APHug

reference map

a type of map that shows general geographic information about a specific area such as political boundaries, natural features, elevation, landmarks, and roads

thematic map

a type of map that highlight specific themes or topics and they are used to analyze spatial patterns and relationships

political map

a type of reference map that shows boundaries, cities and capitals, labels, and government limits

physical map

a reference map that shows land forms, bodies of water, vegetation, climate zones, elevation, and depth.

road map

a type of reference map that displays roads, highways, and routes in a specific area, intersections and exits, markers and points of interest, distance, and grid systems

plat map

a type of thematic map that shows lot and parcel boundaries, property dimensions, easements and rights of way, zoning information, and legal descriptions

topographic map

a reference map that shows contour lines, elevation and relief, and natural features

choropleth map

a type of thematic map that shows data representation through color or shading, geographical areas, legend, and standardized data.

dot distribution map

a thematic map that shows data representation through dots with a designated value, highlights patterns of clustering, dispersion, or density, and simplifies complex data

cartogram map

a thematic map that resizes geographic areas based on data values, used for visualizing topics like resource distribution

graduated symbol map

a thematic map that uses symbols of different sizes to represent varying data values. larger symbols indicate higher values and smaller symbols indicate lower values. commonly used for population size, resource distribution, economic activity, or event frequency.

clustered pattern

high concentration of data points in one area

dispersed pattern

no clusters at all

random pattern

no pattern within the data points

linear pattern

shows of line of data pointsthat form a straight or consistent trajectory across the area.

centralized

starts at a center and extends out in a circle

absolute location

the exact coordinates of a place, typically defined by latitude and longitude. remains constant regardless of context

relative location

the position of a place in relation to other locations; it can change based on context and perception.

absolute distance

the measurement of space between two locations, usually expressed in units such as kilometers or miles.

relative distance

the measured amount of space between two locations expressed in terms of time, cost, or social distance, often influenced by factors such as transportation or cultural context.

absolute direction

fixed and universal directions (N, E, S, W), based on cardinal points of a compass

relative direction

next to, right left, up down, behind in front.

map projection

a method used to represent the 3D surface of the Earth on a 2D plane

mercator projection

a cylindrical map projection that maintains accurate shapes and angles but distorts area, especially near the poles

gall peters projection

a map projection that aims to represent area accurately, resulting in distorted shapes, particularly near the equator.

goode homolosine projection

doesnt interrupt where people live but interrupts the ocean, making it useless for oceanography. accurately representsn area

polar projection

distortions increase as you move away from the center, views the earth from the top

conical projection

a map projection that represents the earth's surface on a cone, maintaining accurate shapes and area along specific latitudes. preserves shape but distortion becomes extreme near poles and equator

robinson prjection

a map projection that seeks to balance the distortions of area, shape, distance, and direction, resulting in visually appealing but not conformally accurate representation of the Earth. viewed and a compromise projection