The 2013 Ian McHarg Medal is awarded to Alessandro Annoni for his contribution to information technology applications to the management of geospatial data, promoting their openness and valorisation. Alessandro Annoni has a vast experience of scientific and technological issues related to spatial planning, spatial analysis, environmental modeling, remote sensing, image processing, system design and software development. His background includes a degree in physics from the University of Milan, followed by almost two decades in the private sector, managing companies specialised in advanced geomatics, Earth observation, and software technologies.