MAPS!!! Looking at scales of maps and different types of maps.

I told you the pretty stuff was coming back, and here it is! so take a ponder at the maps, but please also read the text, as its quite good.

Introducing Maps and thier Scales

Geographers use a variety of maps, photographs and Earth scans to help them study and better understand our small blue planet. Because of the many modern technologies available today, geographers are able to depict the Earth more accurately than has ever been possible before. By using both technology and hands on exploration and field study a clear picture of the world we live in begins to emerge.

Remember that a map is a visual representation of a much larger area of land. In order to be useful, a map must be small enough to be handled by an individual. Imagine drawing a map of the Earth that was full-size. A full-size map of the Earth would not only be too large to be useful, but it would also be impractical to make. Maps are scaled down so that they fit on the available paper or screen. When scaling down a map, every part of the map is scaled by the same amount. This insures that every object on the map is the same proportion as everything else on the map.
Because the Earth is round, and maps are flat, it is impossible to create a map with a perfect scale. Some parts of the map will be too large, while others will be too small. The larger a territory represented by a map, the greater that the distortions in scale will be.

The Graphic Method

A Graphic Scale depicts scale using a line, with separations marked by smaller intersecting lines, just like on a ruler. One side of the scale represents the distance on the map, while the other side represents the true distances of objects in real life. 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.

There are many benefits to using a graphic scale. Firstly and most importantly it is a straight forward and easy way to determine scale. Secondly, if a map’s size is enlarged or decreased the scale is also enlarged or reduced, meaning that it is still accurate. The map adjacent shows a graphic scale.

The Verbal Method

The verbal method of depicting scale simply uses words to describe the ratio between the maps scale and the real world. For example, a map might say something like “One Inch equals one hundred and fifty miles”. Calculating scale on a map using the verbal method is easy. Simply measure the distance on the map and then follow the verbal directions to calculate the actual distance. this is what you would expect to find in the corner of your map if it was made using the verbal method of scale:

The Fractional Method

The fractional method for portraying the scale of a map uses a representative fraction to describe the ration 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 inch on the map represents 50,000 inches in the real world, 1 ft on the map represents 50,000 feet on the map, and so on.... this is what you would expect to find in the corner of your map if it was made using the fractional method of scale:

Maps Are Not Perfect

Maps have been used by humans for hundreds of years. As technology has improved, so have the quality and accuracy of maps. Ancient maps were usually drawn by explorers. It was impossible at that time for anyone to leave the Earth, and look down at the huge continents below. All they could do was walk around the different land formations, and then do their best to draw what they thought the land probably looked like. This is a map from many years ago (exact age not known), as you can see it is a very rough interpreation of the country / area the mappers were trying to map. Can you guess where the map is suposed to be of?

An old map, but of where?

OS MAPS and GIS inc. Google Maps.

a 2009 OS map of Leicester.

Ordinance Survey (OS) are the official UK map company financed by the government. They create maps like above with a range of scales and purposes. Their most popular products are leisure maps, which people buy to use whilst walking, rambling, cycling or trekking. People also buy maps as a hobby, with their ultimate aim being to collect every OS map and being able to look at the whole country via a map and at different scales. There however is one major problem that map collectors are facing, and that is that OS produce updated maps nearly every year, therefore it would impossible to own every single map in one scale series as they are constantly being updated. There are many types of leisure maps created by OS, they are:

- Route (1:625,000 scale) – Designed for long-distance road users. One double-sided map covers the whole of Great Britain.
- Road (1:250,000 scale) – Designed for road users. They have green covers; 8 sheets cover the whole of Great Britain.
- Tour (c.1:100,000 scale except Scotland) – One-sheet maps covering a generally county-sized area, showing major and most minor roads and containing tourist information and selected footpaths. Tour maps are generally produced from enlargements of 1:250000 mapping. Several larger scale town maps are provided on each sheet for major settlement centres.
- OS Landranger map (1:50,000 scale) – The "general purpose" map. They have pink covers; 204 sheets cover the whole of Great Britain. The map shows all footpaths and the format is similar to that of Explorer, albeit with less detail.
- OS Landranger Active map (1:50,000 scale) – select OS Landranger maps are available in a plastic-laminated waterproof version, similar to the OS Explorer Active range. As of October 2009, 25 of the 204 Landranger maps were available as OS Landranger Active maps.
- OS Explorer map and Outdoor Leisure (1:25,000 scale) – Specifically designed for walkers and cyclists. They have orange covers, and the two series together contain 403 sheets covering the whole of Great Britain (the Isle of Man is excluded from this series). These are the most detailed leisure maps that Ordnance Survey publish and cover all types of footpaths and most details of the countryside for easy navigation. The Outdoor Leisure series complement the OS Explorer Map, showing areas of greater interest in England and Wales (e.g. Lake District, Black Mountains) with an enlarged area coverage. It appears identical to the Explorer, except the numbering and a little yellow mark on the corner (relic of the old OL series). The OS Explorer maps, together with Outdoor Leisure, superseded the previous Pathfinder maps (green covers) which were numerous in their coverage of the country.
- OS Explorer Active map (1:25,000 scale) – the OS Explorer and Outdoor Leisure maps are also available in a plastic-laminated waterproof version.

Also a threat to the OS operation is the use of technology and GIS. The examples that were used above to describe the various scales given on a map were taken from a GIS piece of software called Google Earth, this software is free to download and can you used to look at any place on the globe either in map form, or with limited results aerial / satellite photos. There are also a limited number of terrain maps showing the various terrain of an area which is layered over a street map.

Below are a range of examples of maps, aerial photos and terrain maps you can get from Google maps/ Google earth.

Street Map

Aerial Photo

Terrain Map

So that concludes this section on maps and thier scales. We hope you have gained a valuable insight into maps, thier history and how they are "scaled" when created. There are many many many more types of map, and you can pretty much create a map to show whatever you want based on a country, such as rainfall, population, politics, the list goes on....literally anything can be put on a map! Why not try and think of some more things that could be put on a map.