Ch 1: Maps, societies, and technology

Question 1

function of maps

Answer 1

Show an area larger than we can see (view is from above usually)
Presents info concisely, especially features of interest
Shows things that we can’t see directly (minerals below ground or records of daily temp)
Demonstrates spatial relationships

Question 2

2 kinds of maps

Answer 2

reference and thematic

Question 3

reference maps

Answer 3

store data and show a variety of features for many users
Function like general storehouses of info (transportation routes, rivers and names of water bodies)

Question 4

thematic maps

Answer 4

highlight specific themes
-Goal is to focus on the user’s attention on specific features or characteristics
-Other info (e.g. outline of states) is provided to help understand main theme (vegetation and population)

Question 5

literal maps

Answer 5

meant to show actual things and places

Question 6

figurative maps

Answer 6

show conceptual or imagined places

Question 7

analytical mapping

Answer 7

maps used to explore the role of location and space to answer questions (e.g. outbreak of cholera in London 1854)

Question 8

GIS

Answer 8

(geographic info science - 1960s) → computer system used to store, display and analyze spatial info
Good at bringing together many layers of data for a location and conduction an analysis

Question 9

impacts mapping has on society

Answer 9

Mapping is a trillion-dollar enterprise that fuses fast-evolving technologies with rapidly changing societal practices
What does it mean for individuals and society that most mobile phones and many web-applications like Facebook can track your location in a way that was not possible just a few years ago?
Should the government track our every movement?

Question 10

how can companies use spatial analysis

Answer 10

Companies use spatial analysis to site stores, evaluate supply chains, and determine how much to charge for goods and services, etc

Question 11

what is a map

Answer 11

-Representation of some area (real or imaginary) usually on a flat surface

-Maps are political (socially constructed) - people decide what to add, how to interpret

Question 12

what do maps do?

Answer 12

-show an area larger than we can see (most often it’s the view from above)
-present info concisely, especially the features of most interest to the user
-demonstrate spatial relationships
-show things we can’t see directly (minerals below ground or records of daily temp)

Question 13

how are all maps political?

Answer 13

-maps are socially constructed
-people have to decide what to include/not include and how to interpret the map

Question 14

Mercator projection

Answer 14

-great aid to navigation because of its angle preserving properties
-distorts how we see the world

Question 15

example of a situation to use thematic mapping

Answer 15

-minard’s map showing the attempted russian invasion by Napoleon’s army in 1812

Question 16

analytical mapping

Answer 16

-documenting information on maps to uncover patterns and trends

Question 17

example of analytical mapping

Answer 17

map of cholera outbreak in London