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.