We had the pleasure of speaking with the Associate Editor of the ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information (IJGI, ISSN: 2220-9964), Dr. Dev Raj Paudyal. Our goal is to present a behind-the-scenes look at the journal and provide insights into the Associate Editor's perspective on the publishing process.

Dr. Dev Raj Paudyal has been working as a Full Time Faculty Member at the School of Surveying and Built Environment, University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ), Australia, since 2010. Dr. Paudyal is teaching mine surveying, spatial science for engineers, and core surveying/spatial science subjects. Dr. Paudyal is also working as a Visiting Professor at the Nepal Open University (NOU), Nepal and the Institute of Engineering (WRC), Tribhuvan University, Nepal. Dr. Paudyal is a member of the Subject Committee at NOU and helped to develop the curriculum for a master’s degree in geoinformatics in 2019. Dr. Paudyal has also collaborated with the Kathmandu University of Nepal. He worked as a Research Scholar at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, USA (2015-2016). Dr. Paudyal completed his Ph.D. at the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ), Australia, and M.Sc. (specialization in land administration) at the International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), the Netherlands. He served as the President of the International Geospatial Society (2013–2015), Co-Chair of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS)-WGIV/4: (Geospatial Data Infrastructure 2012–2022), and on the Board of Directors of the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI) Association (2014–2018). In addition to this, Dr. Paudyal is a member of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS), a member of the International Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), a member of the Mixed Methods International Research Association (MMIRA), and a life member of the Nepal Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Society. He has more than 25 years of professional and research experience, which includes 10 years of full-time industry experience in the Survey Department (National Mapping Agency) of Nepal and 15 years of teaching and research experience in Australia, India, and Nepal.

The following is a short Q&A with Dr. Dev Raj Paudyal, who shared his vision for the journal with us, as well as his views of the research area and open access publishing:

1. Could you give us a short overview of the research you are currently undertaking?
My research interest areas are SDI, digital twins, the use of spatial science and technology in urban planning and natural resource management, pro-poor land management, indigenous land management, regularization/upgrading of informal settlements, land administration, land use, citizen science and open/distance education. I have supervised twenty-five successful postgraduate and honor students and I am currently supervising eight Ph.D. students and five honor students. I have also been consulted on SDI, the application of geospatial information in disaster risk management, land administration, and spatial data management by the Ministry of Land Reform and Management, Kathmandu University, Tribhuwan University, Institute of Engineering, and the World Bank.

2. As the Associate Editor who takes charge of the IJGI scope of spatial data infrastructures, what do you think are the latest developments in this field?
The latest developments in this field are open SDI, open data, VGI and digital twins, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), and mobile mapping and crowd-sourced data.

3. As IJGI is an open access journal, can you share with us your opinion regarding the open access model of publication?
Open Access journals offer significant benefits. The published papers are freely available to everyone, which promotes inclusivity and disseminates global knowledge. In addition to this, this advances the progress of science and scholarship as the publications are more visible and accessible. Basically, the researchers from the south and the developing world receive more benefit. Openly accessible research also encourages public trust in science and provides opportunities for community engagement. The APC model is more cost-effective than the traditional subscription-based model. A good-quality open access journal such as IJGI has a clear submission and peer-review process similar to traditional subscription-based journals, so the quality has not been compromised and it receives popularity among the geospatial research community.