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Cartographer · GIS specialistPrague,

VáclavJícha

Portrait of Václav Jícha

I work with cartography and spatial data. I design maps and visualisations that make sense and look great.

About

I design maps that turn chaotic spatial data into something clear and visually clean.

I've always loved geography and visual art, and in my eyes, cartography brings them together perfectly. I completed my Bachelor's degree in Geography and Cartography and am currently pursuing a Master's in Geoinformatics, Cartography and Remote Sensing at the Faculty of Science, Charles University. Alongside my studies, I work as a cartographer and GIS specialist at the Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences. I also enjoy showing high school students that spatial data surrounds us every single day and that knowing how to read it is a huge advantage. And when I'm not making maps behind a computer, I'm usually putting them to the test in the field, whether on the road or hunting for geocaches.

  • Geoinformatics
  • Cartography
  • Remote Sensing

Projects

A showcase of interesting projects I’ve been working on recently.

Atlas2024In Czech

Atlas pražských kuriozit

A thematic atlas created as my Bachelor's thesis, exploring Prague through a geographer's lens. Instead of famous landmarks, it maps places that are neither widely known nor conventionally pretty, but always genuinely intriguing and curious. Across six chapters, it connects spatial analysis with on-the-ground fieldwork, spanning everything from underground tunnels and hidden waterfalls to urban extremes.

Open the atlas
Workshops2025 – present

GIS and remote sensing workshops

An educational initiative organized by GeoArts under a Charles University sustainability grant. We run hands-on workshops for secondary schools across Czechia, covering satellite-based drought monitoring, wildfire analysis, and solar energy suitability. All teaching materials and methodologies remain open-access for educators.

About the workshops
Article2024In Czech

Jak se staví byty v Česku

A popular science article for Přírodovědci.cz magazine, reviewing housing construction trends over the past decade. Using municipality-level data, it highlights distinct spatial patterns – from massive suburbanization around major cities to an isolated boom in mountain recreational properties.

Read the article (p. 14)
Event2025

GeoScience Party

An international event at the Faculty of Science, Charles University, marking the 25th anniversary of geocaching, which drew more than 600 visitors. It combined a full-day programme of talks by experts from academia, IT, and the caching community with guided tours of faculty museums and the Map Collection. It was a great opportunity to bring geosciences and modern geoinformatics closer to the public.

Event listing
Cover of Atlas of Postojna
Atlas2026In English and Slovene

Atlas of Postojna:Landslide susceptibility mapping

A specialized atlas developed during my exchange at the University of Ljubljana in cooperation with the Municipality of Postojna. It focuses on spatial modeling of landslide susceptibility using multi-criteria spatial analysis in GIS.

Experience

  1. External lecturer in Geoinformatics

    Gymnázium Jaroslava Seiferta, Prague

    Teaching a geography seminar focused on ArcGIS Pro, hands-on spatial data analysis, digital mapping, and project-based learning.

  2. Cartographer and GIS specialist

    Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague

  3. Coordinator and tutor of teaching activities

    Charles University, Prague

    Preparation and implementation of practical GIS and remote sensing workshops for high schools, including methodology development and teaching coordination. The project was carried out under the auspices of the GeoArts student association as part of a grant to support sustainable development at Charles University.

Education

  1. Mgr., Geoinformatics, Cartography and Remote Sensing

    Faculty of Science, Charles University

    Master's thesis: Documentation of the Teplická Cave using remote sensing methods.

    Erasmus+, Geodesy and Geoinformatics

    Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, University of Ljubljana

  2. Bc., Geography and Cartography

    Faculty of Science, Charles University

    Bachelor's thesis: Thematic Atlas of Curiosities in Prague.

Student Association

GeoArts logo

GeoArts

Dec 2024 – present

During my Master's studies, my peers and I co-founded a student association to connect students and faculty with shared passions and to popularise geoinformatics, cartography, and remote sensing.

geoarts.cz

Certifications and Courses

Off the MapWhat do I do when I'm not making maps? Usually, I take them outside.

Hover a photo to see where it was taken

Geocaching

Most of my free time goes to geocaching. It's a worldwide real-world treasure hunt where you use GPS coordinates to track down hidden containers in both nature and cities, signing your nick into the logbook once found. In the community, you might know me as GeoVašek. For me, it's mainly a great reason to get outdoors, notice subtle details in the landscape, and visit places I’d otherwise never stumble upon. I occasionally host community meetups and events, but what I love most is simply heading out into the field to find caches.

40,000+caches found
100+listings placed
2015year joined

Psst… there are 6 geocaches hidden right here on this page. Can you find and log them all? :P

Like this one

Travelling

My favourite way to unwind is travelling and discovering new places, both across Czechia and abroad. I love wandering through nature and city streets alike, seeing hidden corners firsthand, because even the best Street View will never match the actual atmosphere of a place.

countries visited

From the Road

Sunrise over the Rhine and the Alps
Liechtenstein2023
Crouching in a ruined building full of graffiti
Bosnia and Herzegovina2026
Walking across a dry salt lake
Cyprus2024
A ferry crossing choppy water
Turkey2023
A waterfall in a green forest
Croatia2024
A city street descending towards a gothic tower
Belgium2025
Old fortress walls on a green hill
Serbia2026
A gazebo in thick fog on a rocky summit
North Macedonia2026
Crocus meadows below snowy peaks
Slovenia2026
A concrete ruin overgrown by forest, seen from above
Czechia2021
View out of a cave entrance
Albania2024
Palace of Culture and Science seen down a street
Poland2025
Harbour full of yachts below the cliffs
Monaco2023
A fortress tower with a flag under grey clouds
North Macedonia2026
Snowy mountains above a green valley
Bosnia and Herzegovina2026
Sea view through the window openings of a ruin
Turkey2023
A cyclist under a bridge arch, skyscrapers behind
Germany2025
Portrait in front of a palace
Austria2023
Sandstone rock town at sunrise
Czechia2024
Looking up at steel spheres at sunset
Belgium2025
Wooden boardwalk over clear green water
Croatia2024
A turquoise mountain lake below limestone peaks
Italy2026
A graffiti skate ramp by a river bridge
Germany2025
Abandoned bobsleigh track covered in graffiti
Bosnia and Herzegovina2026
Silhouette crouching inside a concrete pipe
Slovenia2026
A grey cat on a wall
Bulgaria2026
Walking below concrete fortress walls on a dry hillside
Spain2025
A perforated golden canopy above a path
Hungary2022
Cathedral spire and skyline above the Danube
Slovakia2023
Walking barefoot over granite boulders in a river
Austria2024
Walking along a wet pier into the sea
Denmark2023
A stone cairn on the Adriatic coast below a flysch cliff
Slovenia2026
Stone Bridge and the Archaeological Museum at night
North Macedonia2026
A seal pup asleep on the beach
Latvia2025
An alpine valley with a red frame at a viewpoint
Switzerland2023
City lights seen from lit stairs at night
Albania2024
A long stone avenue between conifers
Serbia2026
Airport tower in falling snow
Bulgaria2026