1.2-1.3) Geographic Data
Objectives
Identify different methods of geographic data collection
- How is information gathered?
A) Fieldwork/ Feild Observations: The act of ^^an individual physically visiting^^ a location or place and recording the information firsthand.
EX) Written documents, travel narratives, media reports, policy documents, interviews, photographs, landscape analysis.
Another example of fieldwork- The US Census
- Mandated by the Constitution
- Ex. of an organization (U.S. government) doing fieldwork
What is the point?
a) Representative Districts - voting and democracy
b) Distribution of public funding for:
- Schools
- Law enforcement & Fire Department
- Highways & Infrastructure
c) Personal, government & business decision making
B) Geospatial Technologies
- Geographic information systems (GIS)
- Satellite navigation systems (GPS)
- Remote sensing
- Online mapping + visualizations
Businesses, organizations, and individuals utilize geospatial technologies, and government agencies to make decisions.
GIS
Computer system/ software that stores, analyzes, and displays information from multiple digital maps or data sets
Thematic or physical layers
It could be used for
- Analysis of crime data
- effects of pollution
- Urban Planning
GPS
- Satellites orbit the earth and communicate locational information to GPS receivers.
- Absolute location
- Navigation → ships, cars, aircraft
Arial Photography
- Professional images capture from planes or drones.
Remote Sensing
- The use of cameras or other sensors mounted on aircraft or satellites which orbit the earth above the atmosphere to collect digital images of the earth’s surface
EX)
- monitoring environmental changes
- weather
Explain the geographic effects of decisions made using geographical information