unit 1 Flashcards
geospatial technologies
geographic information systems (GIS), satellite navigation systems (GPS), remote sensing, online mapping & visualizations
fieldwork / field observations
act of an individual physically visiting a location and recording first hand information (photographs interviews, written accounts, media repos, travel narratives, U.S. Census, etc.)
geographic information systems (GIS)
computer software, stores, analyzes, and displays info from multiple digital map sets (thematic and physical layers), used for analyzing crime data, effects of pollution, urban planning
satellite navigation systems
satellites orbit earth and communicate locational into GPS receivers, absolute location, navigation for ships cars aircraft and etc.
aerial photography
professional images captured by planes or drones
remote sensing
use of cameras and sensors mounted on aircraft or satellites which orbit to collect images (monitors environmental changes and weather)
sense of place
factors that contribute to the uniqueness of a location
placelessness
a location without a sense of place, no distinct attributes
toponym
Locations name; usually reflective of the culture and history of a place (ex: Georgetown Washington)
site/physical landscape
environmental features of a location: climate, water sources, topography, soil, elevation
time-space compression
increasing sense of accessibility seems to bring humans in distant places closer together
cultural ecology
the study of how humans interact and adapt to the environment, theories evolved due to developments in technology, environmental determinism vs possiblism
environmental determinism
emerged in the 18th century (1700s), belief that climate and landforms are the most powerful forces shaping human behavior and societal/cultural development, historically used to justify racism.
Possiblism
modern interpretation, acknowledges limitations imposed by the natural environment, but focuses on the role of human culture to modify and respond to the environment to better fit human needs
scales of analysis
global, regional, state-country-national, sub-state (state), country, city / local, census tract
small scale map
shows a LARGE area with SMALL amounts of data, zoomed OUT, BIG NUMBERS on the map
large scale map
shows a SMALL area with LARGE amounts of data, zoomed IN, SMALL NUMBERS on the map
functional region
Organized around a central node (focal point) and the relationship is technically based around economics, travel, or communication (airports, subway, and road maps)
vernacular / perceptual region
based on a persons perspective or perception of a certain location, boundaries vary widely because people have different senses of what defines and unites this region (cultural maps, liked sports teams)
Absolute location
A precise position on Earth’s surface
Latitude
The (invisible) horizontal lines circling Earth parallel to the equator; latitude is the degree of distance north or south from the equator, which is at 0 degrees, as far as the poles, which are at 90 degrees
Longitude
The (invisible) vertical lines on Earth’s surface that mark imaginary circles connecting the North Pole with the South Pole
Diffusion
The pattern by which a phenomenon such as the movement of people, or their ideas, technologies, or preferences, spreads from a particular location through space and time
Independent invention
Occurs when the same or a very similar innovation is developed at the same time in different places by different people working independently
Expansion diffusion
Occurs when ideas or practices spread throughout a population, from area to area, in a snowballing process, so that the total number of knowers or users and the areas of occurrence increase
Hierarchical diffusion
Occurs when ideas leapfrog from one important person, community, or city to another, bypassing other persons, communities, or rural areas
Contagious diffusion
The wavelike spread of ideas in the manner of a contagious disease or forest fire, moving throughout space without regard for hierarchy
Stimulus diffusion
Occurs when a specific trait is rejected, but the underlying idea is accepted
Relocation diffusion
Occurs when individuals or groups with a particular idea or practice migrate from one location to another, thereby bringing the idea or practice to their new homeland
Dot density / distribution map
A map that uses dots to represent objects or counts; the dot can represent one object (a one-to-one dot density map), or it can represent a number of objects (a one-to-many dot density map)
Proportional / graduated circle maps
A map that uses symbols (such as circles or dots) of different sizes to represent numerical values
Cartograms
A map that distorts the geographic shape of an area in order to show the size of a specific variable; the larger the area on a cartogram, the larger the value of the underlying variable
Choropleth map
A thematic map that shows data aggregated for a specific geographic area, often using different colors to represent different values
Thematic map
A map that emphasizes the spatial patterns of geographic statistics or attributes, and sometimes the relationships between them
Reference maps
A map that shows geographic locations on Earth’s surface, such as the locations of cities or oceans
Map scale
The distance on a map in relation to distance in actual space; for example, 1 inch on a map might indicate a distance of 100 miles
relative distance
A measurement of the level of social, cultural, or economic similarity between places despite their absolute distance from each other
absolute distance
The distance that can be measured with a standard unit of length, such as a foot, yard, mile, or kilometer
Elevation
Distance above sea level
Topographic map
A graphic representation of the three-dimensional configuration of Earth’s surface
Metropolitan area
An area composed of a heavily populated urban core and its less populated surrounding areas
Nodes
Central points where the functions of a functional region are coordinated and directed
Time-distance decay
Also known as the “first law of geography”; the idea that near things are more related than distant things, and interaction between two places decreases the farther apart they are
