1.1-1.4 Flashcards
What are spatial patterns?
General arrangements of things being studied and the repeated sequences of events, or processes that create them
What is one of the most important tools used by geographers?
Maps
How are maps essential?
They highlight and analyze patterns
Political Map
Human-created boundaries(countries, states, cities, etc.)
Physical Map
Natural features(mountains, rivers, lakes, etc.)
Road Map
Highways, streets, alleys, etc.
Plat Map
Property lines and land ownership
Thematic Map
Spatial aspects of of information
Choropleth
Uses different colors and patterns, shows locations and distribution of spatial data
Graduated Symbol
Uses symbols of different sizes to show different amounts of things
Dot Distribution
Shows the specific location and distribution of something across a map using different dots of the same size
Isoline
Uses lines that connect points of equal value to depict variations in the data across space
Topographic
Shows different points of elevation
What is a scale?
The ratio between the size of things in the real world and the size of those same things on the map
Small Scale Maps
Shows a larger amount of area with less detail
Large Scale Map
Shows a smaller amount of land with more details
What are spatial patterns?
The general arrangement of something on a map
Latitude
The distance north or south of the equator
Longitude
The distance east or west of the Prime Meridian
Absolute Location
The precise spot of where something is according to a system
Relative Location
A description of where something is in relation to other things
Connectivity
How well two things are tied together by roads or other links
Accessibility
How quickly and easily people in one location can interact with people from another location
Direction
To describe where things are in relation to each other
Distance
A measurement of how far or near things are to one another
Absolute Distance
Measured in feet, miles, meters, or kilometers
Relative Distance
The degree of nearness based on time or money and usually depends on mode of travel
What is distribution?
The way something is spread out over an area
What are patterns?
The general arrangement of things, in the distribution of something across space that gives clues about cause and effects of the distribution
Clustered/agglomerated
Heavy in one specific spot
Dispersed
Spread out very far
Geometric
In a grid like setup
Linear
In a straight line
Circular
Starts heavy in the middle but grows out, in a circle
Random
No pattern, places randomly
Mercator Projection
Used for navigation
Peters Projection
Used for spatial distributions related to area
Conic Projection
General use in midlatitude countries
Robinson Projection
General use
How do geographers gather data?
They use technical mapping from satellites or aerial photos
Landscape Analysis
Describing and defining landscapes
Field Observations
Physically visiting a place and recording firsthand information there
Spatial Data
All the data that can be tied to a specific location
Remote Sensing
Gathers information from satellites that orbit the earth or other craft above the atmosphere
Aerial Photography
Images captures form planes within the atmosphere
What is geospatial data?
Can be qualitative or quantitative, can be gathered by organizations or individuals, all information that can be tied to a specific place
How do you get geospatial data?
By doing fieldwork
What are some other sources of geospatial data?
Government policy documents, articles and videos from new outlets, photos
Why is it important to understand the limitations of data?
So we can be sure that the data is helping us, not hurting people or a society
Geovisualizations
2D/3D interactive maps(Google maps)
Global Positioning System(GPS)
GPS receivers on the earth’s surface use the locations of multiple satellites to determine and record a receivers exact location
Remote Sensing
Uses cameras and other sensors mounted on aircraft or satellites to collect digital images or video of the earth’s surface
Geographic Information Systems
Computer system that can store, analyze, and display information from multiple digital maps or geospatial data sets
What is NGO? How does it help the community?
Non-Governmental Organizations, they help increase the likelihood of success because they create buy-in from local residents and are more likely to be culturally accepted
What problems can you identify with geospatial data tools?
Water shortages, famine, rising conflicts, etc.
Even though they are inaccurate sometimes, why are underground maps still useful?
It’s easier to use for passengers because they don’t care if it’s exact, they just need the relative location
A spatial approach considers the ______ of something being studied across the surface of the earth
Arrangement
Why are things _____ they are?
Where
How did things become ______ as they are?
Distributed
What is changing the ____ of distribution?
Pattern
What are the implications of the _____ distribution for people?
Spatial
Space
An area between two or more things
Location
Identifies where specific things are located either on a grid system or in relation to another location
Place
The specific human and physical characteristics of a location
A group of places in the same area that share a characteristic form a _____
Region
Site
The characteristics at the immediate location
Situation
The location of a place relative to it’s surroundings and it’s connectivity to other places
Sense of Place
Feeling safe and feeling as though you belong because of personal beliefs
Placelessness
Not feeling connected to a place, lacks uniqueness
Toponyms
Place names, provides insight into the physical geography, the history, and culture of the location
Example of a Toponym
The coast of Florida, “beaches”
Time-Space Compression
The shrinking of relative distance, between locations because of the improved methods of transportation and communication
Example of Time-Space Compression
New York and London(airplanes)
Spatial Interactions
The increasing connections between places
_____ refers to the patterns and movements of ideas, people. products, and other things
Flow
The _______ __ ________ indicated that when things are farther apart, they tend to be less connected
Friction of Distance
Distance Decay
The relationship between distance and connection
Example of Distance Decay
The weakening of a radio signal as it moves further away
Declining Influence of Distance
Buying NY clothes from LA
