Kia Ora, Namaste, Welcome,

In May 2021, I earned my PhD in Information Science from Otago University, where my research crafted a groundbreaking framework to mine and interpret the decision-making processes within open-source software development communities. With a focus on the Python community, I developed a semi-automatic, qualitative framework that captured the rationale behind consensus-driven decisions. This work culminated in four published papers, the latest presented at last year’s prestigious A*-ranked International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE). Building on this foundation, I extended my exploration into the Bitcoin community, examining influence tactics—a study that earned acceptance at the International Conference in Information Systems (ICIS), another top-tier A* conference.

Following my PhD, I joined the Department of Environment at the University of Auckland as a Postdoctoral Fellow, where I contributed to vital research on data sovereignty and Māori biodiversity data management in New Zealand. This work, part of the Ngā Rākau Taketake project on Myrtle Rust and Kauri Dieback Research, leverages technology to enhance biodiversity protection. Our team developed two pioneering browser-based tools aimed at safeguarding sensitive geospatial data, reported in two significant publications. The first, MapSafe: A complete tool for achieving geospatial data sovereignty, presents an innovative tool https://www.mapsafe.xyz for secure data management, empowering sovereign data owners to obfuscate, encrypt, and notarize data—all client-side—ensuring data remains protected and verifiable.

Our second tool described in this paper, is designed to empower Indigenous communities, allows Māori groups to govern, protect, and share sensitive data regarding their territories, resources, and cultural practices. This application integrates robust security functions (obfuscation, encryption, and notarization) within the GeoNode content management system, enabling local data control before cloud storage. These tools embody essential advancements in geospatial data sovereignty, supporting Māori stewardship over Biodiversity Management Areas in New Zealand. A video demonstration of this work can be viewed here.