Hamid Mehmood

Hamid Mehmood

Hamid Mehmood serves as the Head of the UN-SPIDER Beijing Office at the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). In this role, he spearheads global initiatives to leverage space-based technologies for disaster risk reduction, climate resilience, and sustainable development, focusing on translating cutting-edge research into practical solutions for stakeholders worldwide.

Prior to joining UNOOSA, Mehmood worked at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) as an Economic Affairs Officer for the Space Applications Section (2022–2025). During his tenure in Bangkok, he developed and implemented groundbreaking applications of space technology to support sustainable development across the Asia-Pacific region. His leadership in projects such as drought monitoring in Central Asia, crop monitoring in the Mekong region, and SDG tracking in Indonesia and Thailand earned multiple accolades, including the ESCAP Innovation Award, the Popular Science Best of What’s New Award, and a Top 20 Finalist position for the SDG Digital GameChangers Award. He also contributed to the Regional Space Applications Program and served as a Steering Committee Member of GEO Blue Planet.

Before joining the United Nations, Mehmood served as a Project Officer and Senior Researcher at the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health (UNU-INWEH) in Canada, where he developed strategic foresight tools and coordinated the Water Learning Center. He also served as an Adjunct Professor at McMaster University, teaching GIS, remote sensing, and environmental modeling. Earlier in his career, he was the Capacity Development Lead at SERVIR-Mekong—a USAID/NASA project—at the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, and later worked as the GIS Team Lead at Management Systems International in Pakistan.

Mehmood holds a Ph.D. and a Master’s degree in Remote Sensing and GIS from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Thailand. He is certified in ITIL v4 Foundation, PRINCE2 Foundation, and is a GISP Certified Professional. His current research interests include GeoAI, big Earth data, digital technologies, participatory modeling, data cubes, analysis-ready data, and the application of distributed ledger technologies for sustainable development. 

Share this speaker
Share This Speaker
  • Organization
    United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
  • Profession
    Head of the UN-SPIDER Beijing Office
Related sessions
In person
9 July 2025
14:00 - 17:15
EST - New York
CST - Beijing
PST - Los Angeles
AWST - Perth, Australia
As the global community works to solve global challenges, innovative...
In person
9 July 2025
12:30 - 13:45
EST - New York
CST - Beijing
PST - Los Angeles
AWST - Perth, Australia
This high-level lunch will convene senior representatives from more than...
In personAI and partnershipsAI and environment+1
9 July 2025
09:00 - 12:15
EST - New York
CST - Beijing
PST - Los Angeles
AWST - Perth, Australia
Discovery - GeoAI
OnlineAI and environment
26 June 2024
10:00 - 11:00
EST - New York
CST - Beijing
PST - Los Angeles
AWST - Perth, Australia
Large Language Models (LLMs) have revolutionized numerous aspects of modern...