Veertualia, technology consulting in Barcelona, brings over 30 years of international experience in information technology.
My name is Giovanni Ottavi. I was born in Rome and have lived in Barcelona since 2013, where I founded Veertualia. The way I work has a name — Augmented Engineering: three decades of engineering judgment now steering execution accelerated by AI agents. AI multiplies speed; judgment decides what to build, how to isolate it, and what to leave out.
I started building software in C/C++ for radio stations and moved on to complex GIS systems and command-and-control platforms for security and defense agencies. That path let me lead the rollout of mobile video-surveillance systems and real-time operational coordination for fire services and armed forces.
Beyond the technical work, I have run technology companies, managing multidisciplinary teams, corporate strategy and European funds (ERDF). This blend of technical depth and strategic vision lets me understand both a system’s architecture and the business needs — and the importance of effective communication.
In recent years I have focused my work on applied AI, real-time systems and Edge Computing: I deploy local AI inference environments —so the data never leaves home— and orchestrate coding agents within the development flow itself. On that foundation I build corporate sites, online stores and custom plugins in WordPress and PHP (Laravel 12) — and, when the project calls for it, the visual identity, the video and the SEO content that make it stand out.
Professional profile
Today I operate under the Veertualia brand, combining technology, creativity and communication to help companies and content creators grow online.
What I do
Technology & Web Consulting
Design and development of scalable architectures, AI integration (local LLMs and agents) and RESTful APIs (WordPress, Joomla, Laravel 12, PHP, JavaScript, React).
IT Project Management
End-to-end coordination of digital solutions, Edge Computing (Raspberry Pi/SDR), telemetry, Docker/Nginx hosting and API integrations.
Digital Marketing Strategy
Technical SEO (Core Web Vitals, Schema.org), data analysis (Google Analytics 4), campaigns (Google Ads, Meta Ads) and multilingual copywriting.
Multimedia Production
Video, podcast, reels, YouTube Studio channel management and visual branding (Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Photoshop, InDesign).
Training & Knowledge Sharing
Workshops on web, content creation and digital best practices.
Key experience
- Veertualia (2013–present) – Independent consultant: web development, local AI server deployment, Edge Computing, SEO strategies and social video for YouTube channels.
- ITP Elettronica (1992–2013) – From Senior Developer to CEO: GIS and C2/C4I systems for the Italian Fire Service, Army, Air Force and Navy; ERDF fund management and national-security projects.
- Fincogest 1985 S.p.A. (2009–2013) – Chairman of the Board and CFO: financial planning and strategic development of the group.
- Antico Terreno Ottavi S.r.L. (2009–2013) – Co-founder and CEO: end-to-end management of wine production and marketing.
Software developed and contributions
Plugins, modules and components
- Stripe Paid Subscriptions (SMF 2.1.x) — Secure-payment integration module (SCA/3DS2) for Simple Machines Forum via the Stripe PHP SDK, without altering the core.
- Inbox2WP — WordPress plugin that processes IMAP email and publishes scheduled posts, avoiding duplicates with SHA-256 hashing and WP-Cron (PHP 8).
- Hotel Schema Core — WordPress plugin for Hotel and Room structured markup in JSON-LD (WordPress, PHP, JSON-LD).
- Veertualia Locals WP — WordPress port for business listings with JSON-LD and the Google Maps API.
- Veertualia Locals — Joomla plugin for local SEO with structured data and geolocation.
- Veertualia Maps — Joomla module for custom maps with geotagged content.
- Veertualia Maestro — Joomla module based on Twig templates for articles, HTML, RSS, Flickr and Instagram.
- Interface library for advertising APIs — Integration with Amazon, Zanox and AliExpress with a templating system in Twig, CSS and JS.
GIS and C2/C4I systems
- GeoScope — Full-stack geospatial web platform for visualizing global events with AI-generated narrative reports (Laravel 12, Leaflet.js, Laravel Reverb, Vite).
- SO115 CNVVF — National mapping system for emergency and resource management, with real-time Common Operational Picture sharing.
- Mobile video-surveillance — Integration between the CNVVF vehicle fleet and command centers (ERDF programme).
- Interoperable C2I / C4I — Mapping and operational-integration systems for the Italian Army, Air Force and Navy; interoperability with NATO AirC2IS services.
- Supporto Indagini e Controllo Territorio — Mapping system for the Arma dei Carabinieri.
- Terrapack 32M / WebGis 2010 / GEA — Environmental-simulation and emergency-management solutions; cross-platform C libraries for TeleAtlas Multinet SHP geographic data.
CMS, commerce and other systems
- E-commerce and time tracking — Custom online stores and tracking systems (WooCommerce, bespoke PHP).
- EHR systems and forums — Development in PHP, MySQL and SMF management.
