Chapter 1 - Introduction Flashcards
GPS (Global Positioning System)
A worldwide navigational and surveying facility based on the reception of signals from orbiting satellites.
GIS
Combines spacial data with attribute data, bringing maps and spreadsheets together; data is stored in layers, each layer representing a different theme.
Reference Map
Contains a range of general information such as elevation, roads, public buildings, water features, political boundaries, and more (i.e. Google Maps, default ArcGIS map)
Thematic Map
Focuses on a single topic or theme / abstract ideas.
What are the types of thematic maps, and what do they look like?
Chloropleth (shaded), graduated circle (circles), isoline (connect point of the same value; “shockwave”), dot density (dots), flow line (arrows), and cartogram (size).
Map Scale
Allows map readers to measure the size of features and the distance between them.
Small Scale Map
Zoomed out and cover a large area; less detail.
Large Scale Map
Zoomed in and cover a smaller area; more detail.
Map scale can change ___________.
spacial patterns
Map Projection
Transform a 3D spherical globe into a 2D flat map.
Mollweide Map Projection
The area of each country is correct, but the shape is distorted.
Mercator Map Projection
The countries shape is preserved but the area is distorted.
Latitude / Longitude
Allows all locations on the surface of the earth to be identified by measuring angles north and south of the equator (latitude) and east and west of the prime meridian (longitude).
Absolute Location
A place’s exact place on Earth, often given in terms of latitude and longitude.
Relative Location
A description of where a place is in relation to other places; “As the crow flies”.
What does count measure?
A count of the number of features in an area.
What does rate measure?
Compares one variable with another.
In classification schemes, what does natural breaks mean?
Data divided into categories based on nautral groups within the data.
In classification schemes, what does equal interval mean?
Data divided so each category has the same range of values.
In classification schemes, what does standard deviation mean?
Data divided into categories by standard deviations above and below the mean.
In classification schemes, what does quantile mean?
Data divided so groups contain an equal number of values.
Spatial Patterns
Describe how features are clustered or dispersed; dispersed, random, or clustered.
Spatial Relationships
Depict where features are in relation to other types of features; positive relationship, negative relationship, no relationship.
Place(s)
Locations with a set of physical and/or human features that make them unique from other locations.
Placelessness
Antitheses of a sense of place; many people view bland streetscapes and cookie cutter suburbs as placeless, from housing tracts in Phoenix, Arizona to peripheral roadways in Moscow, Russia.
Region(s)
Locations with unifying characteristics thats distinguish them from other locations.
Formal Regions
Identified by mapping one or more variables (i.e. tornado alley).
Functional Regions
Deliniated by a central place, or node, and a surrounding hinterland that interacts with the node.
Perceptual / Vernacular Regions
Based on subjective criteria of individuals; middle east, the south.
Distance Decay
The further places are from one another the less interaction there is between them.
Cultural Hearth
A place of origin for a widespread cultural trend.
Spatial Interaction
Takes place when two or more areas are linked by a network. The more spatial interaction one place has with other places, the more it will be exposed to new ideas and technologies.
Spatial Diffusion
From an origin point, an idea or thing can diffuse to new places, where it can then combine with other ideas or things and form something new; relocation diffusion and expansion diffusion.
What are the two types of expansion diffusion?
Contagious diffusion (person to person on the basis of proximity) and hierarchal diffusion (when something spreads from a person or place of power and influence - urban to rural).
Environmental Determinism
The idea that the natural environment determines much of the spatial patterns of human activity.
Possibilism
The idea that the natural environment creates possible outcomes for human activity but that humans can overcome many of the constraints imposed by nature.
