GTAV MAP Learning Exercises: year 9

Geographies of Interconnections

Level: 9

Introduction

The concept of interconnection considers how and where things are connected and the nature of the relationship between two or more things, whether living or non-living. The world is full of interconnections that are both visible (such as water flowing down a river, movement of people and goods) and less visible (such as personal connections to particular places or social media interconnections). The world is a rapidly changing place and is becoming increasingly interconnected. For example, there are now over 1.7 billion Facebook users worldwide, and there are over 9000 planes in the air at any given time.

The World Wide Web came into being in 1991 and has helped spread information and connect people across the world.

Aims

In this series of lessons, you will use GIS maps to investigate two specific examples of interconnections. The first lesson will focus on internet connections within Australia and the second will consider patterns of ancestry in Melbourne.

Number of lessons

2 lessons

LESSONS (CLICK EACH HEADING TO REVEAL THE SECTION)

Lesson 1: Internet Connections

Lesson 1: Internet connetions

The number of internet users worldwide reached 4.0 billion in 2018, up from 44 million in 1995. The top three uses of the internet are email, for research and downloading files (https://www.edn.com/electronics-news/4351406/Top-10-uses-of-the-Internet). This shows how important the internet is for accessing information and connecting to other people around the world. In this lesson you will consider the interconnections people have through the internet on both a national and local scale.

1. Reflect on how the internet connects you to people and places. Write a list of the people and places you have connected to in the last 24 hours using the internet. How does your list compare to other people in the class? How might your list compare to your parents or someone older?

Opening the GTAV Map

  • Go to the GTAV – AURIN map website: https://gtav.aurin.org.au/

  • Click I agree to the disclaimer

Adding a map layer

  • On the left side, click on the blue Add data button
    • Click on the Y9 Geographies of Interconnections and click on the ABS Census – Dwelling Internet Connection (SA2) 2016
  • Click Add to the Map. See screenshot below.

2. Zoom out of the map to show all of Australia.

a. What do you notice about the location of places that have high numbers of dwellings with internet access? What about areas that have low or very low access?

b What reasons can you think of that might explain why rural areas have lower internet access than urban areas?

c. Read this article about internet connections in Australia and answer the questions that follow

i. In your own words, explain what is meant by the term ‘digital divide’.

ii. Identify two groups of people that are missing out on internet access in Australia.

iii. Describe the importance of being connected through the internet (‘digital inclusion’), according to the article.

iv. Refer to the map in the link which shows the current NBN access in Australia. Do you think the nbn network will increase or decrease the digital divide? Justify your answer.

3. Click on the area where you live to bring up a box to show the internet connection data.

a. Using the data in the box, suggest how the ‘internet access rate’ figure was calculated.

b. Choose another area of Victoria that has a different rate of internet access. Calculate the difference in access.

4. Click on ‘About this data’ in the legend (see screenshot below).

a. Read the description of how the internet connection data is calculated. What methods of connecting to the internet are included in this data, according to the description?

b. Use your answer to part a to suggest and justify how the rates of dwellings with access to the internet may change in the future.

 

Lesson 2: Interconnections and Ancestry

Lesson 2: Interconnections and ancestry

Interconnections and ancestry According to the last census, Australia has a higher proportion of people born overseas (26%) than other high-immigration nations, including New Zealand (23%), Canada (22%) and the United Kingdom (13%). (https://www.sbs.com.au/news/a-brief-history-of-immigration-to-australia) In this lesson you will consider the connections people have to places in Australia and overseas through their ancestry

Opening the GTAV Map

  • Go to the GTAV – AURIN map website: https://gtav.aurin.org.au/

  • Click I agree to the disclaimer

Adding a map layer

  • On the left side, click on the blue Add data button
  • Click on the Y9 Geographies of Interconnections and click on the ABS Census – Ancestry by Country of Birth of Parents (SA2) 2016
  • Click Add to the Map.
  • See the screenshot below

The data being displayed shows the percentage of people with Australian Ancestry who have both parents that were born overseas. Using this information, you are going to find which areas in Victoria have the highest percentage of people born overseas

1) Zoom your map to show all of Victoria. Choose three locations that have a high percentage of people with both parents born overseas. Identify these places using the colours in the legend and then click on the location on the map and an information box will appear. State the name of the location and the percentage of people with both parents born overseas.

 

Change the data on the drop-down menu on the legend to select Greek Ancestry – at least 1 parent born overseas (count). See screenshot below

 

2. Zoom into the Melbourne area.

a. Describe the distribution of location of people who have at least one parent born in Greece. Use distance and direction (compass points) from the CBD to help write this description. You may also like to include specific names of places which you can find out by clicking on the relevant map region.

b. Suggest two reasons why the pattern of people with at least one parent born in Greece is concentrated in certain regions. Hint: you may like to consider what factors might influence where migrants choose to settle and the importance of connection to place.

c. Read this article on the history of Greek migration to Australia.

d. Explain in your own words what is meant by ‘chain migration’ as outlined in the article. Can you add some depth or detail to your answer to part b.?

3. Have a look at the other data sets on the drop-down menu which show other ancestries. Choose one ancestry and explain the ways in which the pattern is similar or different to the distribution of Greek ancestry.

4. Tasks

a. Conduct a survey in your class about the ancestry of students.

b. Consider how this information could be presented visually as a graph or on a world map.

c. Work in a pair or group of three and present this data in two or three different ways. Which method do you think is most effective?

5. Ancestry is a way that people are linked to a range of places around the world.

a. What is meant by the term ‘place’?

b. Apart from ancestry, what are three other ways people can be connected to a place?

c. Explain using an example, how you are connected to a particular place.