Mental Map: The World

Source: http://andrewshears.com/2010/12/19/mapping-geo-autobiography-my-mental-map-of-the-world/

A mental map is a map that is is a representation of an individuals own interpretation of a specific area. This map can be a persons drawing of how they see a particular region or just a map in someones mind.  Mental maps are how we organize locations and important land marks using our five senses and spatial recognition. 

In this representation of a mental map, this person has drawn there own interpretation of the world. For example, we see the world on a flat surface rather than on its original oval shape. The countries are warped and stretched to fit on the piece of paper. The countries are labeled accordingly but this is by no means an exact representation of the world, but rather one individuals exact perception of what they think the world looks like. 

Climograph: Florence, Italy

Source: http://www.florence.climatemps.com/graph.php

A climograph is a depiction of average climate of a specific region. Months of the year is compared with level of precipitation, wind, average temperature, humidity, and other factors that contribute to climate. Climographs are used to highlight the average temperature of a specific location at any given month of the year. Climographs use three axises to project the highlighted characteristics.

This graph of Florence, Italy, expresses all of the factors that contribute to determining average climate of Florence. ch line represents an average to expect in the month. Each axis coordinates with the other to give the most accurate reading. 

PLSS Map: Florida

Source: http://nationalatlas.gov/

The United States  Public Land Survey System is a systematic land partitioning system that utilizes 34 baseline meridians to create a grid in which 6x6 townships and ranges to determine land ownership. Each grid box determines who owns the land, county, and/or name. 

This particular PLSS map was created to enhance the counties in Florida and the capital. It shows the entire state projected onto the 6x6 grid of the PLSS. Each town is sliced into each individual grid box depicting a scale size of each county. 

Star Plot: Aquarius

Source: http://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2012/01/helix-in-new-colours.html

Star plots are radar maps that can map specific constellations, planets, individual stars, and constellation families in a two-demensional projection. They portray the location of the subject at hand at specific hours of the night on a grid. Different star plots can highlight different aspects of the night sky and can be mapped differently depending on the tilt of the axis and relative position to the cartographer. 

In this particular star plot, the constellation Aquarius is the focus. Along the top and bottom of the square the hours of the day in which this map is portraying. Along the left and right side of the square map are the degrees, longitude and latitude, for which the constellation is located at which hour of the night. The plot acts on a grid system. The grid lines are slightly curved relevant to the curvature of the earth and the blue line that goes through the middle is the relative meridian. The plot is most accurate closest to the blue line. 

Thematic Map: Thailand

Source: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/thailand_pop_1974.jpg

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/thailand.html

Thematic maps are specific maps that highlight a certain aspect about a particular region or area, for example, vegetation, population, average rainfall, anything in particular one would like to know in reference to a specific area. Using different shades of colors in consideration with the key, one is able to decipher which areas have the highest and lowest of, in this case, population. 

In this thematic map of Thailand, the cartographer has used shades of green to highlight the areas of low and high population. You can see here that the darkest shade of green enhances the area with the highest population. In this map, Bankok and neighboring areas, mainly to the north, have the densest areas of population reaching over 520 thousand people per square mile. This key is per thousand people per square mile. Usually, a thematic map does not highlight major cities, roadways, or rivers, but in this case, the cities are shown as reference points.