HUG Unit 1

What is geospatial data (1.3)?

Data related to a specific point on the physical Earth

What are some limitations of using technology to collect geospatial data (1.3)?

There can be inaccuracies, biases, selectivity, and ethical concerns

What is "space" in geography?

The physical gap between two things

What is interconnectedness?

The state of which actions at one point on Earth can affect conditions elsewhere

What is Absolute Location?

A way of describing a location with characteristics that won't change. It uses mathematical, quantifiable characteristics and is related to the concept of site.

Ex: latitude and longitude

What is Relative Location?

A way of describing location in relation to another location. It can help understand significance

What are flows?

Flows are how different places interact with each other. They show how people, information, and goods travel

What is Distance Decay?

A phenomenon where the farther away a place is from another, the less interaction will occur. It is less significant today because of newer technology.

What is Time-Space Compression?

The reduction of the time it takes for a person, idea, or product to travel to a different place, causing places to feel closer together.

What is place?

The meaning people give to location. It is made up of site and situation.

What is site?

The internal characteristics of a place.

What is situation?

The external relationships of a place (why site elements matter).

What is placelessness?

When a location lacks identity/uniqueness

What is a toponym?

The name of a place

What populations can collect geographic data?

Organizations and individuals

What does "In the field" mean in HUG?

When geographers gather geographic information when they are out in the world

What kinds of organizations gather geographic data?

Governments, private companies, research institutions, and universities

Name some ways to record data

Drawing maps, notes, counting and measuring things, and interviewing locals

Name technologies used to gather geospatial data

GIS, remote sensing, satellite, navigation, systems, and online mapping and visualization

What is GIS?

GIS stands for Geographic Information Systems. It shows different layers of geospatial data (like a lasagna)

What is remote sensing?

A type of data collection done by satellite. It includes things like urban sprawl, drought, and agricultural land use.

What is the purpose of Satellite Navigation Systems?

To provide precise latitude and longitude coordinates (absolute location)

What is an example of a Satellite Navigation System

GPS (Global Positioning System)

What sources can geographers use to gather geographic data?

Media reports, policy documents, personal interviews, landscape analysis, and photographic interpretation.

Give examples of media reports

Newspapers, TV, online news

What are policy documents?

Government-made legislation

Reference Map

Informational maps, showing boundaries and place names. They display physical and man-made features

Ex: World map, evacuation map of school, subway systems

Thematic Map

Maps that tell a story by showing the density and distribution of quantitative data.

What is a Chloropleth Map?

A map that uses colors or shading to represent quantifiable data.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of Chloropleth Maps?

They are effective at showing density, but they do not show distribution very well.

What does a darker color generally indicate on a Chloropleth Map?

A larger quantity.

What is a Dot Map?

A map that places a dot representing a value in its approximate location.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of Dot Maps?

They effectively show distribution, but areas of concentration or density can appear cluttered, making dots indistinguishable.

Graduated Symbol Map

Feature symbols proportional in size to the value of the data

What are the weaknesses of Graduated Symbol Maps?

Weaknesses: Can be cluttered in high-density areas, and it may be hard to differentiate symbol size.

What is an Isoline Map?

A map that connects areas of equal value with lines.

Ex: Topographic maps

What can make an Isoline Map difficult to interpret?

It can be difficult to interpret unless colors are used.

What is a cartogram?

A map that distorts the appearance of places to represent their value.

On a cartogram of world population, which countries would be the largest?

China and India

What are patterns?

Patterns are what you see; they answer the "where" questions

What are processes?

Processes explain patterns; they answer the "why" questions. Types of processes are known as ESPN (Economic, Social-cultural, Political, and eNvironmental)

What are ways to describe patterns?

Clustered (agglomeration), dispersed, uniform (evenly spaced), random, and many other adjectives

What is a map projection?

Map projections take the spherical shape of Earth and display it on a flat surface. All maps distort at least one aspect of the Earth.

Conformal projections

Conformal projections preserve the shapes of land masses and distort size

Equal-area projections

These projections distort shape and preserve the size of land masses

How does the Mercator Projection represent latitude and longitude?

Lat. and long. are shown at right angles.

What does the Mercator Projection preserve?

Shape.

What does the Mercator Projection distort?

Size at high latitudes.

What is a common use of the Mercator Projection?

Navigation.

Why is the Mercator Projection memorable?

Because it makes Greenland appear huge.

What does the Gall-Peters Projection preserve?

Size

What does the Gall-Peters Projection distort?

Shape

How does the Gall-Peters Projection compare to the Mercator projection?

It is like the opposite of the Mercator projection.

What does the Robinson Projection preserve?

The size and shape of the continents (mostly)

What areas does the Robinson Projection distort?

Polar areas

How does the Robinson Projection handle distortions?

It has many tiny distortions rather than large ones

What is the Robinson Projection often used for?

It is often used in published atlases

What is sustainability?

Describes actions that provide immediate benefits while preserving resources for the future

What are natural resources?

Items produced in nature; can be renewable or non-renewable

What are the five forms of land use?

Agricultural, industrial/commercial, residential, transportational, and recreational

What is another word for Human-Environmental Interaction?

Cultural ecology

What is another name for Cultural Ecology?

Human-Environmental Interaction

What are the two theories regarding the effect of the environment on society

Environmental Determinism and Possibilism

What is Environmental Determinism?

A theory that states natural factors alone determine the cultural attributes of societies

When and where was Environmental Determinism developed?

It was developed in ancient civilization, mainly in Greece

What kinds of views were Environmental Determinism the basis of? When were these views used?

It was the basis of Eurocentric views, and it was used during the Ages of Colonialism and Imperialism.

What was the issue with Environmental Determinism?

It was overly simplistic, and it discounted the value of the human role of shaping society

What are the "5 Too's” regarding Environmental Determinism

Human settlements are not often located in places too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry, or too mountainous

What is Possibilism?

A theory that states the environment has an effect on society, but humans can overcome the limitations.

When and why was Possibilism developed?

Early 20th century as a rebuttal to the criticized theory of Environmental Determinism

Which theory is more favored, Environmental Determinism or Possibilism. Why?

Possibilism is more favored because it celebrates the human capacity to adapt, despite the "5 Too's"

Other than in maps, what is scale in terms of data analysis?

The size or scope of a phenomenon

Give an example of written scale

1 inch is equal to 1 mile

Give an example of ratio scale. What does it mean?

1:30,000. 1 unit on the map is equal to 30,000 of that unit in real life

What is graphic scale?

a bar or line with inserts to show how much a unit on the map compares to real life units

Name some scales of analysis

Local, metropolitan, national, regional, and global

What is another name for scale of analysis?

Scale of inquiry

What is another name for scale of inquiry?

Scale of analysis

What are the other names for formal regions?

Uniform/homogenous

What are formal regions?

Regions where everything shares a certain, unifying set of characteristics

What is another name for a functional region

A nodal region

What are the characteristics of a functional region?

They have a node (a center of activity), and they provide a network of a certain service.

What is another term for a perceptual region?

A vernacular region

What is another term for a vernacular region?

A perceptual region

What is regionalization and what is its purpose?

chunking large spaces into smaller spaces to analyze patterns and processes.

What are the Five Themes of Geography

Location, Place, Human-Environmental Interaction, Movement, and Region