Unit 1 - Thinking Geographically

Absolute location

Exact, precise location, using longitude and latitude

Example of absolute location

White House @ 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington DC 38.8977° N latitude, 77.0365° W latitude.

Cartography

The science of art and art of making maps communicate spatial information/data

Contagious diffusion

The unstructured, rapid widespread diffusion of ideas of phenomenon throughout a population.

Examples of contagious diffusion

The spread of memes or (literal) viruses

Cultural Ecology

The study of human-environment relationships and interactions

Cultural landscape

How the built environment reflects the culture and people who built it

Culture

A group’s way of life, encompassing shared behaviors, belief, language, institutions, and material objects

Diffusion

The spread of people (movement), ideas, technology culture from one place to another

Distance decay

The interaction between two places decline as the distance between the two places increases

Distribution

The arrangement of phenomenon across space

Density

The frequency or amount of something in a space

Environmental determinism

Outdated; climate and landforms drive human behavior and cultural/societal developments

Equator

0° latitude latitude; imaginary horizontal line circling Earth

Expansion diffusion

The spread of ideas/phenomenon through a population. The amount of people, knowing/practicing the phenomenon increases, while the hearth remains influential/strong.

Formal region

A region defined by a shared, consistent, cultural, or physical characteristic.

Friction of distance

The resistance to movement or interaction that increases with distance; greater distance = more friction

Functional region

A region organized around a central node

GIS

Computer system/software storing, analyzing, and displaying info on multi. layered data/map set including physical + thematic layers

GIS examples

Crime analysis and business location based on competitor in consumer data

Distance decay example

Increase likelihood of shopping at a local supermarket than a supermarket at big cities

Density example

There are 36 students in class

Distribution example

Majority of China’s population live in the East

Globalization

The process of interdependent and interconnectedness Amongst economics, culture, and political aspects

Glocalization

Conducting business according to both local and global consideration

Globalization Example

Pop culture create created interconnected global communities which allowed for the spread of other genres of music.

GPS

Satellite base navigation network that uses absolute location; for direction and location

GPS example

Apple/Google maps

What’s the difference between GIS and GPS?

GPS determines location while GIS finds answers to research-related questions.

Hierarchical diffusion

The structured spread of ideas of phenomenon from a place of power/influence to places of less power/influence; top-down system

Hearth

The geographical origin/censor were cultural, innovation, or practices begin then diffuse to other areas

Hearth example

Fashion trends originating from Paris, globalized through hierarchical diffusion.

International Date Line

Estimate 180° longitude separates one day for the next

Latitude

Imaginary horizontal lines that measure distance north and south of the Equator

Longitude

Imaginary vertical lines measure distance east west or the Prime Meridian

Mercator projection

Useful for navigation and direction: preserves shape & direction. Distorts size and direction near/at the poles

Mercator projection example

Greenland is the same size as Africa on the map but in reality, Greenland is 1/14th of Africa

Possibilism

Environmental conditions may limit some human action, but humans can adapt to their environment

Possibilism example

Dubai’s largest indoor ski slope has winter sports and a desert environment

Prime Meridian

An imaginary line that goes through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England

Map projection

2-D representation of earth, all projections have distortion

Relative location

Describes the position of a place in relation to another place

Relocation Diffusion

The spread of ideas of phenomenon through migration

Remote sensing

Camera/sensors on satellites to gather information about the Earth’s surface

Robinson projection

Compromise projection were nothing major is distorted, but everything has like distortion

Scale

Ratio of the measurement on the map to the Earth’s surface

Sense of Place

Factors contribution to a location’s uniqueness

What factors contribute to sense of place?

Cultural landscape/built environments are human-made physical artifacts that make up a landscape, contributing to a sense of place.

Placenessless

A location with no distinct characteristics

Remote Sensing

Cameras/Sensors on satellites to collect digital images from the Earth’s surface

Site

The physical characteristics and locations of a place; absolute descriptions

Spatial Analysis

The study of patterns, relationships, and processes of phenomenon across space to understand where and why

Spatial Interaction

The connection contacts, movement, and flow of things between places.

Situation

A location’s relationship to the surrounding area; relative descriptions

Stimulus Diffusion

The spread of ideas are phenomenon to other cultures where specific traits are rejected with the underlying message is accepted.

Time zone

A region that observed a single standard time often aligning with the lines of longitude

Tobler’s First Law

Everything is related to everything else, but near things are related more than far things

Time-space compression

The increasing sense of accessibility and connectivity seemingly bringing humans in distant places closer together

Toponym

The name of a location based on culture or a place’s history.

Vernacular/perceptual region

Region defined by a person’s perception and cultural identity

Vernacular region example

Although the idea of home is the same, the perception is different for each person