Ap HUG Unit 1

self study

What is Unit 1 all about?

Understanding maps & map projection, spatial patterns and concepts of data & how data is collected, scales of analysis on maps, and how humans interact with the environment

What cannot be depicted on maps?

relative concepts related to spatial patterns (Relative direction & distance)

What will always happen when attempting to represent a 3D object onto a 2D surface/map?

Distortion of some kind will always happen - always some kind of lie

Why do geographers gather all kinds of data?

Because it drives decision making

What do you often have to define on the AP test?

The scale of the map (Scales of analysis)

What is one concept that Geographers question?

Why certain spatial patterns exist

Why does a region exist?

No matter how big it is, a region exists because of some shared characteristic among the people who lived there - geographers often use more than one type of regional unit to define a region

What are often subjects of disputes between nations?

The boundaries of regions or areas

What happens to the scale of analysis when zooming in on the map (showing more detail)?

The scale of analysis is larger

What does understanding maps represent in Human Geography?

Is represents the heart of human geography

Spatial patterns

How and where different geographic features occur on the Earth’s surfaceH

How many different kinds of spatial patterns are there? `

4 kinds of spatial patterns

Absolute Distance - Spatial pattern 1

Distance that can be measured in feet, miles, kilometers, etc

Example: How far away a restaurant is from you in exact miles

Relative Distance:

A different form of absolute distance that measures social, cultural ,economic, or political differences of similarities between two locations

Examples: distance from a location that is measured in time (hours, minutes, etc); two locations may be close together from a distance perspective, but the culture of the area could be vastly different

Absolute Direction - Spatial pattern 2

The cardinal directions (north, south, east, west)

Example: A compass

Relative direction

A different form/sub-type of absolute direction that describes one location in reference to another

Example: Giving directions to a classroom in school using visual markers (water fountains, room numbers, etc)

Clustering & Dispersal - Spatial pattern 3

Shows how different phenomena are organized across an area

Clustered = close together. example: cities; Dispersed = spread far apart, example: rural areas

Elevation - Spatial pattern 4

Measures the height of geographic features relative to sea level

What are map feautures?

they are details on the map that give context to the data on the map

Map Scale

A map feature that tells the reader how the distance on the map relates to distance in the real worldDire

Direction

A map feature that is represented on the map by a compass rose (shows the cardinal directions & sometimes intermediate directions)

Scale

A map feature that shows how much of the world is visible on the map

different from map scale, which shows distance relative to the real world

Large-scale map

Focuses on smaller locations - cities, towns, countries

Shows more detail

Small-scale map

Focuses on a larger location - nations or on a global scale

less detail

What category do reference maps and thematic maps fall under

They are part of the broad map category

Reference maps

They display specific geographic locations

Thematic maps

They display specialized geographic information

How many different thematic maps are there?

5 of them

Choropleth map - thematic map 1

It visualizes data from a specific geographic region in different colors

Cartogram map - thematic map 2

Is distorts the size of geographic shapes to display differences in data

Graduated Symbol map - thematic map 3

Also known as a “proportional map”, this map shows symbols of different sizes in proportion to the data represented

Dot Distribution map - thematic map 4

It uses dots to visualize the location of certain data points

Isoline map - thematic map 5

It uses lines to depict changes in data

This is most often seen in maps with changing elevation

Map projection

All maps are selective in what they present and are distorted in some way

There are 5 main map projections to know

Mercator projection

A map whose latitude and longitude lines meet at right angles; used because it is good for determining direction

This map creates distortion of landmasses the further north or south from the equator

Who created the Mercator projection and why?

Europeans created this projecting during the Age of Discovery in order for maritime travel and guiding ships to distant lands

Peters projection

It was developed to challenge the Mercator projection, in which it depicted continents according to the true size of their landmass

despite size being accurate, the shape of the landmasses were distorted/odd-looking

Goode Homolosine Projection

It accurately represents the shapes of the land masses, but has to break up the oceans to do so

Polar Projection

Views the world from the North or South pole, where directions are true and there are true accurate land shapes near the middle

Distortion is obvious near the edges

Robinson Projection

Created to be a sort of compromise between the Mercator and Peters projection, this map distributes all kinds of distortion to all parts of the map

There is minimal land mass distortion

What entities collect geographic data?

Individuals & organizations (the two big groups who care enough to gather geographic data), along with governments (used data for their own purpose)

Individuals

A person (researcher, geographer, etc) who is collecting geographic data of something (spatial spread of a disease, wanting to prevent danger, etc) in order to figure out what is happening and if they can create solutions to their findings

How are individuals gathering geographic data?

Done through field observations, travel narratives, and media reports

Field observations

When a researcher/geographer physically visits the location and makes written observations about what they see

Travel narratives

Written accounts of a person’s travels - can be packed with geographic and cultural observations that can have significant effects on map making during that period and beyond

Media reports

The media often show up to locations to tell stories, which include details of the people living there and the geographic location in which they live

Organizations

They can gather data on a much larger scale then individuals because they tend to have a larger budget

This includes businesses, government agencies, etc

Governments

They often collect geographical data for their own purposes

gathered data can be used to decide what policies to pass or how to allocate representatives in a nation’s government (The US & the amount of representatives in Congress)

Census

It gathers information about a government’s citizens, including information like age, location, religion, etc

Qualitative data

Numbers based - all about counting things

Qualitative data

Characteristics of qualities of that data

It won’t tell the amount, but it could tell how people felt while data was gathered

How many methods are there for gathering geographic data?

