Improving the Cognitive Development of Students' Mental Maps of the World

Abstract

In this study, the author examines the use of four protocol lessons designed to aid 7th grade students in developing a clear mental map of the world. Two classes, involving 44 students, participated in the study. One class was taught using the instructional sequence common to the district's 7th grade world geography classes. The second class was instructed using the protocol lessons. A quantitative and qualitative assessment took place. The results indicated that students using the protocol lessons developed more detailed and accurate mental maps of the world than those instructed in the common sequence. The study advocates having students construct and work with maps, rather than simply filling in information on them.     

建立沙漠化环境监测信息系统图形数据库专题系列地图的编辑与制图

沙漠化专题系列地图是沙漠化环境信息系统图形数据库的主要信息内容, 目的在于为系统进行空间分析提供数据。沙漠化系列图的编制, 因制图工具是具有图形编辑软件的计算机系统, 地图载体已改变为磁性记录媒体, 制图程序与常规方法差别甚大。本文结合机助制图特点, 介绍了制图编辑中的有关问题, 主要内容包括：(1)用于沙漠化环境监测信息系统专题地图的设计; (2)专题系列地图的制图分类; (3)图形数据库中专题系列图的统一协调; (4)系统中沙漠化专题系列图的编辑特点; (5)沙漠化环境信息系统中系列图件的时间序列。     

A proposed base for a geographical information system for India

Abstract

Attempts have been made by different organizations in India to organize data in order to develop a suitable information system. These attempts were oriented towards specific uses, such as natural resources, data management, thematic mapping and the like. In some attempts software has been developed for some specific purpose. It is not an easy task to develop an information system for a country such as India. Its extent in latitude and longitude is well above average. There are federal and state agencies for the collection of data and the preparation of maps. The geographical information concerning India is available from the following sources: the administrative areas of states, union territories, districts, sub-districts and villages; survey sheets; remote sensing images; aerial photographs; and thematic base maps of the National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation. There are other map series available which have been used for socio-economic mapping. By the end of 1987 the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite will be launched and then remotely-sensed data will be readily available. Considering the geographical bases available in the country, five levels can be identified for developing an information system for India. Some of the thematic maps at 1:1000 000 scale can be used for initiating such a geographical information system.     

How Textbooks Influence the Curriculum in Geography

Abstract

In this study, pairs of students in fifth and seventh grade generated and answered questions based on maps. More than 90 percent of the questions they generated made sense with reference to the map on which they were based. Each of these questions was coded in terms of both its informational content (symbols, latitude and longitude, and scale) and the process by which a map user obtains the information from the map (map reading, map interpreting, map inferring). Results indicated that students most often generated three types of questions, which together accounted for more than 80 percent of all the questions: 1) read symbol, 2) infer latitude and longitude, and 3) interpret scale. Qualitatively, the questions were analyzed for what they revealed about student confusion about map content. Problems with all three aspects of map content were common among both fifth- and seventh-grade students. The problem-posing technique proved useful for evaluating student's knowledge.     

中国西部干旱区生态景观制图的若干问题

制图方法是认识和揭示客观现象与过程的重要途径。生态景观制图作为专题制图学的一个重要方向,通过建立分类体系,制定分类方法,编制专题图件,可以反映自然要素和人为作用的特点,揭示生态景观要素的耦合关系。生态景观制图中专题要素的表现方式,制图过程的数据采集,制图单元的划分,制图的模式选择,以及遥感、GIS与数字制图手段的应用,是十旱Ⅸ景观生态制图的关键问题。生态景观制图巾的地图信息理论、地图模式论、地图分析理论、地图要素综合理论、制冈工艺学等的发展,对于开拓资源环境制图学的新领域具有理论价值,并对生态规划与生态建设具有重要促进作用。     

重庆城市地貌图的设计和编制

本文从设计意图、设计内容和编制方法等方面,总结了重庆城市地貌制图中取得的一些主要经验,探讨了城市地貌图的特点。     

Research Article. Modelling inside GIS: Part 1. Model structures,exploratory spatial data analysis and aggregation

Abstract

This is the first of two papers elaborating a framework for embedding urban models within GIS. This framework is based upon using the display capabilities of GIS as the user interface to the conventional modelling process, beginning with data selection and analysis, moving to model specification and calibration, and thence to prediction. In this paper, we outline how various stages in this process based on purpose-built software outside the system, are accessed and operated through the GIS. We first deal with display based on thematic maps, surfaces, graphs and linked windows, standard to any data from whatever source, be it observations, model estimates or predictions. We then describe how various datasets are selected, how the spatial system can be partitioned or aggregated, and how rudimentary exploratory spatial data analysis enables scatterplots to be associated with thematic maps. We illustrate all these functions and operations using the proprietary GIS ARC-INFO applied to population data at the tract level in the Buffalo region. In the second part of the paper, various residential location models are outlined and the full modelling framework is assembled and demonstrated.     

