Unit 1: Map Projections & Types of Maps Flashcards
What do map projections help with?
-Navigation
-Being able to view the whole world at once
-Show boundaries within a country
Mercator Map Projection
-used for naval expedition
-has significant distortion in the size and location of landmasses (Africa and Greenland)
Does every map that we have ever viewed have some kind of distortion?
Yes
What are the types of distortion that can be found in a map?
-Direction
-Shape
-Area
-Distance
Goode-Homolosine Projection
-an interrupted map
-equal area map
-shows true size and shape of the Earth’s landmasses
-has distortion with distance and at the edges of the map
-not helpful for directions
Robinson Projection
-uninterrupted map
-puts majority of distortion at the poles
-maintains the true size and shape of the landmasses
Winkel Tripel Projection
-similar to the Robinson Projection
-BUT it is rounder in shape and larger
-spreads distortion out throughout the entire map, but concentrates at the poles (like Robinson)
Gall-Peters Projection
-one of the most accurate projections
-significant distortion in the shape of the landmasses and direction
What are the two categories of maps?
-Reference
-Thematic
What is a reference map?
-informational map
-used for navigation
-shows boundaries, names of places, and geographic features of an area
What is absolute direction?
the exact direction you are heading, specific
What is relative direction?
the direction depends on surrounding area, not precise and could change
What is absolute distance?
the exact distance between two places, usually measured in miles and kilometeres
What is relative distance?
the approximate measurement between two places, usually measured in time or direction
What is absolute location?
the exact spot where something is located, uses latitude and longitude
What is relative location?
a description of a location using surrounding geographic features
What are thematic maps?
-a map that displays spatial patterns of places and uses quantitative data to display specific topics
-can tell a story about an area
Choropleth Maps
-display data by using different colors
-great at showing quantity and density
-use generalizations to display information
-scale of the map is important to reduce generalizations in a map
What is a small scale map?
-shows a large portion of the Earth’s surface
-has less details in the data it is displaying
What is a large scale map?
-shows less of the Earth’s surface but has more details in the data it is displaying
Dot Density Map
-show data with points at the place it is occuring
-allows to see spatial distribution
-can become confusing if the data is clustered
Graduated Symbol Map
-use shapes, items, or symbols to show location and amount of data
-often really visual
-can become confusing because of the overlapping information
Isoline Map
-uses lines to connect different areas with similar or equal amounts of information
-often used as a weather map
-can be hard-to-read
Cartogram Map
-show data in a dynamic way
-greatest value is represented by the largest area
-very visual and clear
-can be confusing due to distortion of the shape and size of places
