Dr. Richard L. Bernknopf is an economist with the USGS Western Geographic Science Center in Menlo Park, CA. Dr. Bernknopf's research focuses on the demonstration of the relevance (value to society) of natural science information and the translation of that information into a form compatible with decision‑making processes. He has published papers and books in the economics, hydrology, geology, geophysics, and planning literatures. His research with the USGS has spanned more than three decades. In addition to his USGS responsibilities, he has been a consulting professor and co‑director of the Center for Earth Science Information Research at Stanford University and has served on the editorial board of The Professional Geographer. Currently, Dr. Bernknopf is the co-director of the Spatial Integration Laboratory for Urban Systems at the University of Pennsylvania.