HUMAN GEO VOCAB 1.2-17

Geographic Information Systems

Computer systems that collect, analyze, store, and display geographic data

Remote Sensing

All of the satellites that are flying through space gathering information about urban sprawl, agriculture, polar, ice caps, and desertification

Satellite navigation systems

A system of artificial satellites capable of providing geo specific positioning everywhere in the world

Census

A survey of the total population of a region done by a governing body

Global positioning systems

A space based radio navigation system consisting of a constellation of satellites broadcasting navigation signals and a network of ground stations and satellite control stations used for monitoring and control

Geospatial Data

Data that includes information about a specific region

Space

The gap between two things

Absolute Location

Exact longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates of a place on Earth

Relative Location

Refers to a place in relation to other places

Flow

A spatial concept that helps us to understand these types of connections

Distance Decay

The idea that the farther away one place is from another, the less interaction those two places will have with each other

Time-space compression

The reduction of time it takes for a person, idea, or product to get from one place to another

Interdependence

The idea that two locations are dependent on each other because of the connection they share through space

Ecology

A branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings

Ecosystems

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment

Greenhouse gases

Gases like carbon dioxide that are released into the air and cause a layer of pollution

Greenhouse effect

When heat from the sun is trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere because of the layer of pollution caused by gases

Environmental determinism

A way to view the relationship between people and their environment

States that specific environments determine the way of life and culture for the people who live in that place

Possibilism

A way to view the relationship between people and their environment

Claims that the environment presents multiple options to people to make choices about

Glocal Perspective

The idea that all scales of analysis are important when examining an issue

Quantitative Data

Data relating to numbers

Region

An area that has definable characteristics, but not always fixed boundaries

Formal region

Have well defined boundaries, and the area is defined by one predominant or universal characteristic

Regional identity

Who we are and what we value about our region

Contested Boundaries

Boundaries that aren’t clear because countries are fighting over them

Sustainability

The use of earth’s resources in ways that ensure their availability in the future