Chapter 1 - Introduction

Question 1

GPS (Global Positioning System)

Answer 1

A worldwide navigational and surveying facility based on the reception of signals from orbiting satellites.

Question 2

GIS

Answer 2

Combines spacial data with attribute data, bringing maps and spreadsheets together; data is stored in layers, each layer representing a different theme.

Question 3

Reference Map

Answer 3

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)

Question 4

Thematic Map

Answer 4

Focuses on a single topic or theme / abstract ideas.

Question 5

What are the types of thematic maps, and what do they look like?

Answer 5

Chloropleth (shaded), graduated circle (circles), isoline (connect point of the same value; “shockwave”), dot density (dots), flow line (arrows), and cartogram (size).

Question 6

Map Scale

Answer 6

Allows map readers to measure the size of features and the distance between them.

Question 7

Small Scale Map

Answer 7

Zoomed out and cover a large area; less detail.

Question 8

Large Scale Map

Answer 8

Zoomed in and cover a smaller area; more detail.

Question 9

Map scale can change ___________.

Answer 9

spacial patterns

Question 10

Map Projection

Answer 10

Transform a 3D spherical globe into a 2D flat map.

Question 11

Mollweide Map Projection

Answer 11

The area of each country is correct, but the shape is distorted.

Question 12

Mercator Map Projection

Answer 12

The countries shape is preserved but the area is distorted.

Question 13

Latitude / Longitude

Answer 13

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).

Question 14

Absolute Location

Answer 14

A place’s exact place on Earth, often given in terms of latitude and longitude.

Question 15

Relative Location

Answer 15

A description of where a place is in relation to other places; “As the crow flies”.

Question 16

What does count measure?

Answer 16

A count of the number of features in an area.

Question 17

What does rate measure?

Answer 17

Compares one variable with another.

Question 18

In classification schemes, what does natural breaks mean?

Answer 18

Data divided into categories based on nautral groups within the data.

Question 19

In classification schemes, what does equal interval mean?

Answer 19

Data divided so each category has the same range of values.

Question 20

In classification schemes, what does standard deviation mean?

Answer 20

Data divided into categories by standard deviations above and below the mean.

Question 21

In classification schemes, what does quantile mean?

Answer 21

Data divided so groups contain an equal number of values.

Question 22

Spatial Patterns

Answer 22

Describe how features are clustered or dispersed; dispersed, random, or clustered.

Question 23

Spatial Relationships

Answer 23

Depict where features are in relation to other types of features; positive relationship, negative relationship, no relationship.

Question 24

Place(s)

Answer 24

Locations with a set of physical and/or human features that make them unique from other locations.

Question 25

Placelessness

Answer 25

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.

Question 26

Region(s)

Answer 26

Locations with unifying characteristics thats distinguish them from other locations.

Question 27

Formal Regions

Answer 27

Identified by mapping one or more variables (i.e. tornado alley).

Question 28

Functional Regions

Answer 28

Deliniated by a central place, or node, and a surrounding hinterland that interacts with the node.

Question 29

Perceptual / Vernacular Regions

Answer 29

Based on subjective criteria of individuals; middle east, the south.

Question 30

Distance Decay

Answer 30

The further places are from one another the less interaction there is between them.

Question 31

Cultural Hearth

Answer 31

A place of origin for a widespread cultural trend.

Question 32

Spatial Interaction

Answer 32

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.

Question 33

Spatial Diffusion

Answer 33

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.

Question 34

What are the two types of expansion diffusion?

Answer 34

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).

Question 35

Environmental Determinism

Answer 35

The idea that the natural environment determines much of the spatial patterns of human activity.

Question 36

Possibilism

Answer 36

The idea that the natural environment creates possible outcomes for human activity but that humans can overcome many of the constraints imposed by nature.