Paul Bolstad is a Professor at the University of Minnesota, and has more than 25 years teaching, researching, and applying GIS in science and management. He teaches GIS in various courses to more than 250 students each year, including an introductory course that serves as a test-bed for much of the material covered in this book. When he's not in the classroom or at his desk, he's spending as much time as possible messing about in small boats, or the forests of northern Minnesota.