D199 terms

• Formal Region


  a region with clearly defined boundaries that separate what is inside it from what is outside it
• Ecological Region


  regions defined by measurable natural features and predominant land use patterns
• Functional Regions


  regions defined by particular human purposes
• Perceptual Regions


  regions defined by distinct identities different from those of other, nearby regions
• Vernacular Regions


  regions defined by the lifestyles, heritages, or other identifying characteristics of the humans residing there
• Absolute Location


  location of a place or feature as plotted on the earth's latitude and longitude coordinate system
• Relative Location


  location of a place or feature compared with the location of another place or feature
• Reference Maps


  maps used to display important physical elements of a specific geographic area, such as countries, rivers, mountains, etc.
• Thematic Maps


  specialized maps used to understand one particular attribute or characteristic of a specific geographic area; examples are population maps, weather maps, and maps illustrating the spread of disease
• Literal Maps


  maps that strive to display the objective truth about a specific geographic area
• Figurative Maps


  maps that use symbols to represent a narrative or point of view; they are much less concerned with physical accuracy than are literal maps
• Analytical Mapping


  the use of cartography techniques to uncover and learn about patterns and trends in a specific geographic area
• Map Scale


  how the measurement of distance on a map corresponds to the distance on the ground in the real world
• Representative Fraction (RF)


  a way of describing the scale of a map by using a ratio
• Small-scale


  a way of describing a map with a relatively small RF, where the various features of the geography appear relatively small
• Large-scale


  a way of describing a map with a relatively large RF, where the various features of the geography appear relatively large
• Cartesian Coordinate System


  a reference system for a plane (a flat surface) based on the work of mathematician Rene Descartes, using x- and y-axes.
• Geographic Coordinate System


  the reference system devised to locate particular places on the surface of the earth, using lines of latitude and longitude
• Prime Meridian


  the line of longitude that passes through Greenwich, UK, which is the starting point for counting the rest of the lines of longitude
• Latitude


  one of a set of imaginary north-south lines that form part of the geographic coordinate system
• Graticule


  the grid pattern in the geographic coordinate system
• Projection


  a method of "flattening" a globe into a form that can be represented on a flat surface
• Conformal projections


  maps that preserve, in the process of projection, angles, although not necessarily lengths
• Equal-area projections


  maps that preserve, in the process of projection, the relative sizes of landmasses; they do not, however, preserve shape well
• equidistant projections


  maps that preserve, in the process of projection, accurate distances from a central point; they do not, however, preserve shape or size well
• Compromise, interrupted, and artistic projections


  maps that blend characteristics to maintain as much accuracy as possible in distance, size, and shape, conceding other characteristics; also, maps that have beauty as their main objective
• dot density map


  a thematic map that uses points (dots) to represent the distribution (density) of a particular attribute across a geographic area
• proportional symbol map


  a thematic map that uses points (dots) to represent the distribution (density) of a particular attribute across a geographic area
• choropleth maps


  a thematic map that uses color (varying hues or varying saturations of the same hue) to represent the distribution (density) of a particular attribute across a geographic area
• standardization


  in mapmaking, the process of defining the unit of measurement so that it can be represented equivalently across a geographic area, rather than be distorted by other characteristics, such as political boundaries
• aggregated


  when applied to data, this term means that data have been gathered from two or more sources and combined for analysis
• ecological fallacy


  a mistake that can be caused when a person using a map incorrectly assumes that a characteristic true of a group in aggregate is also true of any individual member of that group
• gerrymandering


  the practice of redrawing voting districts, particularly in the United States, to deliberately give one particular political party an advantage in upcoming elections
• Spatial data


  data that can be linked to a specific place on Earth
• non-spatial data


  data that cannot be linked to a specific place on Earth
• global positioning system (GPS)


  a technology that collects information about Earth through the use of orbiting satellites
• triangulation


  a mathematical process for finding the exact location of an unknown point on Earth by measuring the distance to it from other, known points
• geographic information system (GIS)


  a technology that combines remote sensing, GPS data, and spatial and non-spatial data to perform powerful analyses of the earth
• Sovereignty


  independence, when applied to a nation (state); the ability for a state to manage its own affairs without direction from any other state
• unitary state


  a nation that is governed by a strong central authority