Unit I - Maps

Cartography Cartography – science of map-making What makes up parts of a map? Scale, Projection and Symbol

Map Basics Scale- the relationship between the length of an object on a map to its length on the landscape Small Scale shows a large area – 1:250,000 (World Map) Large Scale shows a small area in detail – 1:1000 (City Map) Small Scale Large Scale World Map Continent Country Region State City Neighborhood

Symbols on a Map Represent cities, capitals, roads, etc… Point symbols, show individual features or places

Maps Maps=flat, while Earth is 3-D 3D shapes can never truly be 2D All maps show distortion The level and area of distortion depends on the type of map used

Cylindrical Projection: DISTORTION!

Mercator Projection Mercator Projection Map = Distortion as you get farther away from the equator!

Why use Mercator? Used for navigation along equatorial regions (no distortion at the equator) Many wall maps are still using this projection

Robinson Projection Provides better balance of size and shape at higher latitudes (does not maintain accurate area, shape, distance, or direction…but minimizes errors)

Conic Great distortion away from central area

Planar Projection Useful for less distortion at the POLES!

Map Categories The most basic type of maps that serves a general purpose are called reference maps Other types of thematic maps are: choropleth, isoline, proportional symbol, and dot

Choropleth Puts data into a spatial format and is useful for determining demographic data (mortality rates) Can be very misleading as the variables can be changed to manipulate the message shown

Isoline An isoline map is a map with continuous lines joining points of the same  value Usually used to show elevation and weather variables Isolines close together show a rapid change in the variable

Proportional Symbol The size of the symbol will vary from place to place according in proportion to the quantities the symbol represents

Dot Maps-A dot map uses a dot to represent the number of a variable found within an area Dot maps: use points to show the precise locations of specific observations or occurrences (crime, births or disease).

Gross Domestic Product cartograms – chart and assign data by size. Examples: populations, mortality rates, GDP Gross Domestic Product

Child Mortaility Cartogram

A Little More Stuff Remote Sensing- Acquisition of data about the earth’s surface using satellites and other long range methods Global Information System (GIS)-Computer system that stores, organizes, and displays geographic data Global Positioning System (GPS)- Using a series of satellites to determine location on the earths surface

Mental Maps An individual’s internal, geographic understanding of a place. Formed when people perceive information about their surroundings and then process that information into a mental image that reflects both the physical environment and that individual’s social, cultural, and psychological framework. May include hazards – items/places a person avoids during their daily routine.

Location/Distance Geographers use these to establish location and distance: Coordinate system Absolute location Longitude and latitude Meridians – Prime Meridian International Date Line Parallels Site Situation – Relative location Absolute distance Relative distance Connectivity Time-Space Convergence