Hi, my name is Francisco Dans! I’m a map designer and freelance developer, and I’m on my final year of BA Design at Goldsmiths, University of London. When I’m not in development of coursework projects, I dedicate my time to watch trains (which I admit is a lame use of one’s free time), and gather and process data to create beautiful maps. My main research interests are digital and traditional cartography, transportation, computer science, and the integration of design in geography and economics. I was born 23 years ago in Santiago de Compostela (Galicia), and I’ve been living in London for almost four years.

I’m trying to build myself a career in data visualization and software development. So far my work has appeared in The Atlantic, Londonist (twice), Mapping London and La Voz de Galicia; it has been mentioned in the London Policy Conference and in the International Conference on Space, Time, and CyberGIS. I spent the summer of 2012 doing a work placement alongside researchers at the University College London Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, where I gave a public seminar in October 2012. I’ve also given a talk on the 2012 edition of WhereCamp EU, in Amsterdam.

My other stuff include a passion for digital photography (why deny it? I haven’t touched an analog camera in ten years, and I love my EOS 500D Fujifilm X10), trains and 70s music. I also belonged to a theatre group back in Santiago for eight years. In a different life I would have become a comedian.

I love working on new ideas and playing with raw, new data (as well as collecting it), so give me a shout if you think I could help with anything. My phone number is +44 (0) 7575139317 (don’t dial the zero if you’re calling from outside the UK). You can also email me to fdansv@gmail.com.