Use of an expert system to map forest soils from a geographical information system

Abstract

Mapping forest soils using conventional methods is time consuming and expensive. An expert system is described and applied to the mapping of five forest soil-landscape units formed on a single granitoid parent material. Three thematic maps were considered important in influencing the distribution of soils. The first showed the distribution of nine classes of native eucalypt forests, and the second and third were derived from a digital elevation model and represented slope gradient and a soil wetness index combined with topographical position. These layers were input to a raster based geographical information system (GIS) and then geometrically co-registered to a regular 30 m grid. From a knowledge of soil distributions, the relationships between the soil-landscape units and the three data layers were quantified by an experienced soil scientist and used as rules in a rule based expert system. The thematic layers accessed from the GIS provided data for the expert system to infer the forest soil-landscape unit most likely to occur at any given pixel. The soil-landscape map output by the expert system compared favourably with a conventional soil-landscape map generated using interpretation of aerial photographs.     

A Review of “Knowledge Externalities,Innovation Clusters and Regional Development”

Land use information over large areas is increasingly important for many studies related to environment in general and global change in particular. Yet there is a dearth of methodological knowledge in this area, especially regarding the practical task of producing land use maps. In this article, a systematic land use mapping approach is developed, based on land cover maps that in turn are produced through remote sensing. The concept is based on the recognition of varying strengths of land cover (LC) – land use (LU) relationships, from the thematic and spatial points of view. Several categories of relationships are identified, ranging from direct (case 1) to multiple/complex (case 4), and appropriate mapping strategies are discussed for these cases. Using a mapping study in Lebanon, it is shown that the principles embodied in this approach correspond to issues and conditions in real mapping situations. Finally, the concepts are translated into a series of steps through which the method can be applied to large areas, taking into consideration the specific requirements and constraints of each case. The final land use map represents an acceptable compromise between accuracy, level of detail, and cost.     

From Land Cover to Land Use: A Methodology for Efficient Land Use Mapping over Large Areas

Land use information over large areas is increasingly important for many studies related to environment in general and global change in particular. Yet there is a dearth of methodological knowledge in this area, especially regarding the practical task of producing land use maps. In this article, a systematic land use mapping approach is developed, based on land cover maps that in turn are produced through remote sensing. The concept is based on the recognition of varying strengths of land cover (LC) – land use (LU) relationships, from the thematic and spatial points of view. Several categories of relationships are identified, ranging from direct (case 1) to multiple/complex (case 4), and appropriate mapping strategies are discussed for these cases. Using a mapping study in Lebanon, it is shown that the principles embodied in this approach correspond to issues and conditions in real mapping situations. Finally, the concepts are translated into a series of steps through which the method can be applied to large areas, taking into consideration the specific requirements and constraints of each case. The final land use map represents an acceptable compromise between accuracy, level of detail, and cost.     

1∶35万《库姆塔格沙漠地貌图》的编制

沙漠地貌图是认识和研究沙漠的基础图件,编制《库姆塔格沙漠地貌图》是国家科技基础性工作专项“库姆塔格沙漠综合科学考察”内容之一。本文全面总结了《库姆塔格沙漠地貌图》编制的思路和技术。考虑到库姆塔格沙漠地貌类型、分布规律及其形成和演变的需要,以及印刷纸张规格的限定,《库姆塔格沙漠地貌图》比例尺确定为1∶35万。选用的地理基础底图为20世纪70年代的1∶25万地形图,并以1∶10万地形图上作等高线和其他重要地理内容的补充。专题内容以2000—2007年的TM卫星数据为主,部分细节内容以Google Earth影像资料作补充。地貌图专题内容包含地貌类型、高度以及活动性等3层信息。地貌类型包括风成地貌、流水地貌、干燥剥蚀地貌、冰川冰缘地貌以及其他地貌等5大类,其中风成地貌是《库姆塔格沙漠地貌图》重点展示的内容。风沙地貌共分为13种类型,以符号表示,沙丘高度通过分层设色表示,用箭头符号表示沙丘移动方向。为了真实反映沙丘类型及其排列规律,本图对主要沙丘（高度一般大于10 m）都是准确定位描绘,而由于制图比例尺的限制,对一些次要沙丘（高度一般小于10 m）未作定位描绘,仅作示意。由于库姆塔格沙漠发育于阿尔金山北麓的倾斜洪积平原上,所以,洪积扇和干河道也是本图重点反映的内容。《库姆塔格沙漠地貌图》尽量应用现代计算机制图和数字化技术,对可以数字化的信息全部数字化。本图为研究库姆塔格沙漠提供了丰富信息。     

专题地图符号构成元素的研究*

在分析地图传输论和符号视觉变量的基础上,提出了地图符号构成元素。指出了符号构成元素由位置、形状、色彩(括色相、纯度和亮度)、尺寸(括大小、粗细、长短和分割比例)、网纹(括排列和疏密)、方向和注记(括文字数字、字体字级)组成。研究出了符号构成元素的设计模式为:选择,叠置或匹配,强化或减弱,拉伸或压缩。并讨论了符号构成元素的设计步骤。     

