Gokul Gopan Contact

Experience & Education

Work history, academic background and technical skills in GIS, mobility and spatial data science.

Work Experience

GIS Analyst

Plan4Better GmbH · Munich, Germany

April 2024 – Present
  • Developed internally used QGIS plugins for database-backed map styles, layout templates and basemaps, with additional PNG export and metadata functionality. Explore the toolkit →
  • Conduct spatial analysis and geoprocessing for mobility, accessibility and planning studies, including isochrones, catchments and network-based indicators.
  • Perform spatial analysis using GOAT — accessibility heatmaps, walkability indicators, public transport quality classes and scenario-based planning analyses.
  • Use QGIS for spatial data processing, cartographic map production, digitising, georeferencing and geoprocessing workflows.
  • Prepare, clean and integrate spatial datasets using PostgreSQL/PostGIS, with a focus on data quality, documentation and reproducible workflows.
  • Develop Python-based geoprocessing tools using GeoPandas, Pandas, Shapely and GDAL/OGR for spatial analytics, automation and reporting.
  • Create and maintain technical documentation for the GOAT platform, supporting onboarding, workflow guidance and knowledge sharing.
  • Produce cartographic outputs and written reports for municipal and regional planning stakeholders.

GIS Intern

Plan4Better GmbH · Munich, Germany

January 2024 – March 2024

Formal MSc Internship (Pflichtpraktikum) — RWTH Aachen University
Supervised by Dr.-Ing. Andreas Witte & Prof. Dr.-Ing. Tobias Kuhnimhof

  • Performed accessibility and walkability analyses for cities including Augsburg, Amberg and Düsseldorf using GOAT.
  • Calculated public transport quality classes (ÖV-Güteklassen), Walkability Index and local accessibility heatmaps.
  • Modified SQL scripts to replace circular buffer methods with pedestrian network isochrones, improving measurement precision.
  • Conducted scenario analyses for shared mobility expansion and parking facility optimisation.
  • Presented findings to university supervisors and company stakeholders.
View full internship details →
Earlier experience

Sales Associate / Cashier

ALDI Süd · Aachen, Germany

August 2023 – December 2023
  • Supported customer service at checkout and on the sales floor.
  • Assisted with shelf replenishment, stock handling and daily store operations.

Operations Associate / Shift Lead

Flink GmbH · Aachen, Germany

August 2021 – August 2023
  • Supported warehouse operations, inventory control, quality checks and order packing.
  • Coordinated shift activities in a fast-paced operational environment.
  • Assisted with customer support and day-to-day fulfilment workflows.

PLAN4BETTER · PROJECT CONTRIBUTIONS

Municipal & regional planning projects

Projects I have contributed to through GIS analysis, accessibility assessment and planning support.

Mobility & accessibility

  • Amberg · City centre

    Parking & town-centre access

    GOAT-based network analysis assessed walking access from car parks and parking areas to public facilities, retail and other points of interest. Cumulative walking catchments were intersected with population data to show coverage and gaps.

    Methods & deliverables
    Methods
    GOAT network catchments from each parking location; walking times of 3, 5, 7 and 10 minutes; POI and population overlays; gap analysis.
    Deliverables
    Accessibility maps, cumulative population coverage and an assessment of gaps in access to the city centre.
    Project title
    Erreichbarkeitsanalyse der Parkmöglichkeiten in der Amberger Innenstadt
  • Amberg

    Cycle-route accessibility scenarios

    Compared the existing network with two proposed cycle-route variants, including a variant with an underpass. GOAT bicycle isochrones, population and POI data quantified the accessibility gains around the planned route.

    Methods & deliverables
    Methods
    GOAT bicycle-network isochrones from four locations; 3, 5, 7 and 10-minute travel times; comparison of existing network and two route variants; population and POI overlays.
    Deliverables
    Scenario maps and tables showing changes in reachable residents and destinations.
    Project title
    Erreichbarkeitsanalysen zum geplanten Radwegprojekt „Höchste Eisenbahn" in Amberg
  • Augsburg · Rechts der Wertach

    Report co-author

    Public transport accessibility & walkability

    Co-authored the accessibility and walkability study and its network-based public-transport addendum. The analysis compared coverage across different days and times, accounting for the walking routes and barriers between residents and stops.

    Methods & deliverables
    Methods
    GOAT accessibility analysis; POI catchments; walkability indicators; walking-network catchments from OpenStreetMap.
    Deliverables
    Comparative accessibility maps, population-coverage summaries and a co-authored technical report.
    Project title
    Erreichbarkeits- und Walkabilityanalysen für das Gebiet rechts der Wertach
  • München · Allach-Untermenzing

    Walking & cycling connectivity

    GIS analysis of walking and cycling networks, access to everyday destinations and public-transport coverage. District-level indicators were compared with Munich as a whole to identify barriers and gaps in local provision.

