2003-Present - UK: CEO & Founder, Global MapAid

Following a Thomson Reuters Foundation fellowship at Stanford University in 2002/3, Rupert founded Global MapAid (MapAid) in the UK and USA, dedicating approximately 50% of his time as an unpaid volunteer. MapAid focuses on challenges in disaster prevention or development through needs-based mapping, which improves cost savings and collaboration among decision-makers. Recognising the critical need for sustainable water solutions, particularly for small farmers, MapAid initiated the development of WellMapr™, an AI system for groundwater detection and mapping designed to improve the accuracy of shallow well drilling and digging. While the system has global applications to support the world’s 2.5 billion small farmers, much of the development and initial testing is happening in Ethiopia to support the 47 million small farmers living under the World Bank poverty line. To support this initiative, Rupert secured funding and Gift-in-Kind (GIK) support from Arba Minch University (Southern Ethiopia) in 2016, George Mason University (Washington DC) in 2019, and the Czech Geological Survey in 2023. Since November 2019, this team of pioneer partners has invested over USD $1 million in WellMapr’s development, with Rupert currently leading and coaching the MapAid AI development team.