Spatial Analysis Density Concentration Pattern Geography by its nature is a spatial science. Geographers therefore study space in order to locate the distribution of people and objects. Spatial analysis is concerned with analyzing regularities achieved through interaction. Regularities result in a distinctive distribution of a feature. Distribution has three properties: Density Concentration Pattern

Spatial Association at Various Scales Fig. 1-13: Death rates from cancer in the U.S., Maryland, and Baltimore show different patterns that can identify associations with different factors.

World Political Boundaries (2004) Fig. 1-1: National political boundaries are among the most significant elements of the cultural landscape

How Geographers Address Location Maps Early mapmaking Map scale Projection Land Ordinance of 1785 Contemporary Tools GIS Remote sensing GPS

Why Do Geographers Use Maps, and What Do Maps Tell Us? Cartography: the art and science of making maps Reference maps: show locations of places and geographic features Thematic maps: tell stories, typically showing the degree of some attribute or the movement of a geographic phenomenon © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ptolemy’s view of the world c150AD

Maps of the Marshall Islands Fig. 1-2: A Polynesian “stick chart” depicts patterns of waves on the sea route between two South Pacific islands. Modern maps show the locations of these Marshall Islands.

Scale Differences: Maps of Florida Fig. 1-3: The effects of scale in maps of Florida. (Scales from 1:10 million to 1:10,000)

Township and Range System in the U.S. Fig. 1-4: Principal meridians and east-west baselines of the township system. Townships in northwest Mississippi and topographic map of the area.

Why Do Geographers Use Maps, and What Do Maps Tell Us? Reference maps focus on accuracy in showing the absolute locations of places, using a coordinate system that allows for the precise plotting of where on Earth something is. Satellite-based global positioning system (GPS) allows us to locate things on the surface of Earth with extraordinary accuracy. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Why Do Geographers Use Maps, and What Do Maps Tell Us? Thematic maps: tell stories showing the degree of some attribute or the movement of a geographic phenomenon. Relative location: describes the location of a place in relation to other human and physical features © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Why Do Geographers Use Maps, and What Do Maps Tell Us? Absolute locations do not change. Relative locations are constantly modified and change over time. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Why Do Geographers Use Maps, and What Do Maps Tell Us? Mental Maps Mental maps are maps in our minds of places we have been and places we have merely heard of. Activity spaces are those places we travel to routinely in our rounds of daily activity. Mental maps include terra incognita, unknown lands that are off limits. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Contemporary Tools Geographic Information Science (GIScience) Global Positioning Systems (GPS) Remote sensing Geographic information systems (GIS)

Why Do Geographers Use Maps, and What Do Maps Tell Us? Remote Sensing and GIS GIS (geographic information systems) compare spatial data by creating digitized representations of the environment, combining layers of spatial data and creating maps in which patterns and processes are superimposed. Figure 1.14 Two Representations of St. Francis, South Dakota. (left) panchromatic raster satellite image collected in 2002 at 10 m resolution during a grassland wildfi re; (right) vector data— rivers, roads, cities, and land use/land cover digitalized from the image. Courtesy of: Joseph J. Kerski using ArcGIS software from Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Layers of a GIS A geographic information system (GIS) stores information about a location in several layers. Each layer represents a different category of information.

GPS Global Positioning Systems

Uniqueness of Places and Regions Place: Unique location of a feature Place names Site Situation Mathematical location Regions: Areas of unique characteristics Cultural landscape Types of regions Regional integration of culture Cultural ecology

Why Are Geographers Concerned with Scale and Connectedness? The scale at which we study a geographic phenomenon tells us what level of detail we can expect to see. Geographers’ concern with scale goes beyond an interest in the scale of individual phenomena to how processes operating at different scales influence one another. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Election 2000: Regional Differences Fig. 1-10: Presidential election results by county and state illustrate differences in regional voting patterns.