Research Interests
Applied GIS, map design, cultural geography, natural resource management
David Banis has managed the Center for Spatial Analysis and Research (CSAR) in the Geography Department since 2006, working with a wide variety of partners at the federal, state, and local levels on applied GIS projects. The projects themselves are equally diverse, and they range from practical database compilation and mapmaking to the study of human/environment interactions in a variety of contexts, to explorations in cultural geography. A number of CSAR’s research programs employ public participatory mapping to explore how cultural values and human perceptions of landscapes might be used to improve public land management.
With colleague Hunter Shobe, David has published two books: Portlandness: A Cultural Atlas, and Upper Left Cities: A Cultural Atlas of San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle. Both books explore the diverse ways that cartographers can tell stories with maps. In collaboration with the Center for Geography Education in Oregon, he was chief cartographer for both English and Spanish language editions of the Student Atlas of Oregon, as well as the classroom Atlas of Oregon Climate and Climate Change. David is one of the partners in the development of an interactive Atlas of Oregon Lakes. He also teaches courses on cartography, GIS, map use and analysis, and the relationship of maps and GIS to culture and society.
Courses Taught
- GEOG 375 Maps, Culture, and Society
- GEOG 380 Maps and Geographic Information
- GEOG 4/510 GIS Web Mapping
- GEOG 4/572 Critical GIS
- GEOG 4/584 Cartographic Applications of GIS
- GEOG 4/585 Map Design and Production
- GEOG 4/588 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
- GEOG 4/592 GIS Applications
- GEOG 4/565 Tuscany: Sustainability in City and Country
Recent Publications and Presentations
- David Banis and Rebecca McLain “Studying the Intangible: Qualitative Methods and Public Participatory GIS”, invited talk at Portland Metro, June 2023.
- Cerveny, L., McLain, R., and D. Banis (2023). National Forest Visitation Preferences and Avenues to Participation for Urban Hispanic Recreationists in the Portland Metropolitan Area (USA) Journal of Forestry Vol. 121 No. 1 pp 64-83.
- Lee Cerveny, Rebecca McLain, David Banis, and Alexa Todd (2022). The use of socio-spatial data for sustainable roads planning: a national forest case study. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 65:12 pp 2190-2213.
- Grisha Post, Heejun Chang, and David Banis (2022). The spatial relationship between patterns of disappeared streams and residential development in Portland, OR, USA. Journal of Maps Vol. 18, No. 2, pp 210-218.
- Lauren McKinney-Wise, Thien-Kim Bui, and David Banis“GIS Mapping Exchange: Empowering Librarians, Engaging Geographic Imaginations”, presented at the School of the Environment Fall Seminar Series, October 2022