Editorial

From: Eric Delmelle, Associate Professor, University of North Carolina at Charlotte To: Readers of the Journal of Cartography and Geographic Information Science (Taylor & Francis)

Dear colleagues

As the new Editor of the Cartography and Geographic Information Science (CaGIS), I am taking this opportunity to offer a brief note at the official commencement of my term (1 January 2021). With six issues per year, and an impact factor of 2.429 in 2019 CaGIS remains the premier cartographic journal worldwide and a much-respected journal in the field of Geographic Information Science.

First and foremost, I would like to thank the outgoing Editor, Dr. Nick Chrisman for his level of dedication to the journal, spending considerable investment to bring the journal where it stands now. I have witnessed the amount of feedback Dr. Chrisman has provided to authors, even when their papers were rejected without peer review. His level of commitment is unparalleled. From Nick’s tenure, there are some statistics that are remarkable; the impact factor of the journal went from 0.500 when he took over in 2014 to 2.429 in 2019; the journal expanded to six issues per year in 2017; and the number of article downloads went from 33,100 in 2014 to 43,396 in 2018. At the same time, I would like to express my gratitude to outgoing cartographic editor Dr. Thomas Holder (University of Georgia, GA). With his help, maps in the journal have always adhered to strict cartographic rules, and impressive quality. I am also very indebted to the Editorial Board members and the many reviewers who have played a critical role in shaping the journal over the years, and who have guaranteed a quick turnaround for submitted papers (approximately 45 days to first decision).

I do have very big shoes to fill; however Dr. Chrisman has agreed to stay as an Associate Editor for at least 1 year to smooth out the transition. Alongside me, my former mentor Dr. Frank Canters (Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Belgium) will serve as an Associate Editor. Frank’s expertise in map projections and analytical cartography is a critical asset for that important component of the journal. Second, Dr. Ourania Kounadi (University of Vienna, Austria) has also agreed to serve as an Associate Editor. Her background in geoprivacy, crime analytics and volunteered geographic information is essential for the journal. Early in 2021, a new Editorial Board will be announced; it will reflect an audience of young, diverse and excellent scholars who are already contributing substantially to the field.

Although juggling research and teaching requirements is challenging, I commit to doing my best to strengthen the trajectory of the journal, maintaining its strong international presence and reputation as the premier cartography & GIScience journal. I encourage you to consider CaGIS as an outlet for your research, and to promote it for rigorous research among your peers. Second, I will strive for a healthy flow of methodological and applied papers that contribute to the field, and encourage young scholars (PhDs and ABDs, among others) to consider our journal. Third, we will increase visibility at conferences where we are typically already present by creating a platform for young scholars (and potential authors) to meet the Editor and/or Associate Editors (drop-in). This may be in a virtual format as we transition back to in-person conferences. Fourth, I encourage new special issues, for instance, along the challenges posed by the collection of data related to the census 2020 (uncertainty, bias, scale, representativeness), digital health and visualization (with applications to COVID-19, for instance). We will also welcome strong review articles that provide a research agenda to our field; for instance, mapping movement data, representation of big space-time data, visualization of space-time uncertainty, participatory mapping, web mapping, and map design (including usability studies), to name a few. Finally, we will build a stronger social media presence to disseminate calls for special issues, highlight newly accepted papers to the journal, and showcase the work of young scholars.

It is my privilege to take up the leadership of CaGIS for the next 3 years.

Sincerely,