extensive evaluation of contemporary feature and intensity based image matching algorithms
• Key techniques and tools:  mutual information (information theory), cluster reward algorithm (image joint histogram based matching), scale invariant feature transform (computer vision), simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation (optimization), region growing for high resolution feature extraction, image filtering & compression (signal processing), wavelets and Fourier transforms
• Modified mutual information implementation for high resolution SAR-optical image registration
• Implemented a discrete SPSA optimizer to significantly reduce image registration processing time
• Improved scale invariant feature transform algorithm for multisensor SAR image matching
• Proposed a fusion of information theory and computer vision for radar image matching applications

 Project: ARGOS (application and development)

• Implemented a completely automated road extraction tool for high resolution airborne images
• Key techniques and tools: point and linear feature detection (signal processing), image filtering, GIS database, Microsoft Visual C++ with DOT NET Framework and MySQL server

 Achievements from Ph.D. research

• Four peer reviewed papers as first author including one in IEEE Transactions and other reputed journals
• Co-authored a patent (under review) in the field of high resolution image matching to improve geometrical accuracy of optical satellite images using newly available precise SAR images
• International exposure and recognition by platform presentations in reputed conferences and summer schools attended in Italy, Spain, Germany, India, USA and France

 Teamwork accomplishments

• Co-authored 2 peer reviewed papers with the ARGOS project team
• Mentored two master students (6 months each) and an intern (5 months). One of these projects has been accepted for publication in the International Journal of Remote Sensing (Oct 2008)

EDUCATION

Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, TechnicalUniversity, Munich, Germany                                     2006-2009

• Magna cum laude, specialization in satellite image processing

M. Tech in Geomatics Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India             2004-2006

• CGPA: 9.46/10.0 (Batch Rank: 3)

Bachelor of Information Technology, HamdardUniversity,New Delhi, India                       2000-2004

• Aggregate: 81% (Batch Rank: 3), 1^st rank in competitive university entrance examination

HONORS/AWARDS

• Grant by ESRI Inc. for a talk in an international GIS conference (June 2009, Hannover, Germany)
• Appreciation award for a paper in European Transport Research Review (Dec 2008, Lyon, France)
• DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) fellowship, for master thesis at Technical University, Dresden, Germany (Sep 2005 - May 2006)
• Government of India scholarship to be in top 2% in computer science Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering(Aug 2004 - June 2006)

TECHNICAL SKILLSET

Operating Systems: Linux, Windows (All versions)

Programming Languages: C/C++, JAVA(core)

Databases: MS Access and MySQL (familiar to PL/SQL and geo spatial databases)

Platforms: Net Beans for Java, Microsoft Dot Net  (database programming)

Remote Sensing:Feature extraction and matching

                            Image registration, classification, fusion & segmentation                              

                            High resolution image interpretation and analysis (SAR and Optical)

                            Know how of DEM generation and evaluation techniques

• Programming experience in Xdibias (a Unix based proprietary image processing system of DLR)
• Well versed with relevant Matlab toolboxes, IDL and C/C++ compliers like GCC and turbo
• Comfortable with object oriented programming, algorithms and data structures
• Sound knowledge of photogrammetry and GIS techniques
• GPS field surveying experience
• Familiar to tools like neural networks and support vector machines
• Strong background in geomatics engineering, optimization theory, information theory and computer vision tools and techniques
• Hands-on experience in commercial software like ArcGIS, ERDAS Imagine and ENVI

LEADERSHIP ROLES AND ACTIVITIES

• Active member of the wine club at EUMETSAT
• Associated with Asha for Education (Munich chapter); rigorously involved in project reviews, site visits and managing public relations (editor of the annual newsletter Asha Kiran)(Sep 2006–present)
• Led a diverse group of 20 people of different nationalities and professions to organize two Indian classical music concerts for Asha Munich (Nov 2007-Dec 2009)
• Member of American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) since 2009
• In review board of for journals like International Journal of Remote Sensing and IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters
• At undergraduate level, worked at the university training and placement cell. Responsible for preparing placement brochures and inviting companies for on campus recruitment (2002-2004)
• Coordinated a 15 day educational trip of 50 students to visit IT companies in Bangalore (Oct 2003)

MISCELLANY

• Languages: English (fluent), German (conversational) and Hindi (native)
• Like reading and listening podcasts (economy/business related)
• Active sportsman: Biking, Cricket, Badminton, Jogging (couple of times finished the 10 Km Munich city run)
• Immigration status: citizen of India, residence permit in Germany (till Jan 2013)
• Love travelling and contributing to noble causes like Asha for Education