GGH2602
NOTES
, Learning Unit 1
A Geographical
perspective on the
provision of services
Analysing Spatial Data
Geographers examine:
1. the location of phenomena
2. the spatial patterns that may exist or develop
3. the spatial processes that could lead to certain patterns
4. and the strategies that can be used to deal with
geographical
problems.
1. Absolute and Relative Location
Absolute Location
→ Arbitrary grid of lines of longitude and latitude
→ Location = degrees, minutes (there are 60’ in a degree)
and seconds
(there are 60” in 1’).
Example:
The location of Cape Town is 34°S, 18°30’E.
Relative Location
→ Location of a place relative to other places
→ Can change over time (e.g. if new roads improve centrality
and
accessibility, or if the infrastructure is damaged).
The relative location of Cape Town can be described in different
ways. For example:
Page 1 of 73
,1. Cape Town is a city at the south-western tip of the African
continent,
between Table Mountain and the Cape of Good Hope.
2. Cape Town is approximately two hours by plane from OR
Tambo
International Airport in Johannesburg.
3. Cape Town is approximately 40 minutes by car from
Stellenbosch (via
the Stellenbosch arterial).
2. Spatial Patterns
The term “spatial pattern” refers to the way in which
phenomena are distributed and arranged in their relative
location
Components of spatial patterns are:
1. Location (where)
2. connections or linkages (how they are linked, e.g. with
roads or
communication networks)
3. shape (e.g. circular, rectangular, linear)
4. size (indicated by means of words such as large, medium or
small, or
measured in km2 or ha)
5. density (number of phenomena per km2)
6. time (when)
Spatial patterns can be influenced by
1. distance, proximity or adjacency (phenomena are close
or next to
other phenomena)
2. connectivity (the way in which they are linked)
3. containment (when one phenomenon is inside another).
3. Spatial Processes
Various spatial processes relating to services provision
can be identified:
Page 2 of 73
, 1. The movement of people, goods and services between
different
places.
2. Planning for provision of services.
3. Immigration and emigration, including rural–urban
migration and
the inflow of refugees.
4. The inflow of water to and the removal of wastewater and
sewage
from a particular region.
5. Urban sprawl (expansion of a city).
6. Densification of suburbs (e.g. by the subdivision of large
erven and
the building of a second dwelling on a single plot).
7. Environmental degradation and its impact.
4. Spatial plans & Strategies
→ Spatial strategies relating to various resolutions can be
implemented from regional to local level to deal with
particular problems and to guide spatial development.
Example:
Open spaces can be protected through the development of a
municipal open-space system (MOSS) that links various open
spaces in order to maintain ecosystems and protect
biodiversity.
Geographical Methods, Tools and Instruments
1. Photographs and Videos
→A great deal of information can be derived from
photographs or videos, without the need for any additional
comments.
Questions to examine photographs:
1. What can you see in the foreground and in the background of
Page 3 of 73
NOTES
, Learning Unit 1
A Geographical
perspective on the
provision of services
Analysing Spatial Data
Geographers examine:
1. the location of phenomena
2. the spatial patterns that may exist or develop
3. the spatial processes that could lead to certain patterns
4. and the strategies that can be used to deal with
geographical
problems.
1. Absolute and Relative Location
Absolute Location
→ Arbitrary grid of lines of longitude and latitude
→ Location = degrees, minutes (there are 60’ in a degree)
and seconds
(there are 60” in 1’).
Example:
The location of Cape Town is 34°S, 18°30’E.
Relative Location
→ Location of a place relative to other places
→ Can change over time (e.g. if new roads improve centrality
and
accessibility, or if the infrastructure is damaged).
The relative location of Cape Town can be described in different
ways. For example:
Page 1 of 73
,1. Cape Town is a city at the south-western tip of the African
continent,
between Table Mountain and the Cape of Good Hope.
2. Cape Town is approximately two hours by plane from OR
Tambo
International Airport in Johannesburg.
3. Cape Town is approximately 40 minutes by car from
Stellenbosch (via
the Stellenbosch arterial).
2. Spatial Patterns
The term “spatial pattern” refers to the way in which
phenomena are distributed and arranged in their relative
location
Components of spatial patterns are:
1. Location (where)
2. connections or linkages (how they are linked, e.g. with
roads or
communication networks)
3. shape (e.g. circular, rectangular, linear)
4. size (indicated by means of words such as large, medium or
small, or
measured in km2 or ha)
5. density (number of phenomena per km2)
6. time (when)
Spatial patterns can be influenced by
1. distance, proximity or adjacency (phenomena are close
or next to
other phenomena)
2. connectivity (the way in which they are linked)
3. containment (when one phenomenon is inside another).
3. Spatial Processes
Various spatial processes relating to services provision
can be identified:
Page 2 of 73
, 1. The movement of people, goods and services between
different
places.
2. Planning for provision of services.
3. Immigration and emigration, including rural–urban
migration and
the inflow of refugees.
4. The inflow of water to and the removal of wastewater and
sewage
from a particular region.
5. Urban sprawl (expansion of a city).
6. Densification of suburbs (e.g. by the subdivision of large
erven and
the building of a second dwelling on a single plot).
7. Environmental degradation and its impact.
4. Spatial plans & Strategies
→ Spatial strategies relating to various resolutions can be
implemented from regional to local level to deal with
particular problems and to guide spatial development.
Example:
Open spaces can be protected through the development of a
municipal open-space system (MOSS) that links various open
spaces in order to maintain ecosystems and protect
biodiversity.
Geographical Methods, Tools and Instruments
1. Photographs and Videos
→A great deal of information can be derived from
photographs or videos, without the need for any additional
comments.
Questions to examine photographs:
1. What can you see in the foreground and in the background of
Page 3 of 73
