Geography 360 :
Principles of Cartography
Five-Minute Essay Make-up - Which Will Probably Take about 30 or So Minutes
Digital Elevation Models and Watershed Sustainability
Worth 10 Points and a wealth of insight for the lab assignment
This assignment has you make a connection between the concepts presented in lecture and the methods you used in your lab assignment. The focus is on "Digital Elevation Models (DEMo) and Watershed Sustainability". If you so choose, the essay you write in activity can be used to help you prepare for the exam and/or next lab assignment. Assignment is due the day that follows the respective in-class discussion.
You have become familiar with DEMo database structuring (e.g., equations, contour trace, triangulated irregular network, and regular grid) and various map display types (contour line map, wireframe block diagram, and solids model rendering) in the lecture and lab assignment. Remember that information we choose to represent about the world guides us in building databases. Furthermore, the content of databases enables and constrains the potential for map display (be they 2D or 3D map displays).
1. Answer each of the following questions:
a. Describe how you might use 3D map displays of elevation as a base for depicting sustainability indicators. Choose at least two sustainability indicators to communicate some aspect of watershed sustainability in your discussion.
b. What influence do viewing parameters have on 3D displays that portray watershed sustainability indicators? Sketch your answers if it helps.
c. How does your choice among DEMo database structures (as representations of the world) and map display types (as representations of what is in the database) provide an advantage for representing information about watershed sustainability?
2. Type up a 5-minute essay - about one-half page - for each of the questions. Repeat the question at the beginning of each answer.
3. Turn in your essay on Monday. The essay will be returned as soon after it is turned in for grading as possible. .
0: unacceptable - no essay
2: low acceptability - turn in a paper with one or two sentences demonstrating
low interest.
4: low-medium acceptability - provide a few sentences,
but a lot more could have been provided.
6: medium acceptability - answer addresses question, but more could be said
based on lecture or lab experience.
8: medium-high acceptability - question answered thoroughly, but answer
incorporates only lecture or lab material.
10: high acceptability - question answered thoroughly incorporating material
from both lecture and lab.