Environmental Sensitivity Maps

Environmental Sensitivity maps provide summaries of possible resources that may be at risk.

This map illustrates the agricultural usefulness of the Fresno area.  Fresno County is a rich agricultural area in California that is facing rapid urbanization and farmland conversion. The county is engaging in a  strategic, multi-county planning initiative that seeks to sustain the land while making regional cohesive decisions regarding the land.

Topographic Maps

Within the limits of the specified scale, topographic maps illustrate as accurately as possible the location and shape of both natural and man-made features. Natural features include relief, and hydrographic features, such as lakes and rivers, while man-made features include other characteristics of the subject area of interest, such as cities, towns, roads, railroads, canals, dams, bridges, and parks, etc. These are simple topographic maps of Montego Bay and the entire island of Jamaica. I visited Montego Bay, Negril, and areas surrounding Kingston.

Proportional Symbol Map

The proportional symbol map uses differing sizes of symbols to represent data associated with varying areas or map locations. The following map depicts the number of Autism cases in Wisconsin. The varying circle sizes represent the specified count listed in the key.

Dot Density Maps

Dot Density Maps illustrate density by placing symbols such as dots in approximate location of the variable of interest. Dot maps are used only for raw data not data that is expressed as a ratio. Examples of dot density maps include farms and population distribution in a particular region. The following map displays the locations of McDonald's across the United States. The vast amount of these fast food chains greatly contribute to the obesity epidemic in the US.

Chloropleth Maps

Chloropeth maps are used to express spatial units with uniform colors and patterns. They are appropriate for scaled data such as the new cases of T. brucei gambiense in Africa in 2006. The colors represent the varying prevalence categories of the disease as given by the key. T. brucei is the protozoa that causes sleeping sickness or African Trypanosomiasis. The vector is the tsetse fly, which prefers shady river areas. The symptoms include confusion, altered diurnal rhythm, dementia, and convulsions. The victim becomes progressively  mentally impaired, loses bladder control, and may undergo varying forms of paralysis eventually fading into a coma.

The Rialto Bridge

My husband's first military assignment was in Aviano, Italy; however, he proposed to me under the Rialto Bridge in Venice. The population size of Venice is relatively small consisting of about 65,000 individuals. The population is made up primarily of an aging population and the city is considered one of the safest cities in Europe. I would love to get stationed in Italy again, because it was absolutely beautiful and the culture is so laid back and amazing. However, a few public health concerns have frequently arisen in Italy. In September 2006, an outbreak of Legionnaire's Disease, which is a bacterial infection spread by droplets from contaminated water sources, occurred. More recently, in August 2011, another outbreak of Legionnaire's Disease transpired. Mosquitoes can also be problematic in Venice leading to illnesses such as Chikugnya fever, which causes severe joint pains and high fevers. Acute respiratory illnesses are also known to occur near beaches throughout Italy due to Ostreopsis ovate, which is a dinoflagellate. Italy has also experienced the regular occurrences of Measles outbreaks. Despite the aforementioned public health issues, Venice remains one of the safest cities in Europe. Moreover, the trail leads from St. Marcos Square to the Rialto Bridge, which is the same trail we traveled when my husband proposed. I did not have any issues navigating Google Earth.