Geography of Scale
Geography of Scale
Definitions of Scale
Why does Scale Matter
Scale of Patterns/Distributions
Scale of Processes
Analytical/Conceptual Scale
Importance of Scale in APHG Exam
Goals of APHG - Scale
Recognize and interpret at different scales the
relationships among patterns and processes.
Geographical
analysis requires a sensitivity to
scale, not just as a spatial category but as a
framework for understanding how events and
processes at different scales influence one another.
Thus, students should understand that the
phenomenon they are studying at one scale (e.g.,
local) may well be influenced by developments at
other scales (e.g., regional, national, or global).
They should then look at processes operating at
multiple scales when seeking explanations of
geographic patterns and arrangements.
Scale as “Map Scale”
Scale
Simple but fundamental concept
Sometimes
defined in glossary of textbooks,
sometimes not
The
ratio between the size of area on a map and the
actual size of that same area on the earth’s surface
(Fellmann).
The ratio of map distance to ground distance;
indicated on a map as a bar graph, representative
fraction, and/or verbal statement (DeBlij).
Relationship of a feature’s size on a map to its actual
size on Earth (Rubenstein).
Different views at different scales
1:10,000 vs. 1:100,000 vs. 1:1,000,000 vs. 1:10,000,000
Large scale (e.g., 1:10:000) vs. small scale (e.g.,
1:10,000,000)
Scale: mapped out
Scale as “Study Area”
The
size of the area studied, from local to global (Fellmann).
Representation of a real-world phenomenon at a certain level
of reduction or generalization (DeBlij).
The resolution levels used in any human geographic research;
most characteristically refers to the size of the area studied,
but also to the time period covered and number of people
investigated (Norton).
…
Culture
Agriculture
Local,
regional, national, global
Urban Systems
Population
Economic systems
Political systems
Topography
Climate
etc., etc., etc.
Why Scale Matters
Affects
evaluation of spatial
distributions
Examples
Issues
to consider
Absolute vs. relative data
Areal units of observation
MAUP: Modifiable Areal Unit Problem
Ecological fallacy
Affects
evaluation of spatial
processes, models
Scale and One “Layer” of Geography
Spatial Distribution
(Could be population, diseases, crashes, stores, etc.)
Scale and One “Layer” of Geography
Absolute vs. Relative
Random
More Dense
Clustered
Linear
Centralized
Less Dense
(Based on Fellmann, 8th ed., p. 17)
Dispersed
Scale and One “Layer” of Geography
Areal Units
Clustered or Dispersed?
Scale and One “Layer” of Geography
Random selection?
Population
Global Scale:Religion
Religion at a National/Regional Scale
Local Scale: Religion
Global Urbanization
Regional Urbanization
Absolute vs. Relative Data
Patterns
seen depend on how data are organized
“Absolute data” (raw numbers) vs. “Relative data”
(percentages, rates)
Definitions used
When looking at maps, graphs, etc. related to spatial units of
observation (states, counties, etc.), it is important to know
how data are organized
“Top ten states in crime” (total crimes? Rate per100,000?)
“Wealthiest countries” (per capita income?)
“Top ten states in agricultural production” (vs. states most
oriented to agricultural production?)
Etc.

Modifiable Areal Unit Problem
Modifiable Areal Unit Problem
We can gather data using areal units with a
variety of sizes (e.g., block, block group,
census tract, county, state, region,
country), i.e., at different scales.
We can also combine these areal units in a
variety of ways --- aggregation.
When we modify our areal units of
observation, the patterns we see and
conclusions we make will vary.
This is a problem.
Ecological Fallacy
Inferring
from a more aggregated scale to
a less aggregated scale
E.g., Taking county-level or state-level
data and making conclusions about
individuals
http://www.jratcliffe.net/research/ecolfallacy.htm
Percent of Residents Owning a Volkswagen
(Fictitious)
State-level data
Germans really like
Volkswagens!!!
Percent of Residents Having German ancestry
Why Scale Matters
Affects
evaluation of spatial
distributions
Affects evaluation of spatial
processes, models
Population change
Core-periphery model
Multiple-scale processes
Example: Population Change
Urban
vs. Rural population change
Central city vs. Suburban
population change
Balance of flows?
concentrating/clustering or
dispersing?
Example: Core-Periphery
Model
“A model that describes how economic, political, and/or

