Chapter #2 - Maps

• Maps as a Tool of Geography
  • Primary tool of spatial analysis
• Types of Maps
  • Mental Maps - as a child, your mental maps were based on direct experience.....
    • can be inconsistently detailed
    • as you gain more knowledge your view becomes geocentric
      • allows you to describe and determine:
        • locations
        • distances
        • directions
    • this visualization of space is based on Euclidian geometry
      • E.G. parallel lines never cross
      • the shortest distance is a straight line
      • that space is three-dimensional
    • It's difficult for most people to transform their mental map in a geometrically accurate manner. (Michigan mental map example)
  • Cartographic Maps - a graphic representation of the environment
    • vertical or oblique views of the environment
    • created at a reduced scale
    • created on a projection surface
    • are generalized representations of the environment
    • have symbols that represent the environment
    • example map
  • Topographic Maps - show natural features such as;
    • mountains
    • valleys
    • plains
    • lakes rivers
    • vegetation

    cultural features such as;

    • roads
    • boundaries
    • buildings
    • transmission lines

    contour lines

  • Thematic Maps - show a single type of feature that is the theme of the map.
    • Oregon thematic maps:
      • average annual precipitation
      • vegetation provinces
      • population
      • population density
  • Navigation Maps
  • Persuasive Maps - used in decision making and propaganda
    • disproportionate symbols as a means of persuasion
      • ex. Israel checkpoint map (appropriate symbol size)
      • simplification (Israel West Bank settlements)
    • Lying with Maps
    • McArthur's Universal Corrective Map of the World
• What makes maps popular?
  • Maps are convenient to use
  • Maps simplify our surrounds
  • Maps are credible
• Map Liabilities
  • Simplicity means details are left out
  • You should question the credibility of maps
  • Some map features are;
    • distortions
    • others are errors
    • still others have been omitted by oversight or design
  • Maps are like statistics..... people can use them to show whatever they want.
• The Earth & Earth Coordinates
  • we've know for over 2000 years the earth is spherical
  • the Greek scholar Eratosthenes made the first scientifically based estimate of the earth's circumference

• Locating Points on a Sphere
  • The Grid System (use racquet ball)
    • Equator
    • N/S Poles
    • Prime Meridian (1884 Int'l Meridian Conference)
  • Latitude & Longitude
    • Putting latitude and longitude together into what is called a geographic coordinate (45oN, 120oW) pinpoints a place on the earth’s surface
    • Our classroom (room G249) is located at:
      • 40^o 43' 44.39"N, 73^o 35' 39.94"W
    •  
  • Time Zones
    • First time zone established in England in 1847 by British railway companies.
    • Last country to adopt time zones, Nepal in 1986
• Earth as an Oblate Spheroid
  • Scholars assumed that the earth was a perfect sphere until the 1660s when Sir Isaac Newton developed the theory of gravity
  • centrifugal force
• Scale
  • RF –representative fraction
    • 1:24,000
    • 1:1,000,000
  • scale bar or graphic scale
  • verbal scale
  • examples

• Map Projections
  • area - some projections allow areas of regions to be in correct proportion. Called equal-area or equivalent projections.
  • shape - shape can be preserved for small areas. True shape projections are called conformal.
  • distance - equidistant projections.
  • direction - azimuthal projections.

  Projection distortions

• Remote Sensing (PowerPoint)
• GPS
• Geocaching (geocaching.com)
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
  • ESRI GIS Video