Francis Harvey, PhD, is Head of the Department of Cartography and Visual Communication at the Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography and Professor of Visual Communication in Geography at Leipzig University in Germany. He was formerly Associate Professor in the Department of Geography, Environment, and Society at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Harvey's research addresses a range of central issues in geographic information science, including visualization, ethics, values, institutional aspects, cadastral issues, pedagogy, and overlay algorithms. His teaching has covered the use of evolving geographic information technologies for undergraduates and graduate students in the United States and internationally. Currently, he is Chair of the International Geographical Union Commission on Geographic Information Science.