Online Geography Resource Library

Geography, an Earth-based science covering the planet's landscape, inhabitants, features, and eye-gazing phenomena, literally translates into the phrase "to describe or transcribe about the Earth." Eratosthenes, an ancient Grecian mathematician, poet, geographer, astronomer and musical theorist, coined the term "geography." Geographical research embodies four distinct historical traditions, including geography as the study of distribution, various places and regions, mankind's relationship to the land, and Earth science branches of study. Modern geography encompasses an array of disciplines that aims to comprehend the Earth and its natural complexities. Scientists regard geography as the bridge connecting the humanities and physical sciences. In fact, geography has five distinct branches: human geography, physical geography, environmental geography, regional geography, and geomatics. Geographers employ a variety of techniques, including highly detailed maps, to explore spatial interrelationships using systematic, regional, descriptive, and analytical approaches. Geographers incorporate geographical research subdivisions, including cartography, remote sensing, geographical informational systems (GIS), quantitative methods and qualitative methods to assess the planet's vast resources.

Various Branches

Environmental Geography

• Bridgewater State University: What is Environmental Geography?: Doctor James Hayes-Bohanan provides a brief overview of environmental geographical study, including the four historical traditions.
• Texas A&M University: Environmental Geography (PDF): A power-point presentation covering environmental policies, U.S. environmental laws, international environmental policy, environmental policy making process, and the different approaches to environmental policy.
• Colorado University: Influences of the Geographic Environment: A chapter describing the various geographic influences on the surrounding environment.
• University of Georgia: Earth, Environment and Climate: A short and concise article explaining the fundamental difference between environmental geography and physical geography.
• University of North Texas: Tools of Geography (PDF): An extensive resource detailing the various tools used to explore the different geographical branches, including environmental geography.

Geomatics

• University of Alaska: What is Geomatics?: Geomatics is an earth-based, engineering branch, including land surveying, automated mapping, computational analysis and adjustment, boundary law principles, geographic information systems (GIS), geodesy and various other map projections, digital photogrammetry, remote sensing and imaging, and hydrography.
• U.S. Department of Commerce: NOAA: Global Positioning: Geodesy, the study of measuring and monitoring the size and shape of planet Earth, allows the dynamics of global positioning to evolve.
• Geographic Information Systems: What is GIS?: GIS enables geographers to view, fully comprehend, inquire, interpret, and visualize collected data that reveals relationship patterns and trends in the form of map projections, globes, written reports, and charts.
• Minnesota River Basin Data Center: Hydrography: A hydrograph illustrates a stream flow over a certain period of time. This resource describes and portrays various methods in reading these unique charts.
• Mentabolism: Land Surveying and Geomatics: A brief overview of land surveying and geomatics, including short and concise descriptions and definitions of the science behind geomatics.

Human Geography

• University of Northern Iowa: Human Geography: A massive resource page with links organized into categories that pertain to the field of human geography.
• University of Wisconsin: Human Geography: The field of human geography focuses on the relation between human interaction and the surrounding environment. Human geography also addresses the spatial distribution of human activity on the surface of the planet. This geography form encompasses political, cultural, economical, and social aspects of human interaction.
• NASA: Scientific Visualization Studio: Human Geography: NASA sponsors 3D visuals capturing monuments from around the world and assessing the data to measure the impact human relations has had on the planet's environment.
• USGS: The Yellowstone Hotspot (PDF): extensive resources detailing the effects of Yellowstone over time.
• Learner: Human Geography: People, Places, and Change: A teacher's resource guide combines a short and concise definition and explanation about human geography and its more extensive knowledge reserved for viewing

Physical Geography

• Physical Geography.net: Physical Geography, a sub-discipline of earth science and geography, focuses on explaining the spatial characteristics that shape the Earth's hydrosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and atmosphere. This web portal aims to impart knowledge on behalf of planet Earth.
• The Geography Site: Physical Geography: A comprehensive article detailing natural phenomena, including earthquakes, plate tectonics, volcanoes, glaciers, coasts, rivers, karst landscapes, moorland and heathland, meteorology, and more.
• The Encyclopedia of the Earth: Physical Geography: A basic overview of physical geography, including brief descriptions of all the sub-fields associated with it.
• Harper College: Europe: Physical Geography: A short and concise description of European's geographical landscape.
• University of Indiana: Physical Geography of East Asia (PDF): A concise outline detailing the physical and biological diversity in East Asia.

