Geospatial Analytics & Mapping Intern (US-Based Applicants ONLY)

US-Based Applicants ONLY – Remote internship from August 2026 to December 2026, 20 hours per week. Stipend: $1,603.50/month.

About the role

Mercy Corps (rebranding as Prosper Global in September 2026) is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, and in more than 30 countries, we partner to put bold solutions into action—helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.

The field of GIS, Earth Observation, and Artificial Intelligence is growing rapidly within the humanitarian community. This internship will help enhance Mercy Corps / Prosper Global’s geospatial operations, support, and products, ensuring we have the correct tools, data, and structures to harness these technologies for humanitarian and development work.

Learning objectives

• Learn about and contribute to applied GIS and Remote Sensing for humanitarian contexts, including the specific needs of Mercy Corps teams and programs.
• Gain experience with productionizing workflows in a cloud environment, developing AI-supported geospatial workflows, and using cloud and desktop geospatial tools.
• Support internal capacity building at an international humanitarian organization.

Responsibilities

• Work with the T4D Data Science team to roll out a pilot of ArcGIS Enterprise in select countries, including setting up the instance, organizing and populating data, and developing training and guidance materials.
• Support the organization’s Ebola response efforts by developing maps, visualizations, and analysis to inform and support the response team.
• Provide ad-hoc analyses and map products for T4D, HQ teams, and country teams using desktop software (e.g., QGIS, ArcGIS) or programmatic workflows (Python, Google Earth Engine).
• Contribute to projects such as:
  • Sourcing, cleaning, and preparing data for analysis.
  • Calculating, mapping, and interpreting remote sensing indices to support program design and adaptation.
  • Implementing geospatial foundational models in program use cases.
  • Developing AI-enabled workflows to automate periodic geospatial analysis and maps.
  • Supporting teams with map creation for reports or monitoring.
  • Researching and reporting on new geospatial tools, resources, and data sources.
  • Contributing to an inventory of geospatial tools, data, and analysis across the organization.
  • Productionizing geospatial analyses using cloud platforms.

Requirements

• University degree in progress or recently completed (within 1 year) in GIS, Geography, Remote Sensing/Earth Observation, Geoinformatics, Data Science, Computer Science, Engineering, or related fields.
• Must be based in the United States.
• Educational experience with geospatial analysis using GIS software such as QGIS or ArcGIS (ArcGIS Online is a plus).
• Practice with geospatial programming in Python and/or Google Earth Engine.
• Familiarity with AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT, especially for geospatial workflows.
• Familiarity with geospatial data formats, projections, transformations, and structures.
• Ability to effectively communicate complex technical topics to a non-technical audience.

Preferred qualifications

• Cloud development (AWS, Azure).
• Full Stack Development.
• Training materials or curriculum development.
• Interest/experience working in a multi-cultural and decentralized environment.
• Strong desire to learn new skills and apply them.
• Comfort with ambiguity and self-motivation.
• Creative, critical thinking, and attention to detail.

What we provide

• Training and supervisory support.
• Access to Mercy Corps online tools.
• All necessary tools, materials, and communication requirements for the project.

What you provide

• Laptop for remote work.
• Accommodation, travel, and living expenses.