Summary
Ggh1502 Summary unit 2
- Course
- Institution
Ggh1501 Study unit 2 (summary)
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
DestinctionAcademy
Reviews received
Content preview
GGH1501 - Learning Unit 2,Learning Unit 2 (Geographic data: nature, sources and
representation)
The nature of geographic data:
Distinguish between data and information:
Data – unprocessed facts.
Information – data that have been processed in order to add value.
Example – Number of males (2 500) and females (10 000) in a neighbourhood; data
is unprocessed raw data. Using these raw numbers information can be generated
such as the females account for 80% of the population.
Explain the term geographic phenomenon and geographic variable:
Geographic phenomenon:
- any phenomenon of which we can study spatial characteristics such as location,
distribution and variation.
We can distinguish between two types: discrete and continuous:
• Discrete – not present everywhere. Think about sport fields, roads, nature reserves
and dams.
• Continuous – are present everywhere. Think about atmospheric pressure, height
above sea level, temperature.
Geographic variable:
- Measurable property or characteristic of a geographic phenomenon.
- Think of rainfall as a geographic phenomenon, because its characteristics varies
across space. Not all places receive the same amount of rain. The variable can be
the amount of rainfall can be measured at various places to get the quantity of
rainfall and how it varies across space on a certain day or a certain period during the
year.
Establish the nature of geographic data:
Geographic data can be described in terms of:
1. Spatiality:
- At this stage you already know that all geographical phenomena have an absolute
and relative location, a spatial distribution and vary across space.
2. Temporality:
- The location of phenomena as well as their characteristics can vary over time. Thus
it is important that when obtaining data, that it should ideally be for the same moment
or period in time. It would be a futile exercise to compare incidences of HIV/Aids
across Africa if the years during which data were collected in the different countries
,do not coincide.
3. Scale or resolution:
Since the concept of scale has been addressed in Learning Unit 1 and will again be
dealt with later in this learning unit, we only highlight a few crucial aspects here:
•The scale of a map indicates the extent to which reality has been reduced to fit on
the map.
•There is a direct relationship between scale and the level of detail on a map.
•As regards level of detail, consider how literacy levels vary across Africa on one
map, and over South Africa on another map. The map of South Africa is at a higher
level of resolution and thus offers more detail than the map of Africa. In addition, we
cannot infer the literacy levels of provinces in South Africa from the map providing
literacy level per country in Africa. We thus cannot “upgrade” low resolution data to a
higher level of resolution. In contrast, we can use the data on a map providing
literacy levels per province of South Africa to infer the average literacy level that is
displayed for South Africa, and then to display that on a map of Africa. Thus data can
be generalised by “downgrading” it from a higher to a lower level of resolution.
4. Dimensionality:
, 5. Scale of measurement:
Representations of the Earth:
- Maps are most important tool used by geographers to show where things are
located and represent geographic phenomena or situational contexts.
There are a few key points related to maps we should be aware of:
• Maps are scaled, 2D representations of Earth and are reduced and somewhat
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller DestinctionAcademy. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $2.76. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
49497 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now