GEOG 201 1st Edition Lecture 1 Outline of Current Lecture What is spatial analysis o Location GPS Relative Location o Distance Absolute cognitive relative o Space Absolute cognitive relative Current Lecture What is spatial analysis One approach towards the study of geographic information the study od geographical phenomena in terms of their arrangement as pints lines areas etc Location o Location references some place like College Station o Location can also be an absolute on the globe defined through its latitude and longitude position o Lines of latitude and longitude Latitude run East West with equator being 0 degrees latitude Longitude run North South with Prime Meridian being 0 degrees longitude o GPS global positioning system 21 satellites in orbit US govt owned Anyone can use but you need a GPS receiver Has been revolutionary for GIS and creation of spatial data o Relative Location Site physical environmental characteristics These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute Situation the location of a place relative to human activities Cognitive images locational attributes imagined by individuals based on their own experiences memory and knowledge Distance o Absolute measurement in terms of kilometers or miles o Relative is measured in terms of cost time or effort to get from A to B o Cognitive distance in the eye of the beholder based on points of view and perception o Tobler s First Law of Geography Everything is related to everything else but near things are more related that distant things Points to friction of distance concept the inhibiting effect of distance on human activity it costs time and money to traverse distance a frictional point o Distance Decay The closer things are the greater interaction the further away less frequent interaction Technology is disrupting traditional distance decay effects Can also be understood as a cognitive concept Space o Absolute relative Cognitive Absolute often measured in terms of geometry Space is not dynamic or fluid but understood through mathematical relationships Relative a socio economic or cultural space that links people through common ties No definitive boundary EX South in the US Cognitive measured in terms of emotions values and beliefs