- Business directories — WordPress and Laravel implementations.
Mobile and wearable apps
- Veertualia Wearable — A set of Java libraries for Google Android Wear and Wear OS (Android SDK, Wearable APIs).
- Watch Face Format — Watch faces and assets in pure WFF with animations and XML configuration.
- Tizen OS and Android Wear apps — Development of applications and watch faces (Tizen SDK, Android Studio).
Platforms and products
- ADS-B Tracking Station — Ground telemetry deployment for flight tracking using Raspberry Pi, SDR and Docker on Linux.
- Gustarium — Multilingual recipe platform with its own dashboard, dynamic sitemap and hreflang (Laravel 11, Blade, MySQL).
- La Ragazza col Mattarello — WordPress platform and video channel with recipes optimized for YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
- Omnialia Web Utility Suite — Public suite of online utilities with a REST architecture (Laravel, PHP, REST).
- AssistAlert — Collaborative web app for real-time indoor emergency management (Laravel, REST APIs, React, WebSockets).
- Convivialis Menu QR — Multilingual digital-menu system for restaurants (PHP, MySQL).
- HistoriaRomana — WordPress portal with automatic content generation via the OpenAI API (GPT-4) and publishing through Inbox2WP, optimized with Yoast SEO.
Recent experience
- Augmented Engineering — orchestration of AI coding agents under senior judgment and audit, with local inference servers (LLMs) to keep data in a private environment.
- Real-time systems — geospatial and concurrent-ingestion architectures with broadcasting via WebSockets (Laravel Reverb).
- Edge Computing — telemetry on Raspberry Pi and Software Defined Radio (SDR) in Docker containers.
Soft skills
- Leadership and management of multidisciplinary teams
- Cross-cultural communication (IT-ES-EN)
- Problem-solving in complex contexts
- Critical thinking and adaptability
- Strategic vision and a focus on continuous improvement
Skills summary
Software Engineering and AI
- Deployment of private AI inference environments and local LLMs for data security.
- Integration of AI APIs and agents for workflow automation.
- Systems and Edge Computing: Raspberry Pi and Software Defined Radio (SDR) for telemetry.
Programming languages
- C, C++ (early development for radio stations, cross-platform geographic libraries).
- PHP 7/8 (Laravel 12, Slim, WordPress, Joomla, SMF).
- Java (Android Studio, Wear OS libraries).
- JavaScript (Node.js, React, jQuery, ES6+).
- SQL (MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL).
Web development and frameworks
- Back-end: Laravel 12, Slim, plain PHP, RESTful APIs, WebSockets (Laravel Reverb).
- Front-end: React, Node.js, Bootstrap, jQuery, Vite, HTML5, CSS3, SCSS.
- Templating: Twig, Blade.
- CMS and E-commerce: WordPress (Multisite, WooCommerce), Joomla, SMF, custom plugin development.
Databases and data architecture
- Relational design and modeling of DBMS (MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL).
- Integration with JSON schemas, XML/RSS, dynamic sitemaps, JSON-LD (schema.org).
GIS and mapping systems
- Leaflet.js, OpenLayers, Google Maps APIs, ESRI ArcGIS.
- C2/C4I systems, cross-force interoperability (NATO AirC2IS), environmental simulation.
- Terrapack WebGis (TeleAtlas SHP).
DevOps and hosting
- Advanced Linux administration (Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS), Windows and macOS.
- Docker, version control with Git/Gitea.
- Plesk, Nginx, Apache, automation via shell scripting.
- Web security (hardening, Wordfence, Fail2ban, SSL/TLS encryption).
Multimedia and communication
- Adobe Premiere, After Effects.
- Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom.
- Video, reels and podcast production, YouTube Studio channels and visual branding.
SEO and digital marketing
- Technical and content SEO based on Core Web Vitals and structured data (Schema.org).
- Google Analytics (GA4), Google Tag Manager, Search Console.
- SEM: Google Ads, Meta Ads.
- Multilingual content strategy and copywriting.
Mobile and wearables
- Android (Java, Android Studio, Wear OS APIs).
- Tizen OS.
- Watch Face Format (WFF) in XML.
Languages
- Italian: Native C2.
- Spanish: C1.
- English: C1.
- Catalan: B2.
Why work with me
I combine deep technical experience, strategic vision and an AI-augmented way of working that speeds up delivery without giving up control of your code or your data. If you need to boost your online presence, optimize a web infrastructure or deploy AI securely, Veertualia offers an integrated, tailored approach.
As a technology consultancy in Barcelona, Veertualia combines technology and creativity to deliver effective solutions. If you’d like to start an IT project, improve your digital presence or get technology advice, see my rates. I’ll be glad to help.
