1.2-1.3) Geographic Data

Objectives

Identify different methods of geographic data collection

1. 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