    Methods & deliverables
    Methods
    Network connectivity on a hexagonal grid; walking and cycling catchments; population overlays; public-transport quality classes.
    Deliverables
    District-versus-city comparisons and spatial evidence for the local active-mobility concept.
    Project title
    Nahmobilitätskonzept für den 23. Stadtbezirk Allach-Untermenzing
  • Kandel

    Spatial evidence for a mobility concept

    GIS-based assessment of public transport, everyday accessibility and active-mobility conditions for the city’s mobility concept. The work brings together transport, population and street-network data to make local mobility gaps easier to assess.

    Methods & deliverables
    Methods
    GOAT and QGIS; GTFS timetables; population data; network-based accessibility analysis and cartographic preparation.
    Deliverables
    Baseline maps and accessibility assessments supporting the identification of mobility needs.
    Project title
    Fokuskonzept Mobilität Stadt Kandel
  • Düsseldorf · Hassels & Reisholz

    Report co-author

    Public transport & shared-mobility access

    Co-authored a mobility study examining public-transport quality and access to e-scooters, bike sharing and car sharing. Existing coverage and expansion scenarios were assessed against the distribution of residents.

    Methods & deliverables
    Methods
    GTFS-based public-transport quality classes; accessibility isochrones; population overlays; shared-mobility scenarios.
    Deliverables
    Coverage maps and scenario comparisons showing where additional mobility services could improve access.
    Project title
    Mobilitätsanalysen für die Stadtteile Hassels und Reisholz in Düsseldorf
  • München · Harthof

    Neighbourhood baseline for shared mobility

    Study-area mapping and neighbourhood-level sociodemographic indicators supported the baseline assessment for the shared-mobility concept. The focus was to make the neighbourhood’s spatial and social context understandable for further planning.

    Methods & deliverables
    Methods
    Study-area delineation; thematic mapping; comparison of neighbourhood sociodemographic indicators.
    Deliverables
    An overview map and a concise neighbourhood profile for the planning team.
    Project title
    Sharing-Mobilitätskonzept Harthof
  • München · Scharfreiterplatz

    Everyday access at neighbourhood scale

    Accessibility assessment of schools, everyday services, public transport and shared mobility for an integrated neighbourhood concept. Comparisons with citywide provision helped identify local gaps and the implications of planned development.

    Methods & deliverables
    Methods
    Walking and cycling accessibility; public-transport quality assessment; population coverage and neighbourhood comparisons.
    Deliverables
    Baseline maps and comparative tables supporting the mobility component of the neighbourhood concept.
    Project title
    Mobilitätsanalyse Scharfreiterplatz München
  • Sinsheim

    Multimodal access & transport coverage

    Spatial analysis of public-transport quality and access to key destinations by walking, cycling, public transport and car. Combining catchments with population data made differences in coverage visible across the city and surrounding area.

    Methods & deliverables
    Methods
    GOAT routing and catchments; GTFS-based public-transport quality classes; population overlays; QGIS cartography.
    Deliverables
    Comparative accessibility maps and population-coverage tables for the mobility assessment.
    Project title
    Mobilitätsanalysen Stadt Sinsheim
  • Südliche Weinstraße

    Regional & tourism accessibility

    Regional assessment of public-transport coverage, access to visitor destinations and travel times relative to the car. Municipal comparisons considered different service periods and the distribution of the resident population.

    Methods & deliverables
    Methods
    GTFS-based quality classes; multimodal catchments; population-weighted municipal summaries; GOAT travel-time comparisons.
    Deliverables
    Regional comparison maps and tables highlighting differences in destination access and public-transport connectivity.
    Project title
    Mobilitätsanalysen Südliche Weinstraße
  • Schleswig-Holstein · NAH.SH

    Integrating on-demand services into public transport quality

    Integrated on-demand services into the 2025 public-transport-quality calculation for Schleswig-Holstein. The work aligned disparate stop and service-area data with the fixed-route network so that accessibility could be assessed as one system.

    Methods & deliverables
    Methods
    Harmonisation of on-demand stops and operating times; duplicate clustering; spatial matching and text-similarity matching to GTFS stations; 150-metre proximity rule; weekday service window.
    Deliverables
    A combined station dataset and public-transport quality classes that include eligible on-demand services.
    Project title
    On-Demand-Mobilitätsprojekt Schleswig-Holstein
  • Schleswig-Holstein · NAH.SH

    Statewide public transport quality assessment

    Calculated 2025 public-transport quality classes across Schleswig-Holstein for fixed-route public transport alone and in combination with on-demand services. The assessment makes the effect on local coverage and resident access comparable across the state.

