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