Wednesday, September 11. 2024

Today's schedule is BADC

B Block Human Geography - Today we'll finish our look at the five themes of geography (finishing Place - Situation  and then looking at Human Environment Interactions, Movement-Diffusion, and Region). I'm not a huge watch-a-"list" video kind of teacher (you know like buzzfeed's "top 10 ________ that will make you ______") but our topic for the day is "Why is each point on Earth unique?" I do like the opening for the Netflix series Sense8 as an example of the diversity of regions and for an visual explanation of why each point on earth is unique...

A Block Criminology - Today we will finish Social Structure, Social Learning, and Conflict theories. Remember, the goal of criminological theory is to help one gain an understating of crime and criminal justice. Many disciplines factor into criminological theories, such as psychology, sociology, biology, political science, and criminal justice. Theories cover the making and the breaking of the law, criminal and deviant behavior, as well as patterns of criminal activity. Individual theories may be either macro or micro. Theories can be used to guide policy making, and can be evaluated on a number of criteria including: clarity, scope, parsimony (concise), testability, practical usefulness, and empirical validity. Many theories have common traits, but differences among them still exist. Understanding these differences is key to understanding the often contradictory views of crime and deviance they try to explain. Some good theories explanation videos can be found here at Criminology Web on You tube. Next, we'll begin our look at the nature vs. nurture debate by focusing on the history of psychological and sociological criminology and our brief history of criminology (from B.C.E up to and including the current theories, which will help you with your first activity in the course). 

D/C Blocks Social and Environmental Sciences - Mapping data...

In this assignment, you are representing data you gather about the Towhee Creek watershed in a graphic format (encoding rather than decoding). This means we are asking you to transfer spatial scientific empirical information to a cartographic product a.k.a., a Map! You need to choose WHAT information is relevant to tell the story (which is your assessment of the creek's health). Your objective is to explain your views on the health of Towhee Creek graphically. From Penn State GEOG 486 Cartography and Visualization

When making a map, it is impossible to map everything. In fact, to be a useful model of our world and of any phenomena in it, maps must always obscure, simplify, and/or embellish reality. These actions - which make maps useful - also make their construction subjective. Cartographic design, even when informed by well-established conventions, is an art as much as a science. Every design choice a cartographer makes ultimately influences the map readers’ comprehension, appreciation - and even trust - of the map that he or she creates. The way in which you design a map can deeply influence how your readers interpret it. A well-designed map can intrigue and even surprise its readers, leaving a meaningful and memorable impression. When discussing how people interpret maps, we can frame this discussion in terms of perception, cognition, and behavior.

Perception in map design refers to the reader’s immediate response to map symbology (e.g., instant recognition that symbols are different hues) (Slocum et al. 2009).

Cognition occurs when map readers incorporate that perception into conscious thought, and thus combine it with their own knowledge (Slocum et al. 2009). For example, readers might be able to interpret a weather radar map without its legend due to their previous experience with a similar map, or might incorporate knowledge of a map’s topic into their interpretation of a visual data distribution (e.g., the higher concentration of people aged 65+ shown in some Florida cities makes sense given what I know about retirement communities).

Behavior refers to actions that go beyond just thinking about maps. Considering how design may influence behavior is essential in anticipating the real-world effects your maps may have. The way a map is designed can influence its readers’ actions and decision-making, and these decisions may range from small (e.g., for how many seconds will the reader look at this map?) to great (e.g., will this flood-risk map convince the reader to purchase insurance?). 

Remember your purpose is to graphically depict scientific data (your observations) that will help answer the "big question" Is this creek healthy?

There are a lot of good maps and a whole lot of bad maps in the world. One of the most important characteristics that distinguish good maps from bad is Clarity / Legibility. This means that the reader should be able to understand the map and be able to read it. So, here are some Mistakes to avoid when Creating Maps

• Over complicating the map with too much information.
• Misrepresenting the information, using the wrong symbols.
• Missing essential components, like a compass, legend, or scale.
• Missing important or useful information
• Not using proper colours and fonts to make sure that the map is legible.

Of course you could just be factually wrong

Or maddingly cluttered and confusing

Or you could have too much writing 

Or you lack colour differentiation

Or you could layer too much information and have too much colour

So, when it comes time tomorrow to start making your map, if you want to go Analogue...we'll have paper for you and if you'd like to go digital we'll have a computers for you...in that vein

Use Story Map in Knight Lab and you can use Mapbox to help. You can also create a custom map using Google My Maps or in Google Earth online as well

Ten Things to Consider When Making a Map, Elements of a Map, Five primary design principles for cartography, Essentials of Geographic Information Systems Cartographic Principles,  Map Elements and Design Principles, 

Please remember map basics. From GIS Lounge

Basic map characteristics to help the reader understand the context of the map are title, legend (or map key), scale, a grid system, and north arrow. Not all maps have all of these map elements.

Scale and orientation: Maps will contain a bar graph, scale bar, or verbal scale which indicates the relationship between the distance on the map and the actual distance on the ground. Some maps, although not all, will have a compass rose or a north arrow to show the map orientation.

Legends or keys: Maps often include a legend or key that explains the symbols, colors, and other representations used on the map. This helps users interpret the information presented.

Grid systems: Many maps have grid lines, such as latitude and longitude lines or a coordinate grid, to provide a reference system for locating specific points on the map.

 Maps typically include various elements that convey spatial information, such as:

Geographical features: Maps display physical features like mountains, rivers, lakes, coastlines, and deserts. These features are represented using symbols, colors, or contour lines.

Political boundaries: Maps show political divisions such as country borders, state or provincial boundaries, and administrative regions. These boundaries help define the jurisdictional and administrative areas. 

Landmarks and points of interest: Important landmarks, cultural sites, monuments, tourist attractions, and other points of interest are often marked on maps to provide reference points and aid navigation. 

Transportation networks: Maps include roads, highways, railways, airports, ports, and other transportation infrastructure. These elements help people plan routes and understand connectivity.

You'll have the rest of the block to collect data from either the upper or mid course of the stream. Tomorrow we'll start with walking the lower course of the stream (from the Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds to the mouth of the stream at the Tsolum River) and then you'll begin the analysis, synthesis, and presentation part of the project (map making).

Today's Fit...