Learn to build autonomous AI agents using Strands and LangGraph, deploy to AWS Bedrock AgentCore, and extend with RAG and MCP tools.
01about me
I am a Cloud Engineer at LuxCarta, specializing in architecting and deploying scalable
AWS cloud
infrastructure using Infrastructure as Code principles. My journey into cloud
engineering began
with a strong foundation in software development, having double-majored in
Computer Science
and Geoinformatics during my undergraduate studies at Stellenbosch
University, followed by
an Honours and MSc, both in Geoinformatics.
My career has evolved from geospatial and web development roles to fully embracing cloud-native solutions since 2022. I'm passionate about automating infrastructure deployments, optimizing cloud costs, and building resilient, serverless architectures. Recently, I've been exploring agentic AI systems using frameworks like Strands and MCP, while sharing insights through my technical blog.
Beyond technology, I'm an avid outdoorsman originally from a farm in the Northern Cape. I enjoy hiking, drone photography, and exploring South Africa's diverse landscapes. My technical skills and love for problem-solving extend to personal projects, including digitizing our family genealogy into an interactive web platform using AI models – combining my heritage with modern web technologies.
Recent cloud engineering insights.
From my blog at janobarnard.blog
November 2025
Introduction to Agentic AI & Frameworks
Insights from attending AWS re:Invent 2024 and why it's valuable for cloud professionals.
August 2024
AWS Batch: Leveraging Serverless Compute for HPC
How to use AWS Batch for high-performance computing serverless workloads.
02certifications
Recent certifications across AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and HashiCorp platforms.
03experience
Professional cloud engineering journey
-
Cloud EngineerLuxCartaMarch 2024 - Present
As a Cloud Engineer at LuxCarta, I architect and implement cloud infrastructure for BrightEarth On-Demand, a serverless SaaS web application utilizing AWS services including Lambda, Batch, and EC2, integrated with Docker and Python. I successfully completed a comprehensive AWS Foundational Technical Review of BrightEarth On-Demand, paving the way for LuxCarta to attain AWS Partner status.
My key contributions include implementing cost tagging infrastructure and setting up cost visibility dashboards for project and department-level cost breakdowns, establishing a multi-account cloud environment adhering to security and FinOps best practices, and championing Infrastructure as Code using Terraform for version-controlled, multi-environment deployments. Through collaborative migration efforts to the multi-account environment, I've helped achieve significant development and infrastructure cost savings.
I developed an AI agent using AWS Strands and MCP, integrating SaaS tools and a knowledge base to automate workflows and provide personalized user guidance.
-
Web DeveloperLuxCartaJune 2021 - February 2024
As a Web Developer at LuxCarta, I created a web application to bring the conceptualized BrightEarth On-Demand platform into existence, using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP while working with the geospatial back-end team for on-premises processing. I collaborated with peers to migrate BrightEarth On-Demand fully to AWS and designed a single-table DynamoDB NoSQL database storing users, orders, and transactions, creating a Python package for database access.
A major achievement was developing a CLI tool and AWS Batch infrastructure to scale containerized geospatial extraction pipelines to 100 concurrent instances – automating building footprint extraction across satellite imagery covering 8.5 million km² within a month for a major project. This hands-on experience with cloud migration, containerization, and AWS services laid the foundation for my transition into cloud engineering.
Additional experience and career history available on LinkedIn
04education
Academic foundation in Computer Science and Geoinformatics
-
MSc GeoinformaticsStellenbosch University2019 - 2021
Research Focus: Trend analysis of the growth and clearing of Prosopis, an invasive alien plant species, evaluating management effectiveness through advanced geospatial analysis and remote sensing techniques.
-
Honours BSc GeoinformaticsStellenbosch University2018
Specialization: Spatial modelling, advanced remote sensing, machine learning applications, and geospatial API development for web mapping solutions. Advanced coursework in spatial data analysis and GIS technologies.
-
BSc Computer Science & GeoinformaticsStellenbosch University2015 - 2017
Double Major: Computer Science & Geoinformatics. Core subjects included computer networking, software & web development, data structures & algorithms, computer architecture, concurrency, and spatial data management technologies.
Complete academic record and additional qualifications available on LinkedIn
05expertise
Core technologies and tools I use to build scalable cloud solutions and applications
Cloud
AWS
Expert
Lambda
Expert
Batch
Expert
API Gateway
Advanced
EventBridge
Advanced
Step Functions
Advanced
CloudFront
Advanced
IAM
Advanced
Bedrock
Advanced
SageMaker
Intermediate
ECS
Intermediate
RDS
Intermediate
VPC
Intermediate
Cognito
Intermediate
CloudFormation
Intermediate
Azure
Beginner
Google Cloud
Beginner
DevOps & Infrastructure
Terraform
Expert
Docker
Advanced
Linux
Advanced
Git
Advanced
GitHub
Advanced
GitHub Actions
Intermediate
CodeBuild
Beginner
Programming & Databases
Python
Expert
DynamoDB
Expert
Bash
Advanced
PostgreSQL
Advanced
HTML
Advanced
CSS
Advanced
JavaScript
Advanced
PHP
Advanced
MySQL
Advanced
Java
Intermediate
C
Intermediate
React
Beginner
AI & Agents
Bedrock AgentCore
Expert
MCP
Advanced
Strands Agents
Intermediate
LangGraph
Beginner
06portfolio
Showcasing technical projects and architectural solutions
BrightEarth On-Demand
2021 - Present
A cutting-edge AI platform designed to generate on-demand 3D geospatial data from anywhere on Earth. By leveraging deep learning techniques, the platform extracts detailed geospatial layers from satellite imagery.
Role Evolution:
Lead Web Developer → Principal Cloud Engineer
Lead Web Developer → Principal Cloud Engineer
Technologies:
AWS (Lambda, Batch, ECS, API Gateway, Cognito, Amplify, CloudFront, Aurora, DynamoDB), Terraform, Docker, Python, Serverless Architecture
AWS (Lambda, Batch, ECS, API Gateway, Cognito, Amplify, CloudFront, Aurora, DynamoDB), Terraform, Docker, Python, Serverless Architecture
07contact
Let's connect and discuss opportunities
Open to discussing cloud architecture, geospatial technology, and exciting opportunities.
Visit My Blog Send EmailKindly contact me for my CV.