QUESTION 2 (1)

What is the difference in distance?  Although the difference may not be substantial for such a long distance, it does show the need to pay attention to the coordinate system used when performing spatial analysis.

4446.526656km -4441.732918km= 4.793738km

 

QUESTION  3 (1)

Landmasses attain different shapes and areas depending upon the coordinate system and map projection. Find Ellesmere Island in northern Canada. Note its shape. Change the dataframe coordinate system back to Geographic Coordinate System>NAD_83 (CSRS). Look at Ellesmere Island now. Which does a better job of maintaining shape?

Elsmere Island appears to be much more stretched in the Geographic Coordinate System NAD_83 (CSRS). It is now a lot wider and a lot longer, “pointing” and bending towards the right of the screen. Canada Lambert Conformal Conic is the better projection at maintaining Elsmere Island’s shape.

 

QUESTION 10 (3)

Landsat data provides a repository of raster data imaging of the world, in approximately 16 day intervals, since 1972. You have had a glimpse of the power of this dataset to geographic analysis in comparing Landuse change after the volcanic eruption of Mt. St. Helen’s. Give another example where Landsat data would be useful for geographic analysis. In your answer, describe the question you need to research, the geographic location, and the time interval you would select from Landsat images. Are there any requirements for time of year or season?

Since Lansat collects data by measuring the differences in surface albedo on land, a good use for Landsat data for geographic analysis would be glacial activity over time as glaciers have high albedos so it easy to monitor their size and movement. One would have to research a question along the lines of “What is the rate at which glaciers are receding/melting?”. The geographical location would need to be areas where there are glaciers such as the artic. The time interval of data collection would have to be continuous over a timespan of many years, perhaps decades. The data could then be used to calculate year-long averages or seasonal averages for glacier land cover and size since the values will fluctuate throughout the seasons as the climate transitions from warm to cold or vice versa.