cultural power is spatially distributed between dominant
core regions, and more marginal or dependent semiperipheral and peripheral regions. The core-periphery
model can be applied at a variety of spatial scales” (DeBlij).
Global
“North”
– “South”
More developed countries –
Less developed countries
Continental
Europe: N&W vs. S&E?
National
Russia, UK, US, Italy, Canada…..
Subnational/Regional
 Capital/largest city vs.
“upstate”/“outstate”?
Multiple-Scale Processes
Processes
at one scale
can influence
processesat different
scales
Effects
of local events on
global scale
Escalation of local
conflict
Local drought/freeze/
recession within global
markets
Effects of global processes
on local areas…
Example: Global processes felt in
local areas
Effect
of globalization on local landscapes
Worldwide integration of economic, social,
political, and cultural activities and systems.
Decreasing friction of distance,
communication, transportation, media, mass
production
Agriculture
Decreasing
friction of distance, export
markets, etc., effect in local areas
Culture
Pop vs. folk culture, local cultures and
traditions
Economic
International businesses making decisions
affecting local communities
Why is this Important?
Promotes
integration, and better
understanding, of individual topics in APHG
course outline
Scale and the APHG Exam
Awareness of scale has been relevant to
previous APHG free response questions
Common errors often related to lack of
awareness of scale or misapplication of
scale-related concepts
Exam Revelations
Scale of
decision
making
processes

2003 Q&A,
Question
1
Intent: … question also gave
students the opportunity to
demonstrate their ability to think
critically at multiple geographic
scales (in this case, national and
international).
Student Performance: Responses
typically scoring five or six points
linked multiple features of urban
system development to coreperiphery relations in both
Argentina and Germany and at
both national and international
scales (though the latter was not
a specific element of the rubric).
Common Errors: Some responses
evidenced poor map reading skills
(e.g., not taking into account the
different scales of the map
stimuli).
2004 Exam, Question 3
Intent:
… students’ ability to
take the concept of population
distribution normally discussed
at the national scale and apply
it at the urban scale.... While
[population pyramids] are
commonly encountered in
course materials, the exam
diagram referred specifically to
parts of an urban area (i.e.,
they shifted scale from national
to local).
Student performance: Some
responses suggested that
students only understood the
population pyramid concept at
the national level and provided
incorrect discussions of, for
example, the role in infant
mortality in Part (c).
2005 Exam, Question 3
3. In the 1990’s the central business and residential districts of cities
in the United States became the focus of revitalization process.
Discuss how each of the following has contributed to this
revitalization process.
A. Economic Factors
B. Demographic composition
C. Urban Policy
D. Sense of Place
Common
Errors: Several responses addressed urban
problems in general, sometimes within an urban vs. rural
framework, rather than focusing on the intra-urban scale of
analysis.
Advice to teachers: Encourage students to focus on the
geographical and spatial aspects of the question. Prepare
them for questions at different scales of analysis.
2005 Exam, Question 1
1. The modern state system is engaged in a struggle
between the forces of supranationalism and devolution.
A. Define both terms and give a geographic example of
each.
B. With reference to the political and economic
geography of Europe, briefly discuss three changes
resulting from supranationalism.
C. With reference to the political and economic
geography of Europe, briefly discuss three changes
resulting from devolution.
Fundamentally
At
a question of scale
what scale are decisions made?
At what scale is there autonomy?
Conclusions
Scale
(and the other “Goals” of APHG) cannot be
considered in isolation from the “Topics” of the
course
Relevance to APHG curriculum
Links across sections of the course outline
Cause-and-effect relationships
Synthesis
Process-oriented analysis
Changes in patterns over time
The Scale of This Place……
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
QuickTime™ and a
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are needed to see this picture.
Source:
Tim Strauss, University of Northern Iowa
USGS
Google Earth
Human Geography, Fellman