APHUG - Unit 1 Key Terms

Absolute Distance

Distance that can be measured with a standard unit of length

Ex. mile or kilometre

Absolute Location

The exact position of an object of place

Longitude and latitude

Accessibility

The relative ease with which a destination may be reached from some other place

Aggregation

To come together into a mass, sum, or whole

Azimuthal Projection

Map projection

Where the plane is the most developable surface

Breaking Point

The outer edge of a city’s sphere of influence

Used in the law of retail gravitation to describe the area of a city’s hinterlands that depend on that city for its retail supplies

Cartograms

Thematic map

Transforms space so the political unit with the greatest value for some type of data is represented by the largest relative area

Cartography

The theory and practice of making visual representations of Earth’s surface in the form of maps

Choropleth Map

Thematic map

Uses tones or colours to represent spatial data as average values per unit area

Cognitive Map

An image of Earth’s surface in an individual’s mind.

Can include knowledge of actual locations and relationships among locations

Personal perceptions and perspectives of particular places

Complementarity

The actual or potential relationship between two places

Usually economic

Connectivity

The degree of economic, social, cultural, or political connection between two places

Contagious Diffusion

The spread of a disease, an innovation, or cultural traits through direct contact with another person or place

Transmitted over a distance because people are close to each other

Coordinate System

Grid of latitude and longitude to determine the absolute location of any object/place/feature

Cultural Ecology

Nature-society geography

Study of the interactions between societies and natural environments

Cultural Landscape

Human-modified environment 

Contains imprint of a particular culture of society

Distance Decay Effect

Decrease in interaction between two phenomena, places, or people as the distance between them increases

Dot Maps

Thematic map

Use points to show the precise locations of specific observations/occurrences (ex. crimes, car accidents, births)

Environmental Geography

Intersection between human and physical geography

Spatial impacts humans have on the physical environment and vice versa

Expansion Diffusion

Spread of ideas, innovations, fashion, or other phenomena

Through contact and exchange

Remains in its area of origin and spreads to surrounding areas

—> Contagious diffusion and hierarchical diffusion

Formal (Uniform) Region

Regions that have specific characteristics that are relatively consistent within the designated region

Ex. physical features (rolling hills, landscape) or cultural features (language, religion)

Friction of Distance

Measure of how much absolute distance affects the interaction between two places

Fuller Projection

Map Projection

Maintains shape and size

Distorts direction completely

N/S/E/W have no meaning

Functional (Nodal) Region

Connections and interactions that occur between them

Organized around a node or a focal point

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Set of computer tools to capture, store, transform, analyze, display geographic data

Uses thematic layers 

Allows for examination of multiple variables and their roles

Geographic Scale

Conceptual hierarchy of spaces, from small to large

Ex.

• The neighbourhood, the urban area, the metropolitan area, the region

• The watershed, ecosystem, landscape, biome

The finer the scale of analysis, the richer the level of detail

Global Positioning System (GPS)

Integrated network of satellites that orbit Earth

Broadcast location information to a handheld receiver on Earth

Gravity Model

Formula which describes the level of interaction between two places

Interaction Strength = (Population 1*Population 2)/Distance Apart

Hierarchical Diffusion

When something is transmitted over a distance because the level of interaction between places overcomes the actual distance between them

Because of a physical or cultural community between those places

Ex. NYC and LA, Paris and Milan

Human Geography

Study of spatial variation in patterns and processes related to human activity

International Date Line

Line of longitude

Marks where each new day begins

Centered on 180th meridian

Intervening Opportunity

Potential alternatives that may arise which may block individual from original goal/destination/product

Ex. supplier closer to the buyer

Frequently used because transportation costs decrease w/ proximity

Isoline

Map line that connects points of equal/very similar values

Elevation, temperature, precipitation…

Large Scale

Small ratio between map units and ground units

Higher resolution

Cover smaller regions

Ex. neighbourhood, mall, city

Latitude

Horizontal

North or south of equator 

Lines of latitude/parallels 

Originate at equator and terminate at the poles 

Law of Retail Gravitation

People will be drawn to larger cities to conduct their business since larger cities have a wider influence

Longitude

Vertical

East or west of the prime meridian

Lines of longitude/meridians

Originate at the prime meridians (oº) and terminate at the International Date Line (180º)

