Peter Keller

Areas of Interest:

Informed Geographic Decision Making: I am interested in advancing the geographic information sciences to support better planning and decision making.  Research projects have advanced analytical capacities and explored applications in areas as diverse as forestry and mining, tourism, public health, preservation of Indigenous knowledge, marine navigation, and building and sustaining communities. Some of my research is highly quantitative, others more qualitative (notably work in community mapping).

Tourism:  I have a secondary interest in tourism research with special interest in seeking answers to how communities can self-determine and control tourism industry development to be of economic and social benefit while minimizing impact and harm. I have a special interest in addressing these questions for high latitude tourism, including Canada’s North.

Ocean Stewardship:  I am interested in better understanding advocacy for the world’s oceans, especially who the advocates and stewards are, how they collaborate today, and how their voices can be more effectively united and heard.

Geography of Boats and Sailing:  I have a passion for sailing and the study of the geography of pleasure boating has been on my radar screen for a long time.  There are many interesting spatial questions worthy of exploration.  One of these days I will find time to collaborate with others to advance that agenda.  Want to come aboard?

Background

Born in Germany and educated in Germany, Ireland and Canada, I joined the University of Victoria in British Columbia in 1985 where I remained until 2016 with the exception of sabbatical leaves in Ireland 1992/3 and New Zealand 1999/00. From 2004 to 2014 I held the appointment as Dean of the University of Victoria’s Faculty of Social Sciences. I continue to hold a Professor Emeritus appointment at the University of Victoria.

I joined Simon Fraser University in 2016 as a Professor of Geography and to take up the appointment of Vice President Academic / Provost which I held until September of 2019. I am currently Special Advisor to the Executive on Academic Planning.

I have been President of the Canadian Cartographic Association, past editor of the flagship journal CARTOGRAPHICA, Chair of Canada’s National Committee to the International Cartographic Association from 1995 to 2003, and for many years was on the Board of the Canadian Institute of Geomatics.