environment, environmental thought, early environmental thinking, environmentalism, man and environment relationship and human-ecological adaptations

The environment means everything around us that affects living things, including humans.

Biotic components – Living things like plants, animals, and humans.
Abiotic components – Non-living things like air, water, soil, climate, and landforms.
Built / Cultural Environment – Things created by humans such as cities, roads, dams, and farms.

👉 In simple words:
Environment = Nature + Living things + Human-made surroundings.

Environmental Thought

Environmental thought means ideas about how humans and nature are connected. These ideas changed over time.

Major Theories

1. Environmental Determinism

Says nature controls humans.
Example: People in cold areas wear warm clothes and build strong houses.

2. Possibilism

Says nature gives limits, but humans can choose how to live.
Example: Desert areas have less water, but humans build canals and irrigation.

3. Neo-determinism (Stop-and-Go Determinism)

Says humans can develop using nature but must respect environmental limits.
Example: Excess industrialization causes climate change.

Early Environmental Thinking

People have been thinking about human-nature relationships since ancient times.

Ideas

Hippocrates – Said climate affects human health and behavior.
Ibn Khaldun – Linked climate with culture and lifestyle.
Ancient conservation ideas – Religious beliefs protected nature (like protecting trees and animals).

👉 Early scholars understood that human life depends on the environment.

Environmentalism

Environmentalism is a movement to protect nature and reduce environmental damage.

Ecocentrism (Deep Ecology) – Nature is important by itself, not just for humans.
Technocentrism – Technology and science can solve environmental problems.
Sustainability – Using resources carefully so future generations can also use them.
Environmental Justice – Fair distribution of environmental benefits and problems among people.

👉 Modern environmentalism focuses on climate change, pollution control, and biodiversity conservation.

Man–Environment Relationship

This explains how humans and nature affect each other.

Two-Way Interaction –
- Environment influences humans (climate, resources).
- Humans change the environment (urbanization, agriculture, industries).
Cultural Landscape –
Natural land changed by human activities.
Example: Cities, farmland, and transport networks.

👉 Today, the main concern is maintaining balance between development and nature.

Human-Ecological Adaptations

It means how humans adjust their lifestyle and technology to live in different environments.

✅ Types of Adaptation

Physiological / Behavioral Adaptation
- Changes in clothing, food, and housing based on climate.
- Example: Eskimos (Inuit) build igloos in polar regions.
Cultural / Technological Adaptation
- Humans modify nature to make living easier.
- Example:
  - Terrace farming in mountains
  - Air conditioning in hot regions
  - Greenhouse farming
Cultural Ecology
- Study of how culture and environment influence each other.

Environmental Geography studies how humans and nature interact across space and time.

👉 Main ideas:

Environment includes natural and human-made surroundings.
Environmental thought explains different views about human-nature relationships.
Environmentalism promotes protection of nature.
Humans both depend on and change the environment.
Human societies adapt to environmental conditions using culture and technology.

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History of GIS

1. 1832 - Early Spatial Analysis in Epidemiology: - Charles Picquet creates a map in Paris detailing cholera deaths per 1,000 inhabitants. - Utilizes halftone color gradients for visual representation. 2. 1854 - John Snow's Cholera Outbreak Analysis: - Epidemiologist John Snow identifies cholera outbreak source in London using spatial analysis. - Maps casualties' residences and nearby water sources to pinpoint the outbreak's origin. 3. Early 20th Century - Photozincography and Layered Mapping: - Photozincography development allows maps to be split into layers for vegetation, water, etc. - Introduction of layers, later a key feature in GIS, for separate printing plates. 4. Mid-20th Century - Computer Facilitation of Cartography: - Waldo Tobler's 1959 publication details using computers for cartography. - Computer hardware development, driven by nuclear weapon research, leads to broader mapping applications by early 1960s. 5. 1960 - Canada Geograph...

Supervised Classification

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Representation of Spatial and Temporal Relationships

In GIS, spatial and temporal relationships allow the integration of location (the "where") and time (the "when") to analyze phenomena across space and time. This combination is fundamental to studying dynamic processes such as urban growth, land-use changes, or natural disasters. Key Concepts and Terminologies Geographic Coordinates : Define the position of features on Earth using latitude, longitude, or other coordinate systems. Example: A building's location can be represented as (11.6994° N, 76.0773° E). Timestamp : Represents the temporal aspect of data, such as the date or time a phenomenon was observed. Example: A landslide occurrence recorded on 30/07/2024 . Spatial and Temporal Relationships : Describes how features relate in space and time. These relationships can be: Spatial : Topological (e.g., "intersects"), directional (e.g., "north of"), or proximity-based (e.g., "near"). Temporal : Sequential (e....

GIS: Real World and Representations - Modeling and Maps

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) serve as a bridge between the real world and digital representations of geographic phenomena. These representations allow users to store, analyze, and visualize spatial data for informed decision-making. Two key aspects of GIS in this context are modeling and maps , both of which are used to represent real-world geographic features and phenomena in a structured, analyzable format. Let's delve into these concepts, terminologies, and examples in detail. 1. Real World and Representations in GIS Concept: The real world comprises physical, tangible phenomena, such as landforms, rivers, cities, and infrastructure, as well as more abstract elements like weather patterns, population densities, and traffic flow. GIS allows us to represent these real-world phenomena digitally, enabling spatial analysis, decision-making, and visualization. The representation of the real world in GIS is achieved through various models and maps , which simplify...

History of GIS

The history of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is rooted in early efforts to understand spatial relationships and patterns, long before the advent of digital computers. While modern GIS emerged in the mid-20th century with advances in computing, its conceptual foundations lie in cartography, spatial analysis, and thematic mapping. Early Roots of Spatial Analysis (Pre-1960s) One of the earliest documented applications of spatial analysis dates back to 1832 , when Charles Picquet , a French geographer and cartographer, produced a cholera mortality map of Paris. In his report Rapport sur la marche et les effets du choléra dans Paris et le département de la Seine , Picquet used graduated color shading to represent cholera deaths per 1,000 inhabitants across 48 districts. This work is widely regarded as an early example of choropleth mapping and thematic cartography applied to epidemiology. A landmark moment in the history of spatial analysis occurred in 1854 , when John Snow inv...

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