Overall Unit Key Themes

1. Introduction to Maps

2. Geographic Data

3. The Power of Geographic Data

4. Spatial Concepts

5. Human-Environmental Interaction

6. Scales of Analysis

7. Regional Analysis

Topic 1.1: Introduction to Maps

terms to know

1. Reference map

2. Thematic map

3. Absolute distance

4. Absolute direction

5. Relative distance

6. Relative direction

7. Clustering

8. Dispersal

9. Elevation

10. Map projection

THEMATIC MAPS – depict characteristics of places

• categorical maps

  • depict areas that are different in kind

  • use several distinct colors to show different categories

• choropleth maps

  • depict areas that are different in amount

  • use shades of similar colors to show different values

    • eg. population density, literacy rates

spatial patterns represented on maps

• Absolute vs. Relative (Distance and Direction)

  • Absolute: measured in standard metric

  • Relative: measured in relation to something else

• spatial patterns

  • Clustering

  • Dispersal

  • Elevation

Projection

• Distortions possible:

1. Shapes of areas

2. Distance between 2 points may become increased or decreased

3. Relative size of areas may be altered

4. Direction from one place to another

• Equal area projections:

5. relative sizes are same

6. distorts shapes near poles

Topic 1.2: Geographic Data

terms to know

1. Geographic information systems (GIS)

2. Satellite navigation systems

3. Remote sensing

4. Where spatial information can come from

   1. field observations

   2. media reports

   3. travel narratives

   4. policy documents

   5. personal interviews

   6. landscape analysis

   7. photographic interpretation

terms and sources

• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

• Remote Sensing- data about the Earth’s surface from a satellite or other long-distance methods

• GPS- (global positioning system)

  • Accurately determines the precise position of something on Earth

  • 24 satellites in orbits

  • tracking stations to control satellites

  • receivers compute position, velocity, time

where do we get these numbers?

• demography- the study of the characteristics of human populations

• census- periodic count of population

  • developed by Romans for tax collection

  • in the U.S., every 10 years since 1790

  • used to apportion seats in House of Representatives

• *__geodemographic analysis: __*assessing the location and composition of particular populations- marketing research using GIS

Topic 1.4: Spatial Concepts

terms to know

1. Absolute location

2. Relative location

3. Space - implies the extent of a area

4. Place - refers to the attributes and values we associate with a location

5. Flows

6. Distance decay

7. Time-space compression

8. Pattern

Topic 1.5: Human-Environmental Interaction

terms to know

1. Sustainability

2. Natural resources

   1. What will people do with those natural resources?

   2. How do we maintain them?

3. Land use

   1. How are people using the land around them? Why this method?

4. How humans and the environment interact:

   1. Environmental determinism

   2. Possibilism

Topic 1.6: Scales of Analysis

terms to know

1. Global

2. Regional

3. National

4. Local

themes and ideas

• be able to describe and explain patterns and processes at different scales reveal variations in, and different interpretations of data

Topic 1.7: Regional Analysis

terms to know

1. Formal region

2. Functional region

3. Perceptual/vernacular region

defining regions

• Regions are defined on the basis of one or more unifying characteristics or on patterns of activity

• Boundaries are transitional

• Applied at various scales

Geographic Investigation Process:

1. What do you see? Where? When?

2. Patterns?

3. Why there?

4. So what?