MAPS, SCALES &

SCALE TYPES

Map

A map is a two dimensional description of a

specific area of land.

Maps describe in a visual or graphic format

certain key features of the territory being

examined.

Used by humans for hundreds of years

With technology improvement in the quality

and accuracy of maps

In the modern world, our ability to view and

map the Earth is much improved. However,

even today it is impossible to draw a flat map

that is 100% accurate. This is due to the

impossibility of recreating the surface of a

round planet on a flat map. The smaller an

area that a map represents, the more accurate

that map will be.

The Key To Understanding Maps

A map is a visual representation of a much larger area of land.

Maps represent a variety of information such as roads, tourist

attractions and campgrounds, or they might represent the latest

weather patterns.

The objects on a map are represented using symbols.

Maps use a key, or legend, to explain the meaning of each of the

symbols used in the map.

A map must by necessity be small enough to be handled by an

individual

Drawn To Scale

When scaling down a map, every part of the map is scaled by the

same amount.

What is Scale?

A scale on a map is the relationship between

the physical object and the feature that

represents it on a map.

An example of this would be the length of a

road on the ground and the way that the road

is represented on a map.

Representing features on Maps.

University Road, the first image,

on the ground is displayed clearly

on the map, the second image.

How to represent features correctly!

If, for example, the length of a road is 1cm on a map and it measures 2500cm (or 25m or 0.025km)

on the ground, the scale of the map is 1:2500.

This would be called a large scale map as it can be represented as a very large fraction i.e. 1/2500.

A smaller scale map would be 1:450,000 as its fraction is much smaller 1/450,000. 1cm on this map would represent 4.5km on the ground.

Large Scale Vs Small Scale

The slice in first represents:

A large slice

A large fraction

A large amount of data and

information on a map

The slice in second represents:

A small slice

A small fraction

A small amount of data and

information on a map

Small Scale

The small scale map above shows the Amritsar city and the surrounding

area. It is an ideal map for somebody who wants to travel through and

outside the town.

The large scale

map looks very

hard to read as it

contains an awful

lot of detail and

information.

Large scale is

best for

concentrating on

a small area like

Golden temple

How does Small Scale Compare to a Large Scale Map?

Large Scale

This type of map would be

ideal if you wanted to see

how to get from railway

station or airport to the

Golden temple. So, it is a

good scale map to use if

you wanted to have a lot of

detail for a local

neighbourhood.

Large Scale & Small Scale

The main points about large and small

scale.

It is important to note the following:

Large fraction=large scale=covering a small area.

Small fraction=small scale=covering a large area.

Large Scale & Small Scale

Large scale:Large representative fraction (1:50,000 or Larger)

More detail

Covers smaller spatial area of Earth’s surface

Intermediate Scale:1:50,000 to 1:250,000

Small Scale:1:250,000 to 1:7,500,000

Less detail

Covers larger spatial area of the Earth’s surface

Large scale:Large representative fraction (1:500 or Larger)

Locality map

House plan

Intermediate Scale:1:10,000 to 1:15,000

Sub zone map

Small Scale:1:50,000 to 1:1,00,000

City map

Type of scales

There are three common methods used

by map makers to depict scale.

The Graphic Method,

The Verbal Method, and

The Fractional Method.

The Graphic Method

A Graphic Scale depicts scale using a line, with separations marked

by smaller intersecting lines.

By measuring the distance between two objects on a map and then

referring to the graphic scale, it is easy to calculate the actual

distance between those same items.

Benefits of using a graphic scale.

Straight forward, easy way to determine scale.

If a map’s size is enlarged or decreased, the scale is also enlarged or

reduced, meaning that it is still accurate.

The Verbal Method / Word Statement

The verbal method of depicting scale simply uses words to describe the ratio between the map's scale and the real world

A word statement gives a written description of scale, such as "One centimeter equals one kilometer" or "One centimeter equals ten kilometers."

Ineffective if the map is reproduced by a method such as photocopying and the size of the map is modified (Enlarge or Reduce)

1 cm = 1 Km

Or

1 cm = 10 Km

The Fractional Method

The fractional method for portraying the scale of a map uses a

representative fraction to describe the ratio between the map and

the real world.

This can be shown as 1:50,000 or 1/50,000.

In this example, 1 unit of distance on the map represents 50,000 of

the same units of distance in the real world.

This means that 1 cm on the map represents 50,000 cm in the real

world, 1 foot on the map represents 50,000 feet on the map, and so

forth.

Scale Determination

When map don’t have scale on map, then:

Use of known features Reference features as Football ground, tennis court

Use of line of Latitude and Longitude Distance of 10 line of latitude is 111.133 km (average) can be

useful to determine scale on ATLAS maps.

Use of Map Comparison Another map from same area, having similar features can be

helpful to determine scale.

Scale Conversion

Map scales can be converted from one form to another

RF to word-statement conversion

Word statement to RF

RF to graphic conversions

Graphic conversions to RF

Scale Conversion

Thank You