WBG Pioneers, the World Bank Group's Internship Program, offers undergraduate and postgraduate students a high impact learning experience at the heart of global development. Participants gain hands on experience in a diverse and dynamic environment, contribute fresh perspectives and innovative ideas, and connect with international professionals working to end poverty on a livable planet.
Background/OrganizationalContext
The Smart Parcel Atlas for Resilient Cities (SPARC) is a World Bank Groupgeospatial intelligence initiative that helps task teams and city governmentsgenerate and apply parcel-level spatial evidence for urban planning,infrastructure prioritization, land management, disaster risk management, andinvestment decisions. SPARC combines satellite imagery, global datasets, GeoAImethods, and administrative information to produce decision-ready layers onbuildings, parcels, land use, infrastructure access, hazard exposure,population dynamics, and urban growth. The internship will support the thematicexpansion of SPARC to conflict-affected and reconstruction contexts (e.g.,South Sudan, Sudan, Ukraine), with a focus on how parcel- andneighborhood-level geospatial intelligence can inform remote monitoring, damageand change detection, population and displacement dynamics, service disruptionanalysis, and operational prioritization for recovery and resilienceinvestments.
Dutiesand Responsibilities
Review SPARC materials, reconstruction, and forced displacement use cases, and good practice on remote monitoring, damage detection, displacement tracking, and urban recovery analytics.
Map relevant conflict-specific (including forced displacement) data sources and methods, including satellite imagery, building footprints, road networks, land cover, nighttime lights, population proxies, hazard exposure layers, and administrative datasets.
Support definition of SPARC use cases for conflict and post-conflict settings, including reconstruction prioritization, service disruption screening, and remote supervision of recovery investments.
Contribute to analytical frameworks, prototype analytics, mock-ups, and concise operational materials for selected contexts, subject to data availability and team priorities.
Prepare notes, briefs, slide inputs, and documentation on data quality, uncertainty, limitations, validation needs, ethical considerations, and appropriate use in sensitive FCV contexts.