Explain major geographic concepts (location). Human Geography Ch. 1.3 Explain major geographic concepts (location). Use and interpret geographic information systems (GPS, GIS), remote sensing, and online mapping.

Location The position of something on Earth’s surface Can be expressed as: Absolute Location Usually expressed in latitude/longitude, or as a street address (GPS) Relative Location Compares one location to that of another using time, distance, direction

Absolute Location 30°20’13” N, 81°39’41” W or 30 degrees 20 minutes 13 seconds North, 81 degrees 39 minutes 41 seconds West Only one coordinate on Earth that matches this latitude/longitude

Darnell-Cookman MS/HS of the Medical Arts 1701 North Davis St. Jacksonville, FL 32209 USA Only one address like this in the world

Relative Location Describes where a location is in reference to other locations Usually expressed in terms of distance, direction, and time For example: Atlanta is 345 miles (or a 6 hour drive) northwest of Jacksonville

Site vs. Situation Site: the exact location (like absolute location) chosen for a settlement because of its favorable conditions (food, water, defense, trade) Situation: the area surrounding a settlement, including the closeness to raw materials, other settlements, and trade routes (like relative location) New Orleans, Louisiana

Remote Sensing Collecting geographic data about Earth from long distance without actually being there Satellite Airplane Drone Sensors Infrared imagery of a farmer’s crops helps identify healthy vs. stressed plants

Practice - Global Information Systems (GIS) maps.coj.net/jaxgis/

Map Generalization There is way too much real world data to include all of it on a map (remember, maps are smaller representations of the real world) Therefore, geographers must simplify the information, usually the most common or prevalent This forces geographers to leave out a lot of the less common data

But what is the map data not telling us? The map didn’t tell us that there were almost as many babies named “Olivia, Emma and Sophia” the same year in Florida. In fact, most girls born were NOT named Isabella!!!