The study and science of mapmaking
Cartography
A set of maps that show features of the physical and human-made environment.
Reference maps
A map that shows the names and boundaries of political geographic unties. Such as states and countries.
Political map
a map that uses shading to show the major landforms (natural features) of a region, country, or world.
Physical map
A map that shows coastlines, cities, and rivers that use contour lines to show elevation differences.
Topographic map
Satellite Map
A map that shows images from data recorded by satellite sensors and transmitted to earth.
Thematic map
A set of maps that show spatial distribution or patterns over Earth’s surface.
A map that uses color shading to represent quantities or values.
Choropleth map
A map that places individual points on a map to show frequency or concentration of a measured criteria.
Dot-Density Map
A map that uses symbols of different sizes placed within an area to show the value or quantity associated with it.
Graduated Proportional shape map
A map that distorts the size and shape of map areas to show a specified data set.
Cartogram map
Map projection
The scientific method of transferring locations on Earth’s surface to a flat map.
GPS (Global Positioning system)
GPS receivers on the Earth's surface use the locations of multiple satellites to determine and record a receiver’s exact location.
The use of cameras or other sensors mounted on an aircraft or satellites to collect digital images of the earth’s surface.
Remote Sensing
GIS (Geographic Information Systems)
Computer systems that can store, analyze, and display information from multiple digital maps or geospatial data sets.
Online Mapping
Websites that provide graphical information in the form of maps and databases.
Scale of Analysis
The spatial extant of a variable across the Earth’s surface.
Interactions occurring at the scale of the world, in a global setting.
Global Scale
National Scale
Interactions occurring at the scale of a nation or country, in a national setting.
Interactions occurring within a region, in a regional setting.
Regional Scale
A spatial scale that is essentially equivalent to a community.
Local scale
Refers to the relationship (or ratio) between distance on a map and the corresponding distance on the Earth’s surface.
Map scale
Representative Fraction (RF)
A ratio or fraction that shows the distances on a map and Earth's surface.
Written scale
A scale that describes the relationship between the map and Earth's distances in words.
A scale with a bar line marked to show distances on Earth's surface.
Graphic Scale
Regions united by one or more characteristics.
Formal Regions
Functional (Nodal) Regions
Regions organized around a focal point (node)and are defined by an activity across the region.
Perceptual (vernacular) regions
Regions defined by an informal sense of place and often relate to one’s cultural identity.
The spreading of information, ideas, behaviors, and other aspects of cultural over wide areas.
Diffusion
Relocation Diffusion
When characteristics or ideas physically move from one place to another.
Hierarchical Diffusion
When characteristics or ideas move from persons or places of power to other persons or places.
Reverse Hierarchical Diffusion
When characteristics or traits diffuse from lower class to higher class.
Contagious Diffusion
When a characteristic or ideas spread continuously from its hearth through contact among people
Stimulus Diffusion
When a characteristics or ideas spreads but changes as some element of it is rejected by the culture adopting it
Spatial Interaction
Refers to the contact, movement, and flow of things between locations
Friction of Distance
Indicates that when things are farther apart, they tend to be less well connected
Distance Decay
A theory that states that as distance between two things increases, the level of connection between them decreases
Tobler's First Law of Geography
States that all things are connected, but nearer things are connected, but nearer things are more connected than distant things
Gravity Model
Argues that the laws of gravity are applicable in describing the attractive force that exists between two areas (cities). Large cities have greater drawing power for people than small cities.
Space-Time Compression
The shrinking of "time distance" between locations because of improved methods of transportation and communication systems
Globalization
The process of intensified interaction among people, governments, and companies of different countries around the globe
Environmental Determinism
The belief that the physical environment is solely responsible for shaping human actions and behaviors
possibilism
The belief that peoples, not the environment, are the dynamic forces that shape human behavior
Quantitative Data
Information that can be measured and recorded by numbers
Qualitative Data
Information collected by interviews, descriptions, and visual observations; not usually in measured in numbers
spatial perspective
A perspective that considers the arrangement of phenomena being studied across the surface of earth
Density
The frequency with which something occurs within a given unit of area
Concentration
The spread of something over a given area
pattern
The spatial arrangement or distribution over a given space
Absolute Location
The precise location of a place
Relative Location
The location of a place in relation to somewhere else
Place
Refers to the specific human and physical characteristics of a location
Site
Describes the physical characteristics of a location
Situation
The location of a place relative to its surroundings and other places
Toponyms
Names given to a place that provide insights into the physical geography, history, or culture of a location
Sustainability
The concept of using earth's natural resources efficiently; providing resources for people today without jeopardizing the needs of future generations
Movement
Refers to the transfer for people, goods, and information
Landscape Analysis
The task of defining and describing land that often involves observation, analysis, and interpretation
Built Environment
Refers to the physical artifacts that humans have created and that form part of the landscape
Cultural Landscape
Refers to anything built by humans that reflects the culture on the local area
Field observations
The study of geography by visiting places and observing the people that live there and how they react with the changes there
Census Data
An official count of individuals in a population; occurs every 10 years in the United States