Alasdair has worked in geographic data analysis for more than 20 years and loves thinking about how to analyse and map things. In 2019 he founded Automatic Knowledge – a spatial data, analysis and training company. Prior to this he worked in academia as a Professor in Urban Studies and Planning at the University of Sheffield. He has worked with clients of all sizes, from Google and the BBC, to national, regional and local governments – as well as small non-profits and charities.

He has long been an advocate for open data in the GIS world and has co-authored three books and more than 20 academic papers on topics such as spatial planning, housing, deprivation, urban policy and transport. Alasdair has a PhD in urban and regional analysis, and his work has featured regularly in the national and international press.