Introduction to Maps topic 1.1 ap classroom (notes and flashcards)

Introduction

• Kevin Turner teaches human geography and coaches girls soccer at Spanish River High School.

• He loves to travel and has been to six of the seven continents.

• He supports Arsenal, winners of the FA Cup.

1.1 Introduction to Maps

• Two generalized kinds of maps: reference maps and thematic maps.

Reference Maps

• Informational maps.

• Used to get information.

• Examples:

  • World map

  • Map of a city

  • Evacuation map of a school

  • Topographical maps (elevations of mountains)

  • Subway system map

  • Mall map

• Provide information about physical and man-made features.

Thematic Maps

• Tell a story about quantifiable data.

• Data that can be numbered or measured.

• Read the title to understand the map's story.

• Focus of the course and the AP exam.

Ways to Display Geospatial Data on Thematic Maps:

• Choropleth maps: use colors or shading.

• Dot maps or distribution maps.

• Graduated symbol maps: symbol size varies proportionally.

• Isoline maps.

• Cartograms.

Reference Map Example:

• Glacier National Park map showing shuttle stops.

• Purely informational, not thematic.

Thematic Map Types

Choropleth Maps:

• Use colors or shading to show data density.

• Darker color/shading usually indicates more quantity of the data.

• Example: COVID-19 cases map.

  • Darker states like New York, Illinois, Florida, Georgia, Texas, California show higher cases.

  • Lighter states like Maine, Vermont, West Virginia, Montana, Wyoming show lower cases.

Dot Maps (Dot Distribution Maps):

• Show distribution or spread of information.

• One dot represents a specific quantity.

• Example: Acres of corn harvested for grain (1 dot = 10,000 acres).

  • States starting with "I" (Indiana, Illinois, Iowa) show high levels of corn harvest.

• Not ideal for showing density, as dots overlap in concentrated areas.

Graduated Symbol Maps:

• Symbol size varies based on the quantity of measurable data.

• Example: Number of plane emplanements (passengers boarding planes) at airports.

  • Larger airports (Atlanta, Dallas Fort Worth, LAX, Chicago O'Hare) have larger symbols.

• Legend provides a scale for interpreting symbol sizes.

Isoline Maps:

• Concentration areas are usually darker.

• The lines indicate quantifiable data.

• Every time a line is crossed, the value changes

• Closer lines indicate rapid value change; farther lines indicate fairly flat value.

Cartograms:

• Physical size changes according to the value of the data.

• Not true to geographical size; proportional to the phenomenon being measured.

• States are resized based on population.

• Example: Census data population map.

  • States like Florida, California, Texas, New York appear larger; Dakotas and Montana appear smaller.

Practice Question:

• Map of dairy farms in the United States (dot map).

• Each dot represents approximately 10 dairy farms.

• Possible questions:

  • Concentrations of dairy farms: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin (Green Bay Packer fans).

  • Areas with fewer dairy farms: Deep South, Texas, Desert Southwest, Mountain West, Great Plains.

Key Takeaways:

• Maps are basic tools of geographers for asking and answering questions.

• Identify the two main types of maps: reference and thematic.

• Describe the characteristics of five kinds of thematic maps.

• When presented with a map, ask:

  • What type of map is this?

  • What information is it showing?

  • What quantifiable data is represented?

  • Why was this type of map chosen?

1.1 Introduction to Maps Video 2

Data Analysis Skill

• Taking data from the map to understand patterns using quantifiable geospatial data.

• Geospatial Data: Data connected to a particular place on Earth.

• Spatial patterns: measure distance, direction, clustered or dispersed, or represent changes in elevation.

Measuring Location, Distance, Direction

Absolute Measurement:

• Quantitative measurements (numbers).

• Examples:

  • GPS coordinates of Boca Florida.

  • Distance from Nashville to Denver.

  • Compass reading of 180 degrees.

Relative Measurement:

• Qualitative measurements.

• Depends on knowing the position of something else.

• Examples:

  • House near the beach.

  • School is a short drive away.

  • On the other side of the store.

Patterns and Processes

• Pattern: What you see, the "where" question.

• Process: Explanation, the "why" there.

• Economic, Social, Political, and Environmental (ESPN).

Describing Patterns:

• Clustered: Grouped, nucleated, clumped, concentrated, agglomeration.

• Dispersed: Distributed, scattered, spread out.

Types of Maps to use for data.

• Choropleth map: an area of density or concentration.

• Dot map: An area that's distributed or spread out

Other Possibilities:

• Uniform pattern: evenly spaced out.

• Randomized: no discernible pattern.

• Elevation: Use isoline maps.

Examples:

Concentration of COVID Cases in Seminole County:

• Isoline map with colorization.

• Darker red areas indicate more cases.

Rural Health Hospitals:

• Dispersed dots across rural areas (shaded gray) in Kansas.

• Hospitals are approximately equidistant from each other.

Acadia National Park (Cadillac Mountain):

• Isoline map showing elevation.

• Closer lines indicate steeper terrain; farther lines indicate flatter terrain.

• Road built on the flatter part of the terrain.

Practice Question:

• Choropleth map: Percentage of women working in agriculture.

• Question: Identify a country where more than 75% of women are working in farming (e.g., Madagascar, Mozambique, Chad, Niger).

• Describe one obstacle from each of the following categories that may prevent women working and farming from achieving empowerment:

  • Economic.

  • Cultural.

  • Political.

Key Takeaways:

• Big data is everywhere and use to get a competitive edge.

• Identifying patterns on maps and in geospatial data is important.

• Analyzing and understanding the "how" and "why" of data is valuable.

• If you can think like a geographer, that's gonna be good for you.

1.2 Introduction to Maps Video 3

Map Projections

• The earth is round with the only real way to accurately represent it is with a globe, but globes are not pocket sized.

• Displaying the earth on a flat surface is called projection.

• Taking the spherical shape of the earth, displaying it on a flat surface is called projection.

• Maps get distorted in some way.

• Conformal projection: Preserves shape but distorts size.

• Equal area projection: Preserves size but distorts shapes.

Examples of Map Projections:

• Mercator projection.

• Gall-Peters projection.

• Robinson projection.

• Goode's projection.

Mercator Projection:

• Lines of latitude and longitude meet at right angles.

• Great for navigation.

• Distorts size in polar latitudes (Greenland and Antarctica appear enormous).

Gall-Peters Projection:

• Opposite of Mercator.

• Stretches shapes, especially in Africa.

Robinson Projection:

• Compromise projection.

• Size and shape are better represented.

• Flat at the top and bottom, curved on the sides.

• Used in atlases to show data across the earth

Goode's Interrupted Homolosine Projection:

• Combines equal area and conformal properties.

• Interruptions in the oceans to better show the size and shape of land masses.

Practice Questions:

• Question: The map above represents what kind of projection?

• (Visual stimulus: Map with lines of latitude and longitude meeting at right angles, enormous Antarctica).

• Answer: Mercator projection.

• Question: Every map projection has some degree of distortion because…

• Answer: A curved surface cannot be represented on a flat surface without distortion.

Key Takeaways:

• All maps are selective of information.

• Different projections have different uses.

  • Mercator's map is fantastic for navigation.

• Maps from Goods might be really good to show thematic data all across the earth.