APHUG - Unit 1 - Thinking Geographically

Reference maps

Show the location of geographic areas

Used for locating, navigating

Thematic maps

Displaying one or more variables across an area

Centres around a theme/subject

Isoline

Uses lines to connect points of equal value, representing data such as elevation, temperature, or precipitation

Dot distribution

Depicts data as points and shows how those points are clustered or spread out over an area

To represent the spatial distribution and density of a specific phenomenon

Choropleth

Uses shaded or pattered polygons in proportion to the measurement of the variable

Graduated symbol

Displays quantitative data by varying the size of symbols (e.g., circles) based on magnitude of the variable

Cartogram

Distorts the size and shape of geographic areas to represent a particular variable, such as population or economic data

All maps distort at least one of…

Shape, area, distance, direction

Projection

Scientific way of transferring locations of Earth’s surface to a flat map

Scale

The relationship of a feature’s size on a map to its actual size on Earth

Small scale maps cover

Large regions

Large scale maps cover

Smaller regions

Mercator projection

Preserves direction and angles

Distorts area (landmasses become amplified at the poles)

Goode Homolosine projection

Interrupted map

Preserves size and shape

Distorts distance

Fuller projection

Preserves shape and size

Distorts direction

Robinson projection

Doesn’t preserve accurate spatial relationships but minimizes errors in each

Longitude and latitude

Winkel Tripel projection

Doesn’t preserve accurate spatial relationships but minimizes errors in each

Minimizes distortion at the poles

Gall-peters projection

Preserves area and size

Distorts shape and direction

GIS

Geographic Information System

Can capture, store, query, analyze, and display geography data

Remote sensing

Acquisition of data about Earth’s surface from a satellite orbiting Earth or from other long-distance methods (ex. aerial imaging)

GPS

Global positioning system

Accurately determines precise position of something on earth

Latitude and longitude

Census

The systematic, official count of a population, including demographic, economic, and social data

Population’s characteristics (age, s e x, occupation)

May also include information on agricultural and business sectors

Census data can be used for

Research, marketing, planning

Ex. where schools are built, where new bus routes are placed

Relative location

Position of something relative to another landmark rather than exact coordinates

Ex. I’m 50 miles west of Houston; I’m ten minutes away from Panda Express

Absolute location

A fixed position that never changes

Specific coordinates, latitude and longitude

Ex. 41.8268° N, 71.4025° W for Brown University

Space

A general, objective location or area

Can be analyzed at different scales, such as local, regional, or global, which helps to identify spatial patterns and trends

Place

The physical and human aspects of a location

Specific locations with distinct characteristics that give them meaning and identity

Ex. New Orleans’s rich cultural heritage, music scene, historical events, and food

Flow

Interaction and movement of people, goods, and information

Distance decay

Intensity decreases as distance increases

Time-space compression

The reduction in the time it takes to diffuse something (goods, ideas, people) to a distant place, resulting in a "shrinking world" effect

Advancements in transportation (airplanes, high-speed rail) and technology (internet, smartphones)

Increases global connectivity and diminishes the significance of distance

Pattern

The geometric or regular arrangement of something in an area

Sustainability

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

Natural resources

Materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land

Occur in nature and can be used for economic gain

Environmental determinism

The physical environment, including the climate, sets hard limits on human society

Human behaviours, cultures, and societal developments are shaped and constrained by the physical environment

Possibilism

The environment sets certain constraints or limitations, but culture is otherwise determined by social conditions

People control their own destinies

People deal with these environmental factors in dynamic and contingent ways

Formal/uniform region

An area with high homogeneity, where almost everyone shares one or more distinct, measurable traits

Clearly defined, often have official borders

May include physical features (ex. rolling hills) or cultural traits (ex. religion)

Ex. the Rocky Mountains, Latin America, the Quebecois (French-speaking in Canada), the USA

Functional/nodal region

An area organized around a node or focal point

Ex. pizza delivery zones, metropolitan areas (Chicago, Washington DC), ski resorts

Vernacular/perceptual region

Defined by feelings and prejudices that may or may not be true

It can also be an idea of a person’s mental map

Ex. the American Deep South, Silicon Valley, Little Italy