Over the past decade, Dan has developed an obsession with mapping rivers using open lidar data from around the world. The resulting depictions straddle the boundary of art and science and often reveal previously unseen channels where rivers have flowed in the past. They also help to interpret many of the rivers’ stories and invite viewers to visually meander along their pathways through both space and time.

The Oregon EWRG’s new website features one of these images—a reach of the Willamette River north of Salem. Dan will discuss the origins of that image and will show several other river graphics from Oregon and around the world while exploring the stories behind the maps.