How to Read Different Maps

Topographic: shows contour lines of elevation to show physical things on Earth’s surface (printed in 3D)

Choropleth: uses colors to represent spatial data (referring to certain theme)

Isoline: information is connected through points of equal or very similar values (uses lines or color coding)

Dot Density: points show precise locations of data → more precise than choropleth

Graduated Symbol: shows percentage of amount of something and (imprecise) location using different sizes of the same symbol →

Cartogram: data is shown dynamically → the greater the value for country, the larger the area it is represented with on the map

Flow Line: shows movement of goods, people, or ideas (must look at colors, items transported, and size) larger/thicker arrows to show higher volume of trade

 Introduction to Maps

Thematic map: focus on a specific theme → chloroplast, flow line, cartogram, graduated symbol

Reference map: to better understand what happens on earth’s surface → geographic area

Absolute distance: quantitative (km, miles)

Relative distance: qualitative (time, money, cardinal directions)

→ always take distortion into account ←

 Types of Map Projections

Interrupted Map: pieces of the map are removed to try & remove distortion → not good for navigation or direction

Uninterrupted Map: no removed pieces or “break points” but maps have more distortion

Maps struggle with distortion (shape, distance, relative size, or direction)

Types of Geographic Data

Remote sensing: process of collecting information about the Earth’s surface from satellites orbiting the Earth -- data used in GIS

Geographic Information System: computer system that layers maps by collecting, analyzing, and then displaying data

example uses: helps farmers know which parts of their field need what, gps

Field observations: geographer gives firsthand accounts (accurate and detailed but sometimes not possible to gather data)

Landscape analysis: studying wildlife, vegetation, or geography to see how a place has been impacted by people

Photo analysis: use photos to understand type of culture, demographics, population density, and what’s happening in a place

Ways to collect data without being at the place -- media reports, travel narratives, government documents, personal interviews

Qualitative Data: Observations, interviews, and individual thoughts → up for discussion, will often change, hard to replicate

Quantitative Data: Information counted/measured → usually in number form, not up for debat

Geographic Data in Action

Geographic data is used by individuals, businesses, organizations, and governments daily

Governments: in terms of motor safety, you can compare countries, states, or cities to see how government policies, different types of intersections, etc. may affect total number of car crash deaths → start doing so by mapping data

Local governments: use data to dictate land zones, where to build schools, etc.

Regional governments: voting districts, which projects get state funding, allocate funding for infrastructure

National governments: which laws should be passed, determine where federal funding should go, how to change taz policies

Local-scale businesses: See where to build store-front, look at where people are living, medium income

Regional-scale businesses: See which locations are outperforming others

National-scale businesses: Countries tax rates, employment/labor laws, etc.

Individual: Look for employment opportunities, local schools, crime rates, public services, cost of living, etc.

Spatial Association & Sense of Place

Waldo Tobler's first law of geography: while all things on Earth are related to all other things, the closer things are to one another, the more they are related

Distance Decay: Effect of distance on interactions → the farther away one thing is from the other, the less interaction the two will have

Space: physical distance between two places on Earth's surface

Distribution: the arrangement of a feature in space

Density: the frequency with which something occurs in a space → involves the numbers of a feature and the land area

Concentration: extent of a feature spread over space

Clustered: closely spaced together

Dispersed: relatively far apart

Place: specific point on Earth distinguished by particular characteristics

Location: position that something occupies

Toponym: name given to a place on Earth

"Sense of place":  individual's perception of a place

**Spatial Perspective: **Analyzing where things are located and why they are located there. Where something occurs and how that might affect you

Flow: the movement of people, ideas, goods, services → certain places may be located to increase/decrease flow

**Absolute Location: **GPS coordinates of the position of something on a map. Usually expressed in longitude and latitude coordinates. Pinpoint position

**Relative Location: **position of a place in relation to other places or features (n, s, e, w) or (in between rivers or by an ocean, etc.)

"Sense of place":  individual's perception of a place

Environmental Sustainability, Determinism, & Possibilism

How does the environment shape society?

Sustainability: systems that provide people with what they want and need without impacting the future generations’ ability to get what they want and need

Environmental Determinism: Idea that the environment is the driver of societal development. Environment allows society to succeed or fail. Culture and people don’t have as big of a role.

Possibilism: the environment has an impact on society but people have the ability to adjust the physical environment and set their own path in life. Both culture and people have a role.

Scale and Scale of Analysis

Scale: the ratio of a distance on a map and the corresponding distance on the ground

Scale of analysis: observation of data at the global, national, regional, or local scale -- what is the data showing us? How in depth is it?

Region: Geographic area with common characteristics and patterns → can be global, regional, or national

Formal (Uniform) Regions: geographic area with common attributes, traditionally defined by economic, social, political, or environmental characteristics.

Examples: European Union (formal political region), Rocky Mountains (physical formal),

Functional (Nodal) Region: Geographic area organized around a node, or center point → often around economic activity, travel, or communication

Examples: power plant (can only serve so many people), metro systems, airports, local pizza place delivery zones

Perceptual Region: geographic area that has no perfect definition → only exists because of people’s feelings, beliefs, or attitudes of the region. Differ from person to person because these exist in our minds

Examples: different ideas of what makes up the middle east,