Signed up here to broaden my scope as doing creative work fuels my main job :). So as a foundation I am Sofia, (some call me gifted) founding CEO of BlackShore, where I lead Cerberus, an automated crowd-powered platform that translates satellite imagery into usable maps and data labels through gamification and learning. Our growing suite of projects spans disaster response, sustainable land management, security, and agriculture, all powered by a crowd of trained players and strong partnerships. I’m passionate about solving real-world problems with Earth observation data, building teams, and turning ambitious ideas into practical solutions. I value inclusion and cross-disciplinary collaboration, because diverse minds create bigger and better outcomes. Over the years I’ve mentored startups and contributed to accelerator programs, helping founders discover opportunities, refine strategies, and scale impact. I enjoy teaching, public speaking, and connecting people across industries to explore how data, gaming, and AI can address global challenges.…

Sofia van 't Woud

PRO

Signed up here to broaden my scope as doing creative work fuels my main job :). So as a foundation I am Sofia, (some call me gifted) founding CEO of BlackShore, where I lead Cerberus, an automated crowd-powered platform that translates satellite imagery into usable maps and data labels through gamification and learning. Our growing suite of projects spans disaster response, sustainable land management, security, and agriculture, all powered by a crowd of trained players and strong partnerships. I’m passionate about solving real-world problems with Earth observation data, building teams, and turning ambitious ideas into practical solutions. I value inclusion and cross-disciplinary collaboration, because diverse minds create bigger and better outcomes. Over the years I’ve mentored startups and contributed to accelerator programs, helping founders discover opportunities, refine strategies, and scale impact. I enjoy teaching, public speaking, and connecting people across industries to explore how data, gaming, and AI can address global challenges.…

Available to hire

Signed up here to broaden my scope as doing creative work fuels my main job :).

So as a foundation I am Sofia, (some call me gifted) founding CEO of BlackShore, where I lead Cerberus, an automated crowd-powered platform that translates satellite imagery into usable maps and data labels through gamification and learning.

Our growing suite of projects spans disaster response, sustainable land management, security, and agriculture, all powered by a crowd of trained players and strong partnerships. I’m passionate about solving real-world problems with Earth observation data, building teams, and turning ambitious ideas into practical solutions. I value inclusion and cross-disciplinary collaboration, because diverse minds create bigger and better outcomes.

Over the years I’ve mentored startups and contributed to accelerator programs, helping founders discover opportunities, refine strategies, and scale impact. I enjoy teaching, public speaking, and connecting people across industries to explore how data, gaming, and AI can address global challenges.

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Language

English
Fluent
Dutch
Fluent
French
Beginner
German
Intermediate

Work Experience

CEO and Founder at BlackShore
January 1, 2011 - November 18, 2025
Founding director leading Cerberus — an automated processing engine that translates satellite imagery into usable GIS data through crowdsourcing and gamification; oversees product development, partnerships and strategic direction.
Mentor and Coach at Various accelerators, hackathons and startup hubs
October 1, 2016 - November 18, 2025
Mentor and coach through accelerator programs (e.g., Copernicus Accelerator), helping new initiatives land on Earth Observation data and guiding business strategy and growth.
Advisory and Product Management at Web 3.0
January 31, 2011 - January 31, 2011
Provided scientific knowledge about information and media insights (Web 3.0, Human Computer Interaction, Intelligent Interactive Systems); contributed to product management and development.
Product Developer Mobile Learning at University of Amsterdam
August 31, 2010 - August 31, 2010
Developed mobile learning products; contributed to the Mobiel Engels Leren project, focusing on user experience and content delivery.
Product Manager at Dotweb BV
September 30, 2008 - September 30, 2008
Managed projects emphasizing design and web development; led the beta version of Dosjr, an online personal life management platform; conducted research to improve competitiveness and oversaw marketing and usability design.
Diverse Administrative Tasks at Hogeschool Rotterdam
May 31, 2007 - May 31, 2007
Diverse co-administration tasks; elected by students to participate in governance and administrative functions.

Education

MSc Information Studies, Human Centered Multimedia at University of Amsterdam
January 1, 2009 - December 31, 2010
Bachelor of Communication & Multimedia Design at Hogeschool Rotterdam
January 1, 2003 - December 31, 2007

Qualifications

NCCC Canadese Young Professional Award 2018
January 11, 2030 - November 18, 2025
Patent: System and Method for the Translation of Photographic Satellite Data into Usable GIS Data
January 11, 2030 - November 18, 2025
Trademark: The Mars Crowdsourcing Experiment (NASA/ADS)
January 11, 2030 - November 18, 2025
US Patent (Cerberus for the EU + UK)
January 11, 2030 - November 18, 2025

Industry Experience

Software & Internet, Media & Entertainment, Education, Government, Professional Services
    uniE621 Digital and Analog Painting
    My origin is the academy of arts, where I was trained in color theory, various media and how to draw.. ..this next to my vivid imagination can get you nice stuff. This one is for my own son's birth as I wanted to create a space - themed room for him. Ooh, and I based his birth- card on it (the tiny thing). painter canvas graphicdesigner illustrator…
    uniE621 3D Computer Graphics Artist and Generalist (Autodesk Maya + Arnold)
    I am both a modelling, rendering and shading generalist in Autodesk It is just something I do, and get to focus on one job. This is the domain where my true creative heart is. In this case as an example an earlier example used as a teaser banner telling something about Cerberus. Note: I poses a full Autodesk License (and all other software) and a pretty hefty work station :). Today my main render engine is Arnold. 3d artist Maya Arnold Science branding…
    uniE621 Computer game production (games with a purpose + scientific domain + mainstream + space)
    My main career involves the development of Cerberus, a continuous developing game platform. Key ingredients are e-learning, motivational elements all combined to tackle societal challenges. It's development touches multi lateral fields such as scientific instruments (satellites) to end- users using derived maps. All is my responsibility to guide and manage my development team. Truth to be told, building Cerberus is putting stress on how much time I can put in creative design work, but that's just life.…
    uniE621 Infographics for Education based on Satellite Imagery
    Satellites help us detect more than we can see with the human eye using multi spectral channels. For example to highlight pollution, vegetation health and minerals this is needed. One of my skills is to visualize these in order to both educate the audience and inform stakeholders.…
    uniE621 Infographics Artist
    A big part of my work is science & data communication to share end- results with the audience. In this case I 'visualized' a journey on which we took our citizen scientists throughout the Mediterranean Region of Europe using Cerberus our serious computer game. It's theme was to gain understanding involving climate change impacting the EU- Mediterranean Region. Each of the regions shown has been playable in our computer game. Note, in real life Cerberus is mine as is the company developing this platform.…
    uniE621 Maps and Information Visualisation
    As an output derived from satellite imagery we create maps readable by human users (when an AI doesn't need this data). To make them appealing, making design choices I am the one you need here. maps gis information visualization infographics illustrator data…
    uniE621 Satellite Imagery Derived Art for your Board Room
    A big part of my job is working with Satellite Images (not Google, but through my own company with partners), and for this I run across the most beautiful scenes. Some are so beautiful that apart from their purpose (data) they are perfect to decorate your board rooms. My job on the imagery is acquisition, curation, balancing and getting them on print for example. Art boardroom imagery satellite…