3 kinds

Geospatial Technology

(broad, not one of the methods for fathering geographic data; acts as a sort of grouping of sorts)

Hardware and software can examine and measure geographical feature on Earth

Global Positioning System (GPS) - method 1 of gathering geographic data

The collaboration of a device on Earth and satellites in space to find absolute location on Earth’s surface

It requires at least 4 satellites to find absolute location

Geographic Information System (GIS) - method 2 of collecting geographic data

software which can manipulate geospatial data to be used for research or problem-solving

It analyzes data for the purpose of answering research-based questions

It collects, stores, and analyzes geospatial data

Remote Sensing - method 3 for collecting geographic data

the process of collecting geographic data and imagery about Earth's surface from a distance

It gathers data in 2 ways: Satellite imagery and Aerial photography

Satellite Imagery

digital images, maps, and data of the Earth's surface captured by sensors and cameras mounted on satellites orbiting the planet, essentially giving a person a “birds-eye” view other Earth’s surface

Helps visualize population patterns and other geospatial information

Example: the government using satellite image to track wildfire and make decisions about when certain populations need to evacuate

Aerial photography

Images of a location taken in the air or from highly elevated locations

Used for places that need more detailed information gathered

Recreation decisions

People use geographical data to get to a location

Example: gps

Moving/relocation

Using geographical data to decide where to move and the quality of other factors for other people

Example: school districts for children

Locating other people

The tracking of people’s location - can drive decision-making

What effects does Census data have on a nation’s government?

It can affect how government funds are allocated & the balance of political power in the fed. govt.

What major entities drive decision making?

Businesses and organizations - they make decisions that affect the general population using geographic data

The reason for so many businesses and organizations being in surplus in certain regions is due to the use of geographic data and decision-making

Latitude

invisible lines that run horizontally - separates the northern and southern hemispheres

Equator

The center line of latitude lines

Longitude lines

Lines that run vertically - separates the western and eastern hemispheres

Prime Meridian

The center line of longitude lines

International Date Line

An invisible line at 180 longitude that determines the start of each new day on Earth

Spatial concepts

the way in which different phenomena are organized in space - need to know six major concepts

Absolute and Relative location

Absolute: the precise geographical location on Earth’s surface - works because of latitude and longitude lines

Relative: Describes one location in reference to another and is usually measured in distance or time

Space and Place

Space: a theoretical concept that geographers use to describe the geometric surface of the Earth

Place: Describes the way humans modify a particular space in ways that reflect who they are

Flow

Describes the patterns of connection between two places

geographers study movements across connected lands and patterns that characterize those movements between the two locations

Distance Decay

The further apart two things are, the less connected they will be (they interact less and they share less)

Because of technological advancements, distance places are a lot more connected than they used to be

Time-space Compression

Describes the decreased distance between two places measured by the time or cost it requires to travel between them

Patterns

Making sense out of how phenomena are arranged on the landscape - 6 different kinds of geographical aptterns

Random

There is no pattern, no real order

Clustered

Phenomena are tightly packed together

Dispersed

Phenomena are spread out

Linear

Phenomena happening in a striaght line - houses, roads, towns next to railroads, etc

Circular

Phenomena (houses) built around a central communal space

Geometric

Phenomena appear in regular orderly fashion

Human-Environment Interaction

How humans interact with their environment and modify it to mirror their way of life - 3 big categories to know

Use of natural resources

Materials found in the Earth that humans use for economic gain - 2 kinds

Renewable resources

Can be used in unlimited measures - the sun, wind, etc

Non-renewable resources

Can be used in limited measures - oils, fossil fuels, natural gasses, etc

Sustainability

Using non-renewable resources so they will continue to be available in the future

The biggest concern about sustainability for govts. = climate change

Land use

How human beings use and modify the land on which they live

Built environment

everything on a piece of land that humans have built

They reflect and are affected by the cultural values of the people who build them

Environmental determinism

A framework of thoughts/theories that argued that environment determines culture

Environmental Possibilism (or just Possibilism)

Another type of framework for thoughts/theories that argued that humans determine culture (mainly)

This is the new main theory for geographers

It says that whatever environment humans find themselves in, it offers many different possibilities for cultural developments - argues environment isn’t the main influencer of human culture

Scales of Analysis

In Human Geography, it indicates how much of the world we’re studying - 4 types to know

Global

data across the entire planet

Regional

large chunks/regions (continents, multiple countries, etc)

National

Single country

Local

Province, state, city, maybe neighborhoods, etc

What does analyzing geographic data at different scales reveal?

It reveals different spatial patterns & data patterns

Region

A geographical unit which shares some unifying principle - could be things like culture, economy, activity, religion, etc

Features of regions

They are defined by geographers & regions don’t come in standard sizes (they exist because of shared characteristics among the people living in that region)

Formal Regions (also called “Uniform” or “Homogenous”)

A geographical area that is linked by common traits like language or religion or economic prosperity or some geographical feature, etc

geographers often use more than one type of regional trait to define a region

This region tends to have clear boundaries

Functional Regions (also known as “Nodal”)

This is organized not on shared traits, but on shared function - it has some type of central location/node around which that shared activity is carried out

They tend to have clear borders, but now always

This can overlap Formal Regions, but they’re often spatially distinct