Regional Geography

• Harper College: An Introduction to Regional Geography: An extensive resource detailing the intricate details in each global region.
• Rockingham: Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada (PPT): A power-point presentation detailing the regional landscape within the United States and Canada.
• University of North Alabama: The Five Themes of Geography: Region: A region is a basic unit of geographical study. There are three types of regions: formal, functional and vernacular.
• The Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education: Regions, Regions, Regions! (PDF): An extensive lesson plan detailing the various geographical regions on planet Earth.
• University of Hawaii: Places and Regions: A brief overview of the geographical regions throughout planet Earth, including the various characteristics and influences associated with them.

Techniques

Cartography

• Emporia State University: Brief History of Maps and Cartography: A comprehensive resource explaining the history and invention of maps and cartography, the art of making maps.
• Brown University: Chapter 33: Cartography (PDF): An extensive resource detailing the intricacies of the map making process.
• San Jose State University: The Art of Cartography: An interactive resource explaining the map making processes of the early 15th and 16th centuries.
• University of North Omaha: Cartography and the Internet: An essay exploring and detailing the modern map-making techniques using the Internet.
• University of Chicago: Chapter 2: Woodward, History of Cartography: An excerpt explaining the history of cartography and how it has evolved into the technological aspects of today.

Geographic Information Systems

• University of Florida; Geographic Information Systems (GIS): What is GIS? (PDF): An extensive guidebook providing a GIS primer for small Florida cities.
• Stanford University: What is GIS?: A basic introduction to geographic information systems, including external links to authoritative tutorials and other information.
• University of Buffalo: The GIS History Project: A research project aiming to define the explicit history of geographical information systems (GIS), and how it has helped enhance the field of geography.
• Pinellas County: Geographic Information Systems: An insider's look into real-time geographic information systems' map projections.
• National Park Service: Geographic Information Systems: A brief description of the geographic information system linked to the National Park units.

Qualitative Methods

• Florida State University; Evaluating Qualitative Research in Social Geography (PDF): An extensive resource analyzing current qualitative methods employed in social geography.
• New York University: Qualitative Research Methods (PDF): An extensive article explaining and evaluating current qualitative research methods employed across a wide array of subjects.
• Oklahoma State University: Qualitative Research Methodologies: Qualitative research embodies an array of investigative methodologies into naturalistic, anthropological, geographical, and social aspects of mankind.
• University of Georgia: Resources for Qualitative Researchers: A resource page dedicated to qualitative researchers.
• University of Colorado at Denver: A plethora of information and resources for qualitative researchers.

Quantitative Methods

• North Carolina State University: Quantitative Research (PDF); An online textbook shedding insight into research development employing quantitative methodologies.
• Colorado State University: The Qualitative versus Quantitative Debate: A comprehensive article discussing the qualitative versus quantitative debate.
• Kennesaw College: Quantitative Research: A brief outline covering the differences between qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• University of Connecticut: Qualitative versus Quantitative Research (PDF): An extensive overview of the qualitative versus quantitative debate with charts illustrating data for better comprehension.
• Saint Mary's University of Minnesota: Qualitative versus Quantitative Research: An article covering the never-ending qualitative versus quantitative research debate.

Remote Sensing

• John Hopkins University: Ocean Remote Sensing: An applied research group dedicated to remote sensing technologies employed to observe the ocean floor.
• University of Hawaii System: Introduction to Remote Sensing: An example of remote sensing and examines why satellites have different colored imaging.
• University of Indiana: What are GIS and Remote Sensing?: A brief description detailing the purpose behind geographic information systems and remote sensing.
• Yale University: Remote Sensing Journal Articles: A compilation of remote sensing journal articles throughout various fields of study.
• COMET: Remote Sensing: Over 14 pages of information addressing remote sensing observation techniques.