Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
whether New York or Boston is further to the east. A good representation
takes these issues into account to assure that its readers or users find the rep-
resentation helpful in communication.
Modern geography and cartography share many principles and conven-
tions that form a symbiotic relationship, which make up an important basis
for the geographic representation of the world in other scientific and profes-
sional fields. We define them in this topic as follows. Geography analyzes and
explains human and environmental phenomena and processes taking place
on the earth's surface, thereby improving our understanding of the world.
Cartography develops the theories, concepts, and skills for describing and
visualizing the things and events or patterns and processes from geography
and communicating this understanding. In this topic things refer to ele-
ments of the world that are static, either by their nature or by definition.
Events refer to selected moments in a process. Both are representations
involving our innate cognitive capabilities and culturally and socially influ-
enced knowledge of the world. What geography analyzes and explains, car-
tography communicates visually. Geography and cartography are dynamic
subjects that involve a broad set of theories, concepts, and skills that
undergo constant development and refinement as knowledge, culture, and
technology change. Because of their usefulness, geography and cartography
are parts of many other human activities and disciplines. Biologists, geneti-
cists, architects, planners, advertisers, soldiers, and doctors are just a few of
the scientists and professionals who use geography and cartography. How-
ever because geography and cartography are so commonplace, they are
often easy to overlook. If you want to understand how to use and communi-
cate better with maps, then you need to examine them closely and under-
stand how and why geographic information and maps are different from
what you see and observe. With a greater understanding of geography's and
cartography's principles, conventions, and underlying basic concepts, you
will be able to work better in any field.
For most people, maps are the most common way to learn about geog-
raphy. But geographic information is very significant and continues to gain
in importance. Geography and cartography have always been interdisciplin-
ary fields. Many other disciplines and fields of human endeavor have drawn
on their knowledge and skills and continue to do so. Recent technological
innovations further broaden possibilities for people to make measurements
of geographic things and events, operate and transform these measure-
ments, and represent the measurements as information and maps. They pro-
duce geographic information, which is very easy to copy between computers,
but often very hard to get out of the hands of the people and organizations
who are responsible for that geographic information. Certainly, the circle of
people working with concepts from geography and cartography has grown
tremendously in the last 20 years. This has much to do with the increased
availability of computers and programs for working with digital geographic
information. That term sounds simple, but turns out to be highly complex.
You might want to think about geographic information as you would about
oxygen: you can't necessarily see it, but its presence has positive effects for
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