    Methods & deliverables
    Methods
    2025 GTFS timetables; Tuesday departures from 06:00 to 20:00; GOAT public-transport quality-class method; station-frequency categories; 2022 Census population grid and municipal boundaries.
    Deliverables
    Geopackages with municipal statistics for all 1,108 municipalities, combined and fixed-route quality-class polygons, and 11,247 station records.
    Project title
    Mobilitätsanalyse Schleswig-Holstein

Energy & heat planning

  • Amberg

    Municipal heat planning

  • Mainburg

    Spatial analysis for municipal heat planning

    Spatial assessment of building characteristics, heat demand and demand along streets. These indicators supported the screening of potential heat-network areas within the municipal heat plan.

    Methods & deliverables
    Methods
    Building-stock analysis; spatial heat-demand mapping; heat-line density; comparison of candidate supply areas.
    Deliverables
    Maps and spatial indicators informing the assessment of future heat-supply options.
    Project title
    Kommunale Wärmeplanung für Stadt Mainburg
  • Altrip

    Building stock & neighbourhood heat demand

    Spatial analysis of the building stock and heat demand for an integrated energy concept. Block-level heat mapping and street-level demand indicators helped assess the spatial conditions for neighbourhood heat supply.

    Methods & deliverables
    Methods
    Building-characteristic analysis; block-level heat atlas; heat-line density and thematic mapping.
    Deliverables
    Spatial evidence supporting the assessment of energy and heat-supply options for the neighbourhood.
    Project title
    Integriertes Energetisches Quartierskonzept Ortsgemeinde Altrip
  • Amberg · Luitpoldhöhe

    Heat-demand mapping & network screening

    Building-level heat-demand analysis combined measured gas consumption where available with estimated demand for other buildings. Spatial demand patterns and heat-line density supported the screening of potential heat-network routes.

    Methods & deliverables
    Methods
    Building-level heat atlas; demand estimation from building age and refurbishment condition; heat-line density.
    Deliverables
    Heat-demand maps and spatial indicators for comparing potential neighbourhood heat-supply arrangements.
    Project title
    Energiekonzept im Rahmen des integrierten städtebaulichen Entwicklungskonzepts Luitpoldhöhe
Browse all visual case studies →

Education

MSc Verkehrsingenieurwesen und Mobilität (Transport Engineering and Mobility)

RWTH Aachen University · ISB — Lehrstuhl und Institut für Stadtbauwesen und Stadtverkehr

November 2020 – July 2026

Supervised by Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Tobias Kuhnimhof

Master's Thesis, completed July 2026 · grade 1.3

Bewertung der Erreichbarkeit von Einzelhandelsgeschäften mit bestimmten Verkehrsmitteln in ausgewählten deutschen Städten
Evaluation of Mode-Specific Retail Accessibility in Selected German Cities

Evaluated retail accessibility across five western-German cities using r5py (R5 routing engine) for walking, cycling, public transport and car. Accessibility was modelled on a 100 m Zensus 2022 grid and related to seven socioeconomic indicators. Spatial patterns and inequalities were assessed through bivariate mapping and Spearman correlation, with results visualised in QGIS.

BTech Production Engineering

National Institute of Technology Calicut

March 2015 – April 2019

Technical Skills

GIS & Spatial Analysis

QGIS, cartography, spatial analysis, georeferencing, digitising, joins and geoprocessing; isochrones, catchments and accessibility indicators.

Spatial Databases

SQL · PostgreSQL/PostGIS; spatial data preparation, integration, data quality checks and reproducible geospatial data pipelines.

Python & Geoprocessing

GeoPandas, Pandas, Shapely, GDAL/OGR; workflow automation, data preparation and reporting.

Mobility & Accessibility

Walkability and accessibility analysis, network-based mobility indicators, public transport and active mobility analysis.

Reporting & Cartography

Map production for planning studies, technical report writing, municipal and regional stakeholder communication, MS Office.

Languages

English (Proficient) · German (Intermediate) · Malayalam (Native) · Hindi (Good) · Tamil (Good)

Awards & Publications

Best Paper Award · ICSCAN 2019

International Conference on Systems, Computation, Automation and Networking · March 2019

IEEE Xplore Publications · 2019

  • Performance Analysis of Storage Warehouses in a Food Grain Supply Chain using Data Envelopment Analysis
  • Selection of Warehouse Operator by the Combination of Analytic Hierarchy Process and DEA