Dr. David Rain

Associate Professor
Geography and International Affairs

Director, Environmental Studies Program

Ph.D. (Penn State)

Office: 221 - 1922 F Street, NW
Telephone: 202-994-8523
Fax: 202-994-2484
Email: drain@gwu.edu

Interests

Urban Geography

Population Geography

Economic Development

Africa

GIS

Nature
and Society

Courses Taught

GEOG 003 - Society & Environment
GEOG 106 - Intermediate GIS
GEOG 141 - Cities in the Developing World
GEOG 164 - Geography of Africa
GEOG 201 - Geographic Thought & Methods
GEOG 230 - Environmental Issues in
                   Development
GEOG 244 - International Urbanization
GEOG 201 - Geographic Thought & Methods

Selected Publications

Developing Geospatial Infrastructure to Support the Census Process.  New York: United Nations Publications  (2009).

“Damascus: A Geographical Field Note.”  The Geographical Review (2009).

“ Tales from the Data Mine: Mapping and Geographic Census Data Challenges in One African Country. ” Population, Space & Place  (Forthcomming).

Tools and Methods for Estimating Populations at Risk from Natural Disasters and Complex Humanitarian Crises.  National Research Council.  Committee on the Effective Use of Data, Methodologies and Technologies to Estimate Subnational Populations At Risk, Board of Earth Science and Resources.  Lead writer for Chapter Four: The Operational Environment and Institutional Impediments.  2007.

“Towards Settlement Science: A Research Agenda for Urban Geography.” GeoJournal 69, 1/2, special issue on global population distribution; David Rain and Budhu Bhaduri, co-editors (2007).

“Identifying Population Vulnerable to Hydrological Hazards in San Juan, Puerto Rico.” Derek Azar and David Rain, GeoJournal 69, 1/2, special issue on global population distribution; David Rain and Budhu Bhaduri, co-editors (2007).

 “Population Density Versus Urban Population: Comparative GIS Studies in China, India, and the United States.”  Population and Environment 28, 6: 321-37. Rain, David, Long, John F., and Michael Ratcliffe (2007).

“A World on Demand: Geography of the 24-Hour Global TV News.” Book chapter co-authored with Susan Brooker-Gross, Geography and Technology. Edited by Stanley Brunn, Susan Cutter, and J.W. Harrington (2004).

“Geo-Referenced Population Data for Humanitarian Response.”  Proceedings, ESRI User Conference , Environmental Systems Research Institute, Redlands CA (2003).

Eaters of the Dry Season: Circular Labor Migration in the West African Sahel . Boulder, CO: Westview Press. August 1999. Paperback edition: December 2000.

“Commuting Directionality, A Functional Measure for Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Standards.” Urban Geography 20, 8. November-December 1999.

“The Women of Kano: Internalized Stress and the Conditions of Reproduction, Northern Nigeria” GeoJournal 43, 2: 175-189. October 1997.