Consulting Services ∞ Space Systems Engineering ∞ Space Technology & Policy ∞ Space Science ∞ Ground Truthing & Research Projects ∞ STEM & Space Workshops
Established in 2018, RE Consulting is run by Ani Vermeulen, a South African Engineer specialised in Space and Research. Our consulting services range across various disciplines, from Telecommunications to Space Mission Design, and Ground Truthing. We are also passionate about STEM and Space Advocacy, especially for young Africans.
As the primary employee of RE Consulting, Ani has cultivated a diverse skillset and experience over time. Her formal qualifications are:
Ani also holds certificates in Technology Frameworks, Project Management, Business Management and Software Testing. A network of specialists in other fields are available for subcontracting if required.
Ani is a highly capable speaker with experience in speaking at international gala dinners, acting as Master of Ceremonies at conferences, running workshops, and conducting radio and television interviews. Her most memorable speaking engagement was at the Smithsonian's Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C. at a Gala Dinner for the Space Generation Congress. To request an engagement, please contact us.
A few examples of current and past projects done by Ani and RE Consulting.
RE Consulting was established as a result of a need to perform essential independent testing on South Africa's telecommunications network performance. This involves the on-site specialised testing of multiple network carriers across a variety of end-user technology levels in the major metropolitan areas across South Africa. RE Consulting is also responsible for monitoring and maintaining the client's specialised equipment used in the project.
Education and advocacy for space topics are part of our passion. Over the years, Ani has helped organise multiple workshops on space topics all around the world. As a volunteer for the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), Ani has partnered with ZARM, ESA, NASA SCaN, and others to create and run topical day-long programs both virtually and in-person in Germany, the US, Ethiopia and more. She has won numerous awards for her work.
Over the years, Ani has volunteered and consulted on many research-based projects. The most intensive of these was a 2.5-month practical stint at SANAE-IV base in Antarctica. Her work there focused on the installation of new equipment, and maintenance on existing equipment used for Space Science research in Antarctica. Other space projects include the development of mission concepts and feasibility studies for a Lunar Orbiting Telescope, a data-driven oil pipeline monitoring program, and the engineering of an art-science payload for the Dreamchaser spacecraft. Non-space research projects have included the optimisation of part production in an aerospace manufacturing facility, and predicting the radiation safety of maintenance workers in a nuclear power plant.
The Pineapple Project was born from an attempt to explain to a rural Mauritian farmer why Space Technology was important to everyone, not just scientists. The project, done in conjunction with other space enthusiasts from Mauritius, compared freely available satellite imagery of the farmer's pineapple plantation with ground truthing data collected on-site at the same location. Using basic statistical analysis, the potential crop yield for the plantation was calculated from the satellite imagery, then compared to an actual count of the pineapple plants growing on the farm. The results were comparable, with only a 1.6% difference in count, but many hours of effort saved for just one farmer. The experiment was declared a success.
During her Honours and Masters degree programs, Ani collaborated with the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) to do research into Solar Storms and their effect on Power Networks (GICs) and also into the feasibility of recording Ionospheric Scintillation data using GPS signals from aboard a research vessel in the South Atlantic Ocean. This second body of work formed the majority of her Master's dissertation in Space Studies. The project required an understanding of space physics, GPS satellite technology, radio signals, and data analysis using Matlab and Python. She has developed a good relationship with SANSA as a result of her collaborations.
As a lover of all things Space, Ani happily conducts talks on Astronomy and Space at Universities, Schools, NGOs, Science Clubs and STEM Conferences in South Africa. One of her favourite talks was at Greenpeace Africa on satellite applications.