Cloud-Native Geospatial 101
With thriveGEO’s ‘Cloud-Native Geospatial 101’ course you learn the skills needed to process large volumes of geospatial data in the cloud. Spend less time downloading massive amounts of data and more time deriving data-driven insights.
Location
Online
Language
English
Next cohort
26 Oct–6 Nov 2026
Format
2 weeks · Part-time
Time commitment
8–10 hours per week
Acquire high in-demand data and cloud skills that set you up for your next career move.
Our courses stand out through their interactive and hands-on format.
Receive an official certification from the Cloud-Native Geospatial Forum after successful completion.
Built with specialist partners, this course combines recognised certification from the Cloud-Native Geospatial Forum with practical technology expertise from MEEO.
Providing the certification framework behind the Cloud-Native Geospatial 101 course.
Bringing applied technology expertise into the learning experience.
This course introduces you to cloud-native geospatial, a new set of standards to work with geospatial data in the cloud. The course consists of four fundamental modules, in which you practically work with key parts of the cloud-native geospatial technology stack, including STAC, cloud-optimised geospatial data formats (COG, Zarr, GeoParquet) and xarray + Dask.
Course modules
Explore the full Cloud-Native Geospatial 101 learning journey, from key concepts and data discovery to cloud-optimised formats, scalable technologies and a practical capstone project.
Build the foundations: what cloud-native geospatial means, why it matters, and the core concepts that connect the ecosystem.
Introduction to key concepts
Learn how to discover, describe and access cloud-native geospatial data using STAC in practice.
Data discovery and STAC in Action
Part 1: Cloud-Optimized Raster formats Part 2: Cloud-Optimized Vector formats
Cloud-Optimised Geospatial Data Formats
Learn how to scale your workflows with xarray + Dask and DuckDB.
Introduction to Cloud-Native Geospatial Technologies
During the capstone project, you apply the skills you acquired and work on your first cloud-native geospatial project.
Capstone Project
Autumn 2026 cohort
Our Autumn 2026 cohort runs part-time over two weeks, combining self-paced online learning, three live practical sessions, optional office hours, and a capstone project.
Live sessions shown in Central European Time (CET) and Eastern Time (ET, −6 hours).
Office hours are optional and available for questions, troubleshooting and course support.
Participant voices
Feedback from previous cohorts highlights the clarity of the teaching, the value of practical application and the usefulness of the course materials.
Julia and Sabrina have a real gift for explaining technical concepts in an accessible and engaging way. I especially appreciated the workshop's balance between theoretical teachings and practical applications within a organized, friendly, and supportive environment.
Being able to apply what we learned in a final mini project was such a rewarding and meaningful experience - I converted a personal Jupyter notebook from using a NetCDF file to a Zarr file, which significantly reduced both processing time and file size.
I left the workshop feeling more confident and excited about where to dive deeper and continue my cloud-native geospatial journey. I’d absolutely recommend this to anyone curious about advancing their geospatial skills for the future of geospatial.
I liked that we had full code scripts to run through while we were learning so we had clear things to reference when we were building our own mini project at the end.
Training in practice
See how thriveGEO has adapted cloud-native geospatial training for operational teams working with Earth observation, marine and large-scale geospatial data.
Australian Ocean Data Network
A tailored two-week hybrid programme aligned the AODN team around cloud-native concepts and practical tools, while surfacing concrete opportunities to improve existing data pipelines.
Centre National d'Études Spatiales
A tailored hybrid programme created a shared technical language across specialists in satellite processing, DevOps, ground segment, EO algorithms and scientific applications.
Who is this for?
A practical fit for geospatial professionals who want to move beyond local workflows and build confidence with cloud-native tools.
You are running into limits of downloading and processing large amounts of geospatial data.
You want to understand what ‘cloud-native geospatial’ means.
You want to be able to work with STAC, cloud-optimized geospatial formats, as well as xarray and Dask.
You want to add ‘cloud’ to your geospatial toolset and get an official CNG certification.
Learning with thriveGEO
Our courses combine current geospatial practice with hands-on learning, so participants can understand the tools, apply them and keep working independently.
Built around current tools, standards and real geospatial workflows — not generic theory.
Learn by doing through guided workflows, practical exercises and project-based application.
Leave with the confidence, references and practical foundations to continue on your own.
Subscribe to our monthly geospatial skill signal – with practical tools, workflows, and insights.
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