Chapter 1 True Maps, False Impressions: Making, Manipulating, and Interpreting Maps

What is geography? The spatial perspective: how human activities are organized in space and how they relate to the natural environment.

1) Location 2) Place 3) Region 4) Movement 5) Human-Environmental Interaction Table 1.1 (p. 2) The Five Themes of Human Geography

Maps A two-dimensional graphical representation of the surface of the earth.

Projection Simplification Scale Aggregation Type of Map (reference / thematic) Ways that Cartographers Manipulate Maps

Map Projections Figure 1.1 (p. 4) Mercator Mollweide

Figure 1.1 (p. 4) Van Der Grinten Robinson Map Projections

Figure 1.1 (p. 4) Polar Map Projections

Figure 1.1 (p. 4) varying point of orientation Dymaxion Map Map Projections

Figure 1.2 (p. 6) Lincoln, Nebraska Map Simplification

Denver International Airport Figure 1.3 (p. 7) Map Scale

Figures 1.4 (p. 8) Map Aggregation Percent of the population age 25+ with a bachelor's degree, 1990.

Figures 1.4 & 1.5 (p. 8) Percent of the population age 25+ with a bachelor's degree, Map Aggregation

USGS Southwest Pueblo Quadrangle Map Type: Reference Maps Figure 1.2 (p. 6)

Figure 1.6 (p. 9) Isoline: Average Daily Solar Radiation Choropleth: Florida Senior Citizens Map Type: Thematic Maps

Figure 1.6 (p. 9) Dot: Wisconsin Acerage in Potatoes Map Type: Thematic Maps

Name That Key Term

The flow of people, goods, money, ideas, or materials between locations near or far (the fourth theme of geography). Movement The local human and physical characteristics that uniquely define a place and give it meaning to its inhabitants (the second theme of geography). Place An area characterized by similarity or by cohesiveness that sets it apart from other areas (the third theme of geography). The absolute position of something on the surface of the earth and its relative proximity to other related things (the first theme of geography). Location Region

The ways in which human society and the natural environment affect each other (the fifth theme of geography). Human-Environmental Interaction The ratio of map distance to earth distance, measured in the same units. Map Scale A systematic method of transferring a spherical surface to a flat map. A two-dimensional graphical representation of the surface of the earth (or of events that occur on the earth). Map Map Projection Elimination of unimportant detail on maps and retention and possibly exaggeration and distortion of important information, depending on the purpose of the map. Simplification

The level of detail for dividing a thematic map into geographic units, ranging from a coarse division (e.g., countries) to a fine division (e.g., zip codes). Aggregation A thematic map in which a dot represents some frequency of the mapped variable. Dot Map A map that demonstrates a particular feature or a single variable. Thematic Map A thematic map in which the size of a symbol varies in relation to the frequency or intensity of the mapped variable. A general-purpose map that shows recognizable landmarks, roads, and political units. Reference Map Proportional Symbol Map

A thematic map with lines that connect points of equal value. Isoline Map A thematic map in which ranked classes of some variable are depicted with shading patterns or colors for predefined zones. Choropleth Map Information obtained indirectly from another source that was previously collected, processed, and made available to a larger audience. Secondary Data Information collected directly by the researchers or their equipment without any intermediary. This can include surveys, interviews, observations, or measurements obtained in the field. Primary Data

A computer hardware and software system that handles geographically referenced data. A ___ uses and produces maps and has the ability to perform many types of spatial analysis. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Explanatory list of symbols in a map. Usually appears in a box in a lower corner. Legend The study of the distribution of humans and their activities on the surface of the earth and of the processes that generate these distributions. Human Geography Information that has a geographical or locational component. Spatial Data

True Maps, False Impressions: Making, Manipulating, and Interpreting Maps Chapter 1 Case Study

After completing this chapter, you will be able to: Convert map scale to real-world distances. Recognize choropleth, proportional symbol, isoline, and dot maps. Recognize that changing the scale and type of a map changes its message. Understand the difference between changing scale and changing level of aggregation. Use GIS to change the class limits on a choropleth map. Describe the geographic distribution of African-Americans in the United States.

(pp. 15 & 16) Activity 1: Scale

Figures 1.11 & 1.12 (pp. 17 & 19)

Spatial Data & GIS Primary vs. secondary data Geographic information systems (GIS)

Historical Geog. of African Americans Slave trade Emancipation in 1863 Post-World War I — Northward Migration Post-1970 Reversal in Migration Flows Census treatment of race and ethnicity Race and ethnicity as socially constructed variables

Activity 2: Thematic Maps Which format includes more detail? Which format can be read more quickly? Table 1.2 (p. 25) Online Activity

Understanding Isoline Maps Figure 1.13 (p. 28)

True Maps, False Impressions: Making, Manipulating, and Interpreting Maps Chapter 1 Case Study Canadian Examples

Online Activity