2nd Blog: Various Maps

Choropleth Map

This choropleth map denotes the amount of freshwater used in each of the fifty states and Puerto Rico. The various colors represent differences across the states. Based on the legend, you can see that GA uses between 500-1,000 (in million gallons per day) gallons per day. This map is useful because it illustrates particular themes and simplifies quantitative data in population analysis.
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http://water.usgs.gov/watuse/wumaps.color.html




Dot Density Map


The map to the left is a dot density map and I believe this is an excellent map to illustrate the prevalence of a well-known public health concern, AIDS. Each dot represents 50 individual cases and the map denotes major states such as Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Texas and Florida to possess a substantial amount of cases.



http://www.docstoc.com/docs/74871769/AIDS-Dot-Maps-_through-2007_



Proportional Symbol Map


The map to the right denotes fishing participation among Americans. The different sizes represent the amount of fishing in the illustrated geographic areas. I think this is a good map for surveillance with respect to monitoring areas in which are known for fishing and could potentially pose a threat if there were to be some type of waterborne contaminants associated with aquatic life in the US.
*each square represents a value ranging from 100,000-2,800,000 in multiples of 675,000 participants.
http://personal.frostburg.edu/jfrech0/jon_maps.htm



Topographic Map

The topographic map to the left is of a 3D Australian mountain satellite image. Topographic maps describe the shape of the land and are usually depicted by the use contour lines that illustrate the highest and lowest points of a geographic area. In this case, you can see the height of different features of the landscape, because the image is in 3D. This map did not have a legend, but I'm assuming that the colors are representative of the various elevations. This may be useful to evaluate the steepness of slopes of a surface and in my opinion, would help an architect map out and design plan for construction or mining.

http://www.canmaps.com/topo/nts50/orthoimage/115o09.htm



Environmental Sensitivity Index Map



The last map to the right contains vector polygons which represent the Connecticut Coastal shoreline in the year of 2002. This map is of vital importance for public health prevention and strategies in the event of a catastrophe such as an oil spill. Environmental sensitivity index maps depict information about shoreline type (sensitivity, ease of cleanup), biological (at risk organisms) and human-use resources (beaches, airports).

http://www.cteco.uconn.edu/metadata/dep/document/esi_2002_poly_FGDC_FAQ.htm

Global Issues in Environmental Health

                                                                 Cathedral of Rio de Janerio

                                                                Christ the Redeemer

                                                                     Carnival in Rio de Janeiro

  

About Rio de Janeiro

Brazil is rich in natural beauty and culture as well as possessing an interesting history. Rio de Janeiro is the most visited city in the southern hemisphere and is known for its natural settings, carnival celebrations, samba, Bossa Nova, balneario beaches. Some of the most famous landmarks in addition to the beaches include the giant statue of Christ the Redeemer ('Cristo Redentor') atop Corcovado Mountain. I chose Rio de Janeiro, because I have always been interested in attending the world famous carnival celebration. I am aware that the carnival takes place all over Brazil, but Rio de Janeiro definitely takes the cake! From my understanding the celebration has religious significance to Christians and Roman Catholics as well as roots in African-Brazilian culture. When I travel, I like to incorporate fun along with learning so that I may get the most out of my travel experience. I think this would be a great experience for many people.

Difficulties with Google Earth

I am new to blogging and Google Earth so naturally I had difficulty with the process. I found the tutorials to be informative and help witht the process.