After his years as research assistant Dr. Behr worked since 1989 as a senior consultant, supporting the introduction of Geographical Information Systems, the design and implementation of spatial databases and GIS applications for municipalities and power supply companies. Hence he has a strong background in computer science, especially geospatial IT and consultancy work regarding GI system introduction.

He joined Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences as a full time professor of spatial information processing in 2002. He is teaching software development, Internet Technology and Internet GIS as well as Database design, XML technologies and Scientific Writing.

Interoperability and open standards are important for him, currently also topics like disaster mapping and crowd sourcing. Free and Open Software/standards/data are applied in teaching and research.

He published two GIS text books, more than 60 scientific papers and gave numerous presentations at international conferences. He is very interested in continuing education and in internationalization of education. He conducted workshops in India (IIITM-K, University of Kerala, Trivandrum, Anna University, Tirunelveli , Egypt (National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences, Cairo), Pretoria and Cape Town (South Africa) and (co-)organised scientific conferences in Arequipa, Peru (AGSE 2010), Nairobi, Kenya (AGSE 2011), Johor Bahru, Malaysia (AGSE 2012), Ahmedaba, India (2013), Stuttgart, Germany (2014) and Kish, Iran (2017), Windhoek, Namibia (2018), Stuttgart, Germany (2019) , Kathmandu, Nepal/Stuttgart, Germany (2021)

He is head of the Laboratory for interoperable, and open-source Geospatial Software, Data and Standards (HFT ICA-OSGeo-Lab). He is co-founder and head of the Applied Geoinformatics for Society and Environment conferences (http://applied-geoinformatics.org/).

He is member of the German Organisation for Standardization (DIN-Board NA 005-03-03 AA „Kartographie und Geoinformation“, comparable to CEN/TC 287 and ISO/TC 211). In the field of cartography he serves as co-chair of the ‘Commission on SDIs and Standards' of the International Cartographic Association (ICA). In 2013 and 2016 he was co-chairing the Academic Track of the international FOSS4G conferences. Since 2016 he is Member of the SDI Advisory Board, State of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In spring 2018 he was Erudite-Scholar-in-Residence at the University of Kerala, Trivandrum, India, and Visiting Professor at University of Pretoria, South Africa.