PAN graphs An aid to GIS analysis

Abstract

Many data structures are possible for the storage of topological information for computer-based maps. The PAN graph is here suggested as an aid in the selection of a strategy appropriate to the application. Examples are given for the mapping of triangular networks and Thiessen polygons. Application of the technique is appropriate to both education in, and design of, spatial data structures for automated cartography and geographical information systems     

School Students' Understanding of Choropleth Maps: Evidence From Collaborative Mapmaking Using GIS

Abstract

Pairs of students from two age groups made choropleth maps using Arc View. Evidence from their discourse is used to assess aspects of their cartographic understanding as well as the nature of their collaboration. Students from both age groups spent a high percentage of their time talking about cartographic strategy and a low percentage of time on technical aspects of GIS functionality. Older students engaged in more reasoning and questioning. Key areas for teacher intervention include promoting better student understanding of what the mapped data mean (including directionality and numerical characteristics) and the most effective strategies for raising the level of students' conceptual exchange during collaborative learning.     

The establishment and application of the geographic mapping database by city/county unit in China

Abstract

Based on information contained in the third population census and the second industrial investigation, and illustrated by maps, this paper discusses the conceptual design, methodology and procedures used in the establishment and application or the geographic mapping database. The statistical cartographic expert system is specifically introduced as an application.     

Volume 111 Index

Abstract

Concepts related to alternative map projections can be difficult to explain to students given the diversity and complexity of available projections. Students frequently have trouble understanding how distortions caused by the choice of a projection can affect map readability and comprehension. Programs available for personal computers now provide geography and cartography instructors with a method for interactively educating students concerning the distortions associated with alternative map projections. Such software can be incorporated into laboratory assignments in introductory geography courses or in more advanced courses that deal with map design or thematic cartography.     

Using Road Maps in the Junior High School

Abstract

The activities described in this paper were developed to familiarize junior high school students with the variety of information available on road maps and to provide a means for practice of map skills. At Legg Junior High School in Coldwater, Michigan, students were presented with an introduction to road maps, followed by a series of worksheets to use in conjunction with Michigan and Ontario highway maps. After completing the worksheets, students participated in road rally games which required them to use maps and follow instructions and clues to find a specific location. The activities can be adapted for elementary school classes or for students with different levels of ability. Teachers might also want to increase the number of worksheets or road rallies to give students additional practice in skills in which they particularly need improvement.     

A Field Plan for Large-Scale Terrain Mapping

Abstract

Field work in geography often involves an exercise in which the student is required to make some type of map. Although most areas of the United States are well mapped, seldom are extremely large-scale (larger than 1:24,000) relief maps available. A method of contour-line mapping using small contour intervals and a large scale is appropriate in teaching several mapping principles and requires only a few simple tools and the use of elementary mathematics. Percent slope is established at uniform intervals along closely spaced traverses of the area to be mapped. Spot elevations are thus established from which contour lines can be determined. Accuracy in field-data collection and care in cartography will yield a very satisfactory map of terrain characteristics of small areas. Several concepts of maps and mapping are taught through direct student involvement.     

中国中温带东部生态地理区划的土壤指标

Eco-geographic regional system is formed by division or combination of natural features based on geographic relativity and comparison of major ecosystem factors (including biological and non-biological) and geographic zonality. In previous studies, soil types were often taken as a basis for soil regionalization. However, the quantitative characteristics of soil indicators are fitter than the qualitative ones of soil types for modern regionalization researches. Based on the second China’s national soil survey data and the provincial soil resource information, by principal analysis and discriminant analysis, this paper discusses the appropriate soil indicators as the complement of eco-geographic region indicator systems and the relationships between these soil indicators and soil types in regionalization. The results show that five indicators are used in eco-geographic zonality in mid-temperate zone of eastern China which are organic matter content, cation exchange capacity, pH, clay content and bulk density in topsoils. With a regression-kriging approach, the maps of soil indicators in mid-temperate zone of eastern China are compiled with a resolution of 1 km in every grid and the indicative meanings of these soil indicators are discussed. By cluster analysis it is proved that these soil indicators are better than the soil types and soil regionalization in delineating eco-geographic regions. Foundation: National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.40771016 Author: Liu Ye (1980–), Ph.D, specialized in integrated physical geography.     

Decrease in Danish semi-natural grassland – a social construct or a real-world change?

During the past century, the western hemisphere has seen a general trend of agricultural expansion on the behalf of semi-natural habitat types, such as heathlands and meadows. This has been documented in numerous studies of land use change. This trend is reflected in today’s European rural landscapes, which are dominated by intensive agriculture. However, many of these studies are based on cartographical sources, such as topographical and thematic maps, and thus prone to uncertainties regarding classification systems over time, variations in definitions of land use categories and lacking documentations of land use definitions. For this study, we conducted two change detection studies, covering the same four study areas in Denmark. The first study was based on topographic maps, and indicates a strong decline in the amount of semi-natural grassland (SNG). This was contrasted by the second study, which was based on an interpretation of aerial photos, and which indicated a much less pronounced reduction of SNGs. Year to year comparisons of these two analyses also revealed large discrepancies in the coverage of SNGs. Our results indicate that change detection studies must account for uncertainties in classifications and results should be interpreted with caution.