Physical geography

Gerardus Mercator

A 15^{th} Century Flemish Cartographer who coined the term atlas and is a foundational figure in modern cartography.

Most famous map projection

The Mercator projection.

When was the Mercator projection invented?

In 1569.

Problem with Mercator projection

It features severe distortion of area, size, shape, and landmasses.

Topographic map

A map that uses contour lines to portray the Earth’s surface.

Contour lines

Lines that connect points of equal elevation on a topographic map.

Contour interval

The vertical distance or difference in elevation between contour lines.

Index contours

Bold or thicker lines that appear at every 5^{th} contour line and typically display the elevation.

GNSS

Global Navigation Satellite System.

GPS (Global Positioning System)

A system based on a constellation of at least 24 high-altitude satellites.

Russia’s GNSS

GLONASS.

Europe’s GNSS

Galileo.

Remote sensing

Observing or monitoring an object from a satellite or aircraft.

Landsat Program

A USA satellite program that began in 1972 and is jointly directed by NASA and the USGS.

Landsat 9 launch date

September 27, 2021.

Earth Observing System (EOS)

A NASA satellite program that began in the 1990s to monitor the Earth’s land, ocean, atmosphere, and biosphere.

UAV

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, commonly known as a drone; a powered aircraft that flies without a human pilot on board.

GIS

Geographic Information System; a computer mapping system.

Inventor of GIS

Dr. Roger Tomlinson, who invented the system in 1963.

ArcGIS Software

A software developed by ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute).