Rachel Quist

About the Author

Rachel Quist is an archaeologist working in the Great Basin of the Western United States.She has specific expertise in cultural resource management, prehistoric technology, lithic toolstone, procurement, geomorphology of the Bonneville Basin, and public history projects. She may be contacted through her website at www.rachelquist.com.

Author Archive Page

Maps and Cartography

Map of world coffee consumptionMap of world coffee consumptionMap of world coffee consumption

Geography of Coffee

September 15, 2012By Rachel QuistMaps and Cartography

To geographers, coffee holds a number of intriguing chronicles relating to physical geography, human geography, biogeography, and many other aspects.

Transversal Mercator projection. Map center is at 0°E, 0°N. Left border is near 85°W, right border is near 85°E. Source: Lars H. Rohwedder.

Common Map Projections

December 3, 2011By Rachel QuistGIS Learning

Selecting the right map projection is one of the important first considerations for accurate GIS analysis. Reviewed here are the Robinson, Transverse Mercator, Lambert Conformal Conic, and Space Oblique Mercator projections

What is the Public Land Survey and Why Do We Still Use It?

November 18, 2011By Rachel QuistGIS Learning

Have you ever wondered why on legal documents your house is not listed with your address but rather by parcel location? If you have ever seen something akin to the southwest corner of the northeast corner of the northwest corner of Section 21, Township 4, that coordinate system is the […]

What is GPS?

November 12, 2011By Rachel QuistGPS

A decade ago not many civilians had heard of a GPS, let alone seen or used one. Prior to the year 2000, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and their receivers were expensive and largely limited in use to the military, government agencies, and specialized professions. Now, GPS receivers are commonplace […]

RQ-8A Fire Scout Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV) System. Sour ce: U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Daniel J. McLain

Using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) for Remote Sensing of Archaeological Sites

November 6, 2011By Rachel QuistSpatial Analysis

Unmanned vehicles are becoming more widely available both in the military and civilian sectors for their usefulness for remotely acquiring a variety of data. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), previously referred to as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), are integrated ground, air, and data systems in which an aircraft (fixed wing or […]