Lab 4

NOTE: The original image has the graph in color (tones of red), but I had to reduce the image size because it was too big, so it recolored the graph to grayscale and I do not know how to revert it.


My first impression of ArcGIS was half good and half bad. For starters, it takes a fair amount of time to get used to the program on an intuitive level: one has to go through the tutorial some 3 or 4 times to really get familiarized with the commands presented there - and I'm sure there are many other commands not represented in the tutorial!
What I liked about ArcGIS was the fact that it can be used by non-experts to create high quality maps and tables, an extremely useful feature whose extent is not solely geography. For example, similarly to representing the population density on the map in the tutorial, one can create a map with the density of people living below the poverty line for economics. So, in my opinion this is an extremely versatile program with high quality output.
What I disliked about ArcGIS was, as I have already mentioned, the fact that the commands are not very intuitive, but this is also related to the fact that the program can involve high levels of complexity, so a person has to become familiarized with the program to effectively use it.
There are many commands in ArcGIS of which I am not yet aware of, but which undoubtedly can help one achieve desired goals, not only in terms of geography but also with the study of other subjects, which I am looking forward to learning about.

Lab 3

View Lisbon Surfing Trail in a larger map


This is a neogeographical map of a proposed day filled with beaches and surfing in my hometown of Lisbon, Portugal. Neogeography is exactly what is meant by the word: new geography. It allows for user generated geographical content and interaction between users on content relating to geography. It basically allows for people who are not experts in geography to use complex cartography tools and interfaces (e.g. through the use of online maps) and adding their own data to it, for personal use or to share with others for all types of activities (ranging from directions, to references, to sharing memories). This neogeographical map was created using Google Maps, but there are a variety of other websites offering such technology, such as Bing or MapQuest. In this map, I share my recommendation for beach-going and surfing in Lisbon, as well as dining and nightlife, for everyone who is keen on spending a fun-packed day in the coastal capital of Portugal.

Lab 2

1.       The name of the quadrangle is Beverly Hills quadrangle.

2.       The names of the adjacent quadrangles are: Canoga Park; Van Nuys; Burbank; Topanga; Hollywood; name missing (Pacific Ocean); Venice; Inglewood.

3.       The map was first completed in 1966.

4.       North American Datum 1927 and 1983; National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929.

5.       The scale of the map is 1:24000.

6.       A) 5 cm on map = 5 * 24 000 cm = 120 000 cm = 1200 m = 1.200 km

B) 5 in on map = 5 * 24 000 in = 120 000 in; 120 000 / 12 = 10000 ft; 10 000 / 5280 = 1.894 miles

C) 1 mile on ground = 5280 ft; 5280 * 12 = 63 360 in; 63 360 / 24 000 = 2.64 in on map

D) 3 km on ground = 30 000 cm; 30 000 / 24 000 = 1.25 cm on map

7.       The contour interval on the map is 20 feet.

8.       A) 34^o 03’ 54’’ N; 118^o 26’ 36’’ W  or  34.065009^o N; 118.443^o W

B) 34^o 00’ 31’’ N; 118^o 29’ 52’’ W  or  34.008611^o N; 118.497^o W

C) 34^o 07’ 12’’ N; 118^o 24’ 39’’ W  or34.120008^o N; 118.411^o W

9.       A) 581 ft. ; 177 m

B) 141 ft. ; 43 m

C) 636 ft. ; 194 m

10.   It is the UTM zone 11.

11.   The UTM coordinates for the bottom left corner of the map are 3763000 northing; 361500 easting.

12.   There is 1 km² in each square, or 1,000,000 m².

13.  

14.   The magnetic declination of the map is 14^o.

15.   The water flows South, since the elevation given by the Contour lines is decreasing.

16.