Cartography Exam 1
virtual map
a map that is viewable but is impermanent, such as a map that is displayed on a computer monitor
map percipient
anyone who gains spatial knowledge by looking at a map
Longitude
position east or west of the prime meridian
Latitude
position north or south of the Earth's equator
Albers Equal Area Conic Projection
secant conical projection having equal area properties EAST to WEST
Geoid
shape of the Earth
loxodrome
a line on the Earth that intersects every meridian at the same angle
dot map
a map in which dots represent the distribution of phenomena
isarithmic map
a planimetric graphic representation of a 3 dimensional volume
datum
a starting or reference point that gives context to things
Small Circles
any circles on the spherical surface that are not great circle. ex. parallels are small circles
Map Author
anyone wishing to convey a spatial message; may or not be a cartographer
Cartography
broader in scope than mapmaking, the study of all subjects that are concurrent with maps including their history, reading and use, and collection
Great Circle
circles that result when a plane bisects the Earth into 2 equal halves (ex. the equator)
Map use
comprises map reading, map analysis, and map interpretation
Symbolization
devising a set of graphic marks that stand for real world things
Meridian (of longitude)
great circle of the Earth's geographic coordinate system formed by passing a plane through the axis of rotation
axis of rotation
imaginary line around which the Earth rotates
Equator
imaginary line of the Earth's coordinate system that is formed by passing a plane through the center of the Earth perpendicular to the axis of rotation, midway between the poles
Simplification
reducing amount of information by selection, classification, or smoothing
general purpose maps
reference maps, show natural and man made features of general interest for widespread public use
marine chronometer
relatively accurate timepiece used to determine longitude; perfected by John Harrison
Bonne projection
simple conical equal area projection, useful for mapping continent size areas of the Earth DONT USE on EAST TO WEST
Parallel (of latitude)
small circle of the Earth's geographic coordinate system formed by passing a plane through the Earth parallel to the equator
thematic map
special purpose, single topic map, designed to demonstrate particular features or concepts
Geographic grid
spherical coordinate system used for the determination of location on the Earth's surface
Cartesian coordinate geometry
system of intersecting perpendicular lines in plane space, useful in analytic geometry and the precise specification of location
thematic overlay
that part of the thematic map that contains the specific info
Central meridian
the meridian that defines the center of the projection
metadata
data about data
Descartes
French mathematician whose early studies of algebra and geometry led to analytic geometry
Eratosthenes
Greek scholar living in Alexandria who first accurately measured the size of the Earth
choropleth map
a form of statistical mapping used to portray discrete data by enumeration units
selection
a generalization process in which selections of items to be mapped are made, all within the context of map purpose and map scale
Ellipsoid
a geometrical solid developed by the rotation of a plane ellipse about its minor axis
Map
a graphic representation of the milieu that serves as a surrogate for space
Map design
aggregate of all thought processes that the map author or cartographer goes through during the abstraction phase of the cartographic process
Map scale
amount of reduction that takes place in going from real-world to map plane
flow map
map on which the amount of movement along a linear path is stressed
Map Interpretation
map-use activity in which the map user attempts to explain mapped patterns
Map Analysis
map-use activity in which the map user begins to see patterns
map reading
map-use activity in which the user simply determines what is displayed and how the mapmaker did it
Mapmaking
mapping, all processes associated with the production of maps
abstract symbols
may represent anything
Mental maps
mental images having spatial attributes
Prime Meridian
meridian adopted by most countries as the point of origin (0)...passes through Greenwich, England
Graticule
meridians of longitude and parallels of latitude on a map
value-by-area cartogram
name applied to the form of map in which the areas of the internal enumeration units are scaled to the data they represent
conformal projection
orthomorphic, preserves angular relationships at points during the transformation process
classification
placing objects in groups having identical or similar features; reduces complexity and helps organize materials for communication
Geodesy
the science that measures the size and shape of the Earth; often involves the measurement of the external gravitational field of the Earth
Map projection
the systematic arrangement of the Earth's spherical or geographic coordinate system onto a plane
cartographic process
the transformation of unmapped data into map form involving symbolization and map reading activies
qualitative map
thematic map whose main purpose is to show locational features of nominal data
quantitative map
thematic map whose main purpose is to show spatial variation of amount
cartographic generalization
transformation process of abstraction involving selection, classification, simplicfication, and symbolization
cartographic abstraction
transformational process in which map author selects and organizes material to be mapped; identification of relevant elements
Azimuthal projection
zenithal, directions from the projections center to all points are correct