aphg ch1

i hate this chungus life

absolute distance

distance that can be measured with a standard unit of length (eg. mi, km)

absolute location

exact position of object/place measured within spatial coordinates of grid system (xyz)

accessibility

relative ease a destination can be reached from another place

aggregation

to come together into mass/sum/whole

azimuthal projection

map projection where plane is most developable surface

breaking point

outer edge of a city’s sphere of influence, used in law of retail gravity to desc. area of a city’s hinterlands that depend on city for retail supplies

cartograms

type of thematic map that transforms/distorts space so that the country/state with greatest value for some type of data is largest

choropleth map

thematic map using tones/colours to represent spatial data as average values per unit area

cognitive map

image of a portion of earth’s surface that someone makes in their head. can include knowledge of actual locations/relationships between places along with personal perceptions/preferences of places

complementarity

actual/potential relationship between 2 places, usually referring to economic interactions

connectivity

degree of economic/social/cultural/political connection between 2 places

contagious diffusion

the spread of disease/innovation/cultural traits through direct contact with another person/place

cultural ecology

aka nature-society geography, study of interactions between societies and their natural environments

cultural landscape

human-modified natural landscape containing imprint of particular culture/society

distance decay effect

decrease in interaction between 2 things as distance between them increases

dot maps

thematic maps using points to show precise location of specific things (eg. crimes, car accidents, births)

expansion diffusion

spread of ideas/innovations/fashion/other phenomena. to surrounding areas through contact & exchange

formal region

definition of regions based on common themes (eg. language, climate, land use)

friction of distance

measure of how much absolute distance affects interaction between 2 places

fuller projection

type of map projection maintaining accurate size & shape of landmasses but rearranges direction

functional region

definition of regions based on common interaction/function (eg. boundary line around a newspaper’s circulation)

GIS

geographic information system

set of computer tools used to capture

geographic scale

scale that a geographer analyzes a phenomenon(eg. global, national, neighbourhood)

finer scale of analysis = richer level of detail in findings

GPS

global positioning system

set of satellites used to determine location anywhere on earth’s surface w/ a portable electronic device

gravity model

mathematical formula describing level of interactions between 2 places based on population size & distance from each other

hierarchial diffusion

type of diffusion in which smthn is transmitted between places bc of physical/cultural community between places

international date line

line of longitutde marking where each new day begins, centered on 180th meridian

intervening opportunity

1 places has demand for good/service w/ 2 places providing good/service of equal price/quality, supplier closer to buyer representing intervening opportunity. blocks other supplier from trading. used often bc transport decreases with proximity

isoline

map line connecting points of equal/very similar values

large scale

relatively small ration between map units & ground units, higher resolution & covering smaller regions

latitude

angular distance north/south of equator defined by lines of latitude/parallels

law of retail gravitation

people will be drawn to larger cities to conduct business bc larger cities have wider influence

location chart

map/chart/graph that gives specific statistical information about political unit/jurisdiction

longitude

angular distance east/west of prime meridian defined by lines of longitude/meridians

map scale

ratio between size of an area on a map and actual size

mercator projection

true conformal cylindrical map projection, maintains accurate direction. famous for distortion making areas new poles oversized

meridian

line of longitude running north-south. all equal in length, intersecting at poles

parallel

east-west line of latitude running parallel to equator & marking distance north/south of equator

w. d. pattison

claimed geography drew from 4 distinct traditions

earth-

perceptual region

highly individualized definition of regions based on perceived commonalities in culture * landscape

peters projection

equal-area projection centered on African in attempt to treat all earth’s regions equally

preference map

map displaying individual preferences for places

prime meridian

imaginary line passing through royal observatory in Greenwich, england, marking 0 degree line of longitutde

projection

system used to transfer locations from earth’s surface to flat map

proportional symbols map

thematic map in which size of a symbol indicates relative magnitude of statistical value for given geographic region

ptolemy

roman geographer-astronomer, author guide to geography including maps of a grid system of lat & long

qualitative data

data associated with humanistic approach to geography, collected through interviews/empirical observations/interpretation of texts/artwork/old maps/other archives

reference map

shows reference information for a particular place, useful for finding landmarks & navigation

quantitative data

data associated with mathematical models & statistical techniques to analyze spatial location & association

region

territory encompassing places that share similar physical/cultural attributes

relative distance

measure of distance including costs of overcoming friction of absolute distance separating 2 places. often describes amount of social/cultural/economic connectivity between 2 places

relative location

position of a place relative to places around it

relocation diffusion

diffusion of ideas/innovations/behaviours/etc. from one place to another through migration

remote sensing

observation & mathematical measurement of earth’s surface using aircraft & satellites. sensors include photos, thermal images, multi spectral scanners, radar images.

resolution

map’s smallest discernible unit (eg. item has to be 1km long to show on map)

robinson projection

attempts to balance all projection errors. minimizes errors in area, shape, distance, direction.

carl sauer

defined concept of cultural landscape as fundamental unit of geographical analysis. landscape results from interaction between humans & physical environment. argued no landscape escaped alteration by human activity

scale of analysis

geographic unit at which one investigates patterns/processes (province vs nation vs globe)

site

absolute location of a place described by local relief, landforms, other cultural/physical characteristics

situation

relative location of a place in relation to physical/cultural characteristics of surrounding area & connections/interdependencies within system; place’s spacial context

small scale

map scale ration, ratio of units on map to earth is small. depicting large areas

spatial diffusion

ways in which phenomena (eg. tech innovations, cultural trends, disease outbreaks) travel over space

spatial perspective

intellectual framework looking at particular locations of specific phenomenon, how & why phenomenon is where it is, how it is spatially related to other phenomena in other places

sustainability

concept of using earth’s resources so that they provide for current generation w/out diminishing ability to provide for future generations

thematic layers

individual maps of specific features overlaid on one another in a GIS to understand & analyze a special relationship

thematic map

type of map displaying 1 or more variables (eg. population/invcome level) within specific area

time-space convergence

idea that distance between places is shaking bc of technology & rapid communication/increased interaction

topographic maps

maps using isolines to represent constant elevations; isoline representing same elevation

transferability

cost involved in moving goods

visualization

use of sophisticated software to create dynamic computer maps, sometimes 3d or interactive