Chpt 3

Question 1

What are the uses of representation?

Answer 1

They allow us to :
Learn
think
reason

about places and times that are outside our immediate experience

Question 2

What are the limits to a GIS diagram / map

Answer 2

The more specific details are lost , like how many people are doing what in a certain location
= not very effective in some aspect for social scientists

Question 3

Why do we use the terms representation and model?

Answer 3

They imply a simplified relationship between the contents of the figure and the database, and the real world trajectories of the individual

Question 4

Why do we build representations?

Answer 4

We can assemble far more information about the planet than we could as individulals

Question 5

Explain spatial interpolation and how it connect to Toblers Law?

Answer 5

Spatial interpolation is used to guess at characteristics where no observations exist , and therefore relies on Tobler’s law which is everything is related to everything else (but the closer it is the more heavily related it is)

Question 6

Explain binary digits in relation to GIS

Answer 6

GIS reduces every phenomena as binary digits (1 and 0)

Question 7

What are the advantages of using digital representation of geography rather than physical (like maps)

Answer 7

The same cheap digital devices (like the internet) can be used to story all the information, independent of its meaning

They are easy to copy, transmitted at high speeds, and can be stored in high density in small spaces and are less likely to physically deteriorate.

Question 8

Data in digital form are…

Answer 8

Easy to transform, process and analyze

Question 9

What can we do with digital geographic information systems that we couldnt with physical (like maps)

Answer 9

measure accuretly and quickly
overlay and combine
change scale
zoom
pan
look further than a physical maps boundaries

Question 10

What is Geographic representation concerned with?

Answer 10

Geographic representation is concerned with the Earths surface or near surface at scales varying from architectural to global

Question 11

What is the key GIS representation issues?

Answer 11

The key issues are what to represent and how we represent it

Question 12

What is an important criteria of representation

Answer 12

Accuracy

Question 13

What does Geographic data link?

Answer 13

Place time and attributes

Question 14

What is an attribute?

Answer 14

is one serves that is used to identify or distinguish one entity from another

Question 15

Ordinal Attributes

Answer 15

an attribute is oridinal is they follow a natural order
group a, group b, group c

Question 16

Interval Attributes

Answer 16

Attributes are interval if the differences between values make sense
For example the difference between 30-20 is the same as 20-10

Question 17

Ration attributes

Answer 17

An attribute is a ratio if the rations between values make sense

Weight for example 100kg is twice 50kg
= 2:1

Question 18

Name the 5 geographic attribute types

Answer 18

Nominal, Ordinal, Interval , Ratio and Cyclic

Question 18

Cyclic Attributes

Answer 18

Any data that doesnt fall into the other attribute types

Question 18

Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

Answer 18

Means there are limits to measuring the precise amount of atoms on a geographic representation

Question 18

Name 2 ways of limiting the data in a representation?

Answer 18

1) Ignore data that only applies to small areas
2) Acknowledge that lots of properties are the same on the Earth

Question 19

What are the fundamental ways of representing geography ?

Answer 19

1) Discrete Objects
2) Continuous Fields

Question 20

The Discrete Object View

Answer 20

In this view the world is empty, except where it is occupies by objects with well defined boundaries that are instances of generally recognized categories

e.g. objects can be counted

Question 21

The Continuous Field View

Answer 21

In this view the geographic world can be described by a number of variables, each measurable at any point on the Earth Surface and changing in value across the surface

e.g a cliff face would change harshly rather than smoothly

Question 22

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