Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
foreign tourist arrivals (2003) are included. This is intended to provide
some idea of how a country's state mapping concerns express a considera-
tion to international users, perhaps indicating the degree of 'openness' to
non-native visitors. The range of factors is therefore broad enough to allow
a meaningful investigation into possible correlations with various aspects
of the symbolization of landscape represented in the maps. A summary of
the findings corresponding to each factor is presented in the results section,
as well as an interpretation of the main associations found.
The development statistics were compiled with the objectives of temporal
consistency and currency, with the maximum participation among coun-
tries for each factor. This aims to provide a reliable comparison of as many
countries as possible by the same year for each topic. Inevitably, while
such conditions could be met for the data, temporal consistency does not
extend to the maps, as the sheets vary in age (the mean of the sample is
7.11 years). Consequently, the most recent data sets in the series were cho-
sen rather than those corresponding to the year of publication for each
map. While this may seem an unreliable basis for such a comparison, it
should be remembered that there are more events to consider in the pro-
duction of topographic maps than publication dates, as the survey and
compilation of material play a dynamic role. As topographic maps are the
result of a process rather than a snapshot in time, the maps involved in this
study can only reflect what was available at a given period. Although at
first it may seem that this would deem any potential association between
these maps and the external factors described above unconvincing,
changes in topographic map design tend to be slow. Moreover, the current
availability of these maps for sale to the public suggests that the NMOs are
confident of the maps' relevance to society. The analyses in this study
therefore treat the maps in the sample as contemporary products without
discrimination by narrow reference to date of survey or any other basis.
The correlation coefficient tests of Pearson's product moment and Spear-
man's rank explore the degree of association between two variables and
both tests are applied in this analysis (using SPSS software). Pearson's
product moment correlation coefficient provides a measure (between -1
and +1) of the linear association between two variables (Kitchin and Tate
2000, p.125). The sample correlation coefficient (
r
) is found from
