Contemporary Mapping

In class on Monday we talked about more mapping and longitude and latitude.

-Shift from simply a tool that provides location reference to a tool used by geographers to communicate complex geographic phenomena.

Map Scale

-Level of detail and the amount of area covered on the map depends on its map scale.

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Geographic Grid

-System of imaginary arcs drawn in a grid pattern on Earth's surface.
        -Meridians are arcs drawn between the North and South poles. Each is numbered, according to a system known as longitude.
                     -values range 0 degrees (prime meridian) to 180 degrees east or west longitude.
-Parallels are arcs drawn parallel to equator and at right angles to meridian. Each is numbered, according to a system known as latitude.
                    -values range from 0 degrees (equator) to 90 degrees at the right angle of the meridian.

-Points on Earth's surface can be communicated by referring points of latitude and longitude intersection.
-Ex. Denver, Colorado's location is 40 degrees North latitude and 105 degrees west longitude
-Further accuracy can be achieved by dividing each degree into 60 minutes and each minute into 60 seconds.
-Ex. Denver, Colorado's state capital building is 39 degrees 42'2" North latitude and 104 degrees 59'04" West longitude.

Telling Time

-Earth is a sphere divided into 360 degrees of longitude
-Divide 360 by 24 time zones (one for each hour the day) equals15 degrees
-Each 15 band of longitude is assigned to a standard time zones

Greenwhich Meantime (GMT) is....

-Located at the prime meridian (0 degrees longitude)
-Passes through Royal observatory at Greenwich England
-Master reference time for all points on Earth