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Scale, Effects

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Encyclopedia of GIS

Synonyms

Scale rendering; Scale dependencies

Definition

The term “scale” refers to the dimensions of an observation. Spatial scale describes both the geographic extent and the resolution of a study. It can also refer to a cartographic scale, which is a ratio of length on a map to a real-world distance. The main issue related to scale is that data, models, or maps at different scales convey different sets of information. Data on a map with a large scale show a lot of detailed information, whereas a map with a small scale can only show general information and has no detail. A town map can show streets and business locations in town, whereas a map of the USA does not show this kind of detail. Therefore, details of information are lost when changing from a large scale to a small scale. This is known as “the effects of scale”. Another example is that a person can study a forest, or a tree, or a leaf. The information obtained can be very different depending on the scale of the study....

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Recommended Reading

  1. Sheppard, E., McMaster, R.B.: Scale and Geographic Inquiry: Nature, Society, and Method. Blackwell, Oxford (2004)

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  2. Tate, N.J., Atkinson, P.T.: Modelling Scale in Geographic Information Science. Wiley, Chichester (2001)

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  3. Quattrochi, D.A., Goodchild, M.F.: Scale in Remote Sensing and GIS. Lewis, Boca Raton, Boston, London, New York, Washington, D.C. (1997)

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  4. O'Sullivan, D., Unwin, D.J.: Geographic Information Analysis. Wiley, Hoboken, NJ, USA (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Bailey, T.C., Gatrell, A.C.: Interactive Spatial Data Analysis. Prentice Hall, Longman, Harlow (1995)

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  6. Peterson, D.L., Parker, V.T.: Ecological Scale: Theory and Applications. Columbia University Press, New York (1998)

    Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. GIS Training and Research Center, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, USA

    Temuulen Tsagaan Sankey

Authors
  1. Temuulen Tsagaan Sankey
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    Shashi Shekhar (McKnight Distinguished University Professor) (McKnight Distinguished University Professor)

  2. Management Science and Information Systems Department, Rutgers Business School Newark and New Brunswick Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA

    Hui Xiong (Assistant Professor) (Assistant Professor)

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© 2008 Springer-Verlag

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Sankey, T. (2008). Scale, Effects. In: Shekhar, S., Xiong, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of GIS. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-35973-1_1161

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