Heimler topic 1.6 Scales of Analysis

Scales of Analysis

Definition

  • Analysis: Observing, thinking about data, and drawing conclusions.
  • Scale: Indicates how large or small the data set is, or how much you are "thinky thinky" about it.

Four Scales of Analysis in Human Geography

  • Scales of analysis indicate how much of the world we're studying.
  • Four main scales:
    • Global
    • Regional
    • National
    • Local

Global Scale

  • Considers data across the entire planet.
  • Largest of all scales.

Regional Scale

  • Zooms in on large chunks of the planet known as regions.
  • Examples: Afro-Eurasia, North America.

National Scale

  • Considers data across a single country.
  • Examples: France, Algeria.

Local Scale

  • Considers data within a province, state, single city, or neighborhood.
  • Smallest scale.

Identifying Scales on Maps

  • Identifying the scale of a map can be tricky.
  • Global Scale Example: A map showing the entire world.
  • Regional Scale Example: A map showing the entire world with colored in regions, the scale of analysis is regional, indicated by the shapes.
  • National Scale Example: A map of East Asia and Southeast Asia with different countries colored in, the scale of analysis is national represented by the colored countries displayed.

Importance of Scales of Analysis

  • Analyzing geographic data at different scales reveals different spatial patterns.
  • Thinking spatially is central to human geography.
  • Different scales of analysis reveal different patterns in data.
  • Different scales tell different stories.

Life Expectancy Example

  • Analyzing life expectancy at various scales demonstrates how different patterns emerge.

Global Scale Analysis

  • Global scale analysis is increasingly important due to globalization.
  • Globalization: The increasing interconnectedness of the world and its people through communication and transportation technologies.
  • Global life expectancy has increased significantly from 1950 to 2021.

Regional Scale Analysis

  • Significant differences in life expectancy between regions such as North America and Sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Spatial puzzle: Why do people in some regions live longer than others?

National Scale Analysis

  • Variations in life expectancy within regions.
  • Example: China vs. Myanmar. China exhibiting longer expectancy of about 78 years, and Myanmar exhibiting life expectancy 13 years less.

Local Scale Analysis

  • Even more spatial differences at the local level (e.g., by state or county).
  • Example: Life expectancy variations within the United States, such as California versus Alabama.

Key Questions for Human Geographers

  • Why do these spatial patterns exist?
  • What explains why people in certain places live longer than others?
  • Factors: Wealth, urban vs. rural, level of development, etc.