Consultant – Engagement of GIS Digitizers for Digitization of Rice Field Boundary Polygons

Reference number: 2635

Job status: In-progress

Job category: Consultancy

Duty station: Remote

Download PDF

Landscape Alliance

Landscape Alliance transforms science into action, unlocking the power of trees, forests and agroforestry landscapes to
advance planetary health and human well-being. Landscape Alliance is the operating name of the Center for International
Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the International Centre for Research on Agroforestry (ICRAF). CIFOR and ICRAF are
independent International Organizations and CGIAR Research Centers.

Landscape Alliance is looking for a

Consultant – Engagement of GIS Digitizers for Digitization of Rice Field Boundary Polygons

Overview

ICRAF, under the GCF Knuckles Project, is supporting the development and implementation of spatially enabled tools for sustainable landscape management, agricultural monitoring, and decision support. As part of the collaboration with the AgriLook platform, rice field and plot boundaries are to be demarcated as a fundamental spatial dataset for satellite-based monitoring and analysis. Accurate field polygons will enable subsequent analyses such as cropping intensity assessment, crop-condition monitoring, vegetation-index analysis, water status, seasonal agricultural monitoring, and other field-level agricultural information services.

To accelerate datasets preparation, ICRAF intends to establish a pool of GIS Digitization Assistants who can be assigned rice field digitization tasks as needed. Work will be assigned depending on project requirements and the availability and performance of individual members of the pool. Payments will be made based on the quantity of digitization completed, verified, and accepted, primarily measured by the total area of approved agricultural field polygons digitized.

Duties and responsibilities

The
main objective of this assignment is to engage qualified individuals
("Digitizers") to develop an accurate, consistent, and
quality-controlled geospatial database of rice field and plot boundaries within
designated areas of the GCF Knuckles Project area.

Specific
objectives are to:

  • Digitize
    individual rice fields and plot boundaries from high-resolution
    satellite imagery, basemaps, or other reference datasets designated by ICRAF.

  • Produce
    topologically correct and spatially accurate polygon datasets.

  • Follow
    standardized digitization protocols and attribute structures provided by ICRAF.

  • Maintain
    consistency among multiple GIS operators working simultaneously.

  • Support
    rapid preparation of field-level spatial data required for integration with the
    AgriLook platform and related project applications.

  • Ensure
    that all digitized outputs undergo a transparent and systematic QA/QC process
    prior to acceptance and payment.

The
Digitizer will be responsible for the following tasks:

  • Review
    reference imagery (high-resolution satellite imagery, Google earth imagery as
    provided) and any existing cadastral border, or AI-survey area layers supplied
    by ICRAF.

  • Digitize
    the boundary of each distinct field as a closed polygon in the specified GIS
    format (e.g., Shapefile/GeoJSON/GeoPackage, per project standard), following
    the field delineation and topology rules given in Section 5.

  • Populate
    required attribute fields for each polygon (e.g., unique field ID,
    administrative division/GN division, land-use type, source imagery date,
    digitizer ID/date).

  • Where
    assigned, cross-check digitized boundaries against ground/field survey points.

  • Submit
    digitized polygons in batches according to the agreed schedule, through the
    designated submission platform/folder structure.

  • Correct
    and resubmit any polygons flagged as non-conforming during the quality
    assurance review, at no additional cost, before they are counted as accepted
    for payment.

  • Maintain
    a basic digitization log (area/tile covered, date, number of polygons
    submitted) for progress tracking.

Digitization Standards and
Methodology

All
polygons must be digitized to the following standard:

  • Each
    polygon must represent one distinct, contiguous, single-cultivator rice field
    and plot, as visible on the reference imagery.

  • Boundaries
    must be traced to the visible edge of the field (bund/ridge or adjacent
    land-use change) at a proper digitization scale (e.g., finer than 1:500, per
    project imagery resolution).

  • No
    overlapping polygons.

  • No
    unintended slivers, self-intersecting geometries, or duplicate polygons.

  • Minimum
    mapping unit and positional accuracy tolerance to be specified by the project
    (e.g., ± [X] metres) before work begins.

  • Correct
    coordinate reference system (CRS) as specified by ICRAF (e.g., WGS84 / SL
    national grid).

  • Every
    polygon carries required attributes for (field ID, division, source date,
    digitizer ID).

Quality Assurance/Quality Control
(QA/QC)

To
safeguard data quality under the output-based payment model, the following
QA/QC process will apply to every batch submitted:

  • Automated
    checks: geometry validity (no self-intersections, no slivers), topology checks
    (no overlaps/gaps on shared boundaries), CRS/format compliance, and attribute
    completeness.

  • Manual
    sample review: a GIS quality reviewer visually compares a sample of polygons
    against reference imagery for boundary accuracy and correct field delineation.

  • Feedback
    loop: rejected polygons are returned to the Digitizer with the specific reason
    for rejection (e.g., boundary offset, merged fields, missing attribute) for
    correction and resubmission.

  • QA
    sign-off: a batch is only marked Accepted, and therefore payable, once it
    passes the applicable QA checks above.

Education, knowledge and experience

  • Completed/enrolled in Diploma/degree in Geography, Surveying, Remote Sensing, GIS, Agriculture, or a related field (or demonstrable equivalent practical experience) or.
  • Basic knowledge of GIS software (e.g., QGIS or ArcGIS) and satellite/aerial imagery interpretation.
  • Prior experience in land parcel, cadastral, or agricultural field boundary digitization is strongly preferred.
  • Basic spreadsheet skills for progress logging and batch submission.

Terms and conditions

  • This is a consultancy position.
  • See the details of deliverables and payment terms in the attached file.
  • The duty station will be in home-based/ office-based digitization work (remote or at a designated project office, as agreed) using own devices and data.

Application process

  • The application deadline is 31 October 2026, 05.00 pm IST.
  • This position will require the hiring of 30–50 individuals.
  • Shortlisted candidates complete a short practical digitization test (a fixed set of sample fields), assessed against the Section 5 standard.
  • Selected candidates undergo a brief orientation/training on the AgriLook digitization manual, file format, and submission process before beginning paid work.

To apply, please visit our career site at:

https://www.landscapealliance.org/about/work-with-us/

To learn more about Landscape Alliance, please visit our website at: https://www.landscapealliance.org/

Landscape Alliance promotes Gender Diversity – Applications from women professionals are encouraged.

Landscape Alliance is an equal opportunity employer. It fosters a multicultural work environment that values gender equality, teamwork, and respect for diversity.

At Impactpool we do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.