Lab 1 - Introduction to Geography on the Web

50 points - Your first assignment will consist of two parts. Part A is designed to familiarize you with the world wide web and the various search engines that can help you sift through the volumes of information on the web. Part B is an introduction to cartography (the science of mapping). Much of geography consists of the displaying of geographic information, and reading and understanding maps will be an important part of this course.

Part A: Search Engines

The World Wide Web (also known as just 'the web' or 'the internet') is a network of several million web 'pages' written in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Web search engines such as Google are designed to help us find exactly what we are looking for.

For the first part of this assignment, visit Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial, hosted by UC Berkeley. Go to the search strategy page and read it carefully. Next, read about how to evaluate information posted online.

Finally, select a vocabulary term from the first week of assigned reading in your text (vocabulary terms are listed in bold in the text), and look up the term or phrase in different search engines.

Answer the following questions. Each answer should be about a paragraph in length.

1. (2 points) What term did you search for and why?

2. (8 points) List the search engines you used. What search engines yielded the best results? If you were to write a paper on this topic, what search engine would you use to conduct your research and why?

3. (8 points) Summarize the one best site you found in your search. Include the complete URL (Universal Resource Locator, or web address) starting with http://. What is the host of the web site (Stanford University, US Geological Survey, a private company or an individual person)? What important information about your search topic does it contain? What about this web site makes it especially interesting to you?

Part B: Maps

As we discussed in class, maps are an essential tool for geographers. We use maps to locate phenomena, to show relationships, to prove ideas and to ask questions. You have probably looked at and used maps before, but the following is designed to help you look at maps with a geographer's eye. The following introduces the essential elements of scale, resolution, themes, and coordinate systems used to describe our world.

Map Scale

The ratio of distance on a map to distance on the ground

• Map scale is generally expressed as a ratio, such as 1:100,000

• This means that one unit on the map is equal to 100,000 units on the ground; one length of your index finger on the map is equal to 100,000 of your index fingers on the ground.

• Map scale can also be expressed as a ratio of common measuring distances, such as 1 inch to 250 miles, meaning that 1 inch on the map is equal to 250 miles on the ground.

One way that I find useful to visualize map scale is to think about it in terms of a map of the world (see pages 2-3 in Goodes World Atlas). The length of the equator at different scales is a good way to think about the actual size of a map at that scale. The table below lists the distance on the map (if you were to lay a ruler along the map and measure the equator) for each map scale. As you can see, a 1:400,000,000 scale map would probably fit across two pages of an ordinary book, while a 1:10,000,000 scale map would take a wall of your classroom. At a 1:1,000 scale, a map of the would stretch across the county!

Map Scale	Length of the Earth's equator on the Map (meters)
1:400,000,000	0.10002
1:40,000,000	1.0002
1:10,000,000	4.0008
1:1,000,000	40.008
1:100,000	400.078
1:10,000	4,000.78
1:1,000	40,007.8

Another way to describe map scale is to talk about 'large scale' or 'small scale' maps. This terminology can be very confusing, because it is the opposite of what our intuition says it should be. When geographers talk about a 'large scale map' they are speaking about a map of a small area, like the college campus or a small city (1:24,000 to 1:100,000). When geographers talk about a 'small scale map' they are speaking about maps of large areas such as all of California, Europe or the world (1:250,000 and up). The table below is a quick reference guide to help you become familiar with geographer-speak.

Large Scale vs. Small Scale Maps

"Large Scale"	"Small Scale"
Small features are large A map of this room A map of this campus A map of this city	Large features are small, small features don't exist A map of this state A map of this country A map of this world

Resolution

The smallest feature that is represented on a map

Compare a map that shows details of a city, such as rivers, roads and cities. Look for a map that shows details in the 1:1,000,000 scale. Then compare it with the equivalent map at a different resolution. How do they compare?

Map Themes

A definable entity represented on the map

A map theme is anything that could be a map by itself, such as roads, cities, lakes or sites of historical interest.

• Go to the website Map Quest and select the 'maps' link. Map your home address.

• Change the scale of the map (by moving from '+' to '-' and in between). Note the scale of the map by the distance bar in the upper right corner of the map.

• Scroll down the page. Below the map are several check boxes for points of interest (POI) in your region. Select several of these.

• Click on one or more of the POI. Information will appear below the map or in a separate window detailing the name and location of the POI.

• Go to the driving directions link in Map Quest and map a driving route from your home to your work.

Answer the following questions. Each answer should be in complete sentences.

4. (8 points) Find a large scale and a small scale map? Explain how you based your selection.

5. (8 points) If you were giving someone directions from your work to your home, what scale of map would you use? Approximately how far is it from your work to your home? Would you say that this is a large scale map or a small scale map?

6. (8 points) What themes are on the map? What additional themes might be useful? Adjust the map scale so that you can see the location of your home and your work. What resolution of road is visible at this scale (for example, can you see minor roads? Can you see large roads? Can you see freeways?

Coordinate Systems

Another key element of representing data on the map is the coordinate system. The coordinate system relates every location on the map to a location on the earth through a defined system. This is also called georeferencing. One major type of georeferencing is latitude and longitude, which divides the earth into a grid-like coordinate system.

Latitude

Latitude lines are parallel to the earth's equator. Latitude lines run from 90ºN at the north pole to 0º (the equator) to 90ºS at the south pole. Lines of latitude are noted as being either NORTH, or SOUTH, meaning north or south of the equator. So, for example, the Longitude lines are equidistant lines (they are all the same length) that run from the north pole to the south pole.

Longitude

Longitude lines run from 180ºE to 0º (at the prime meridian which runs through Greenwich, England) to 180ºW. Lines of longitude are expressed as being either EAST or WEST, meaning east or west of the prime meridian. The international date line is located where 180ºW meets 180ºE.

How we divide latitude and longitude

Latitude and longitude lines are expressed in degrees ( º ), minutes ( ' ) and seconds ( " ) with a directional notation (N, S, E or W). Minutes and seconds run from 0 to 60 (e.g. 60 seconds equals one minute, 60 minutes equals one degree). For example, something that was 120 degrees, 10 minutes and 30 seconds west longitude would be denoted 120º10'30"W. The 'squares' defined by latitude and longitude are really not squares at all because they are on the spherical earth (though they look like squares on a flat map!).

Use your atlas to answer the following questions by identifying the city or major geographic point defined by each latitude and longitude.

For example, at 33º48'S and 18º28'E is the Cape of Good Hope, the southern tip of the African continent. Use the index of your atlas to double check your answers by looking up the city or geographic location to double check the coordinates. These answers do not have to be in paragraph form.

7. (2 points) What is located at 37º45'N and 122º26'W?

8. (2 points) What is located at 53º50'S and 68º45'W?

9. (2 points) What is located at 33º55'S and 151º17'E?

10. (2 points) What is located at 40º00'N and 52º00'E?

There is no solution provided for this lab.

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