Human geography

Bell ringer You are living in South Africa a in 400 BC. Explorers have just returned from traveling the world with descriptions of all of the land masses of the world. You have been tasked to draw a comprehensive map based on their descriptions. How would you orientate the map (which side is up)? Why? Which ocean will you split and Why? Will you distort the Poles or the center ? Why? How can the way you draw your map influence the future of your country? Use one real life example to illustrate your answer.

FRQ For each map each map do the following: Identify the type of projection used by the cartographer. (1 point)  2. Discuss ONE weakness and ONE strength of each map for the display of this specific data set. (4 points)

A. Map 1 is a Robinson projection indicated by its curved edges and minimal distortion. Map 2 on the other hand is a Mercator projection, which is indicated by its heavy distortion on the poles, the straight edges and the relatively small size of the countries in the center of the map.

B. One weakness of the first map is that due to the bowing of the edges relative locations are somewhat distorted. For example, New Zealand looks slightly below Arintena when in reality it is similar in latitude. This makes the map impractical for navigation. One strength however, is that the distortion of the pole is not very great which means the relative sizes of countries are closer to what actually exists. Making it more ideal than most maps for determining land area. This is indicated by the relative size of the United States and Brazil. The major weakness of the Mercator projection map is the enlargement of the polar regions. For example Greenland looks bigger than Africa on this map where in reality Greenland can fit into Africa about 14 times. This means that map is not suited for determining land area. One strength of the Mercator projection is its simplicity, shown in its’ square edges which allow places to be aligned relatively easily in grids making the map ideal for navigation purposes.

Yay maps!

GPS – Global Positioning System Definition- Determines the precise position of areas on Earth 3 Elements: Numerous satellites (remote sensing) Tracking stations (controls the satellites) Receiver (used to pinpoint location

GPS Tracking Task: Watch the video Liist three quotes that impact you. Write a short reaction to the video. Write at-least two questions you would like to pose to the class. For example “Do you think the government should have the right to track citizens via GPS?” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAqzTjdabl4

GIS – Geographic Information System) Definition- Computer system that can capture, store, analyze, and display geographic data More accurate Can show relationships between different kinds of information http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rokWdaGc3u4 In your online notebooks describe the types of jobs that work with GIS

Graduated Symbol Map

Write this down! Graduated Symbol Map A Thematic map in which the size of a symbol varies in proportion to the frequency or intensity of the mapped variable.

Dot Map A thematic in which a dot is used to represent some frequency of the mapped variable.

Choropleth

Choropleth Map A thematic map in which ranked classes of some variable are depicted with shading patterns or colors for predefined zones

Isoline Map Thematic map with lines that connect points of equal value

Cartogram

Cartogram A Thematic map in which some thematic mapping variable is substituted for land area (e.g., GDP)

4 map analysis 1: Identification: What, where, when, who? 2: Patterns: What similarities or groupings do I see? 3: For each pattern: Make educated guess as to why those patterns exist. 4: So what: What does it mean? What can it teach you? 4 map analysis