Map Projection

Transferring Earth’s sphere onto a flat surface

All map projections have some sort of distortion (area, direction, distance, shape)

Mercator Projection 

Map Projection

Preserves direction

Distorts areas of landmasses relative to each other

• Landmasses become amplified in size at poles

Useful for navigation

Meridian

Line of longitude

Runs north-south

All lines of longitude are equal in length and intersect at the poles

Natural Landscape

The physical landscape/environment that has not been affected by human activities

Nature-society

Study of the interactions between societies and the natural societies in which they live

Parallel

East-west lines of latitude

Runs parallel to the equator

Marks distance north or south of the equator

W.D. Pattison

Four distinct traditions of geography:

• Earth-science tradition (physical geography)

• Culture-environment tradition (environmental geography)

• Locational tradition (analysis of spatial data through cartography)

• Area-analysis tradition (regional geography)

Perceptual (Vernacular) Region

Individualized definition of regions

Exist in the minds of people

Defined by feelings and prejudices

Ex. the American Deep South, Silicon Valley

Gall-Peters Projection

Map Projection

Centres on Africa

Preserves area

Distorts shape 

Physical Geography

Studies natural structures, processes, distributions, changes of natural phenomena of Earth’s surface

• Landforms, climate, vegetation, ecosystems

Preference Map

Displays individual preferences for certain places

Prime Meridian 

Imaginary line

Marks the 0º line of longitude 

Divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres

Projection

System used to transfer locations from Earth’s surface to a flat map

Proportional Symbols Map

Thematic map

The size of a symbol indicates the relative magnitude of something (quantitative)

Ptolemy

Roman geographer-astronomy

Author of Guide to Geography

Included maps w/ longitude and latitude

Reference Map

Shows geographical information for a place

Landmarks, navigation

Region

Area of land that contains some unifying social and/or physical characteristics

• Formal (Uniform)

• Functional (Nodal)

• Perceptual (Vernacular)

Relative Distance

Measurement of distance that incorporates social, economic, or cultural factors

• Time, cost, effort

Ex. “I’m a 15-minute drive away”

Relative (Situation) Location

Position of a place relative to the places around it

Ex. “The store is across the street from the library”

Relocation Diffusion

When people migrate from one place to another and bring their ideas, innovations, behaviours, and cultures

Ex. Little Italy, Chinatown, Buddhism, food traditions

Disappears in its place of origin

Remote Sensing

Capturing images of Earth’s surface from airborne platforms (aircraft, satellites)

• Photographic images, thermal images, multispectral scanners, radar images, etc.

Resolution

A map’s smallest discernible unit

• If an object has to be 1 km long to show up on a map, that map’s resolution is 1 km

Robinson Projection

Map projection

Does not maintain area, shape, distance, or direction

Minimizes errors in each

Aesthetically pleasing balance

Carl Sauer

UC Berkeley

Defined cultural landscapes as the focus of geographical analysis

Virtually no landscape has escaped alteration by human activities 

Scale of Analysis

Geographic unit at which one investigates various patterns/processes

• Local, regional, national, global

Sense of Place

Feelings evoked as a result of experiences/memories associated with a place

Site

Specific physical characteristics and absolute location of a place

• New York: Deep natural harbour, Hudson River, originally abundant freshwater, coastal location.

Situation

Relative location of a place in relation to the physical and cultural characteristics of the surrounding area, connectivity

• New York: Gateway between the U.S. and Europe; located at the mouth of the Hudson, giving access to inland markets.

Small Scale

Large ratio between map units and ground units

Lower resolution

Cover larger regions

Ex. continents, world, atlases

Spatial Diffusion

The ways in which phenomena travel over space

Ex. technological innovations, cultural trends, outbreaks of disease...

Spatial Perspective

Examines arrangements of various phenomena across space, why they’re there, and the relationships between them and other phenomena in other places

Sustainability

Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Thematic Layers

Different datasets on a map that are layered to visually represent a specific spatial theme or topic

In a GIS

Understand and analyze a spatial relationship

Thematic Map

Specialized maps that focus on specific themes or topics

Provides representation of data related to those themes.

Time-Space Convergence