ORIENTATION AND MAPS

UNIT 5

CONTENTS1. HOW MUCH WE HAVE CHANGED!

INVENTIONS THE GPS OTHER USEFUL TOOLS

2. REPRESENTING EARTH GLOBES MAPS:

• WHAT IS A MAP?• WHO MAKES MAPS?• MAP KEY ELEMENTS• SCALES• TYPES OF MAP• MAP DESIGN

INVENTIONS• COMPASSIt is an instrument invented for navigation and orientation. It has a needle that is always pointing to the North.

• WIND ROSEIt is a figure that you can find in maps and compasses. It displays orientation of cardinal directions.

• SEXTANTUsed by sailors.

• STREET MAPA map of a town or city. It shows the location and names of the streets.

N -> NorthE -> EastS -> SouthW -> West

NE -> North EastSE -> South EastNW -> North WestSW -> South West

CARDINAL DIRECTIONS

GPS• Invented by the Department of Defense of the USA.• A simulation of the old method of navigating according to the position of the stars.

GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM

• There are satellites that send signals to the GPS devices, so they can find their location or position on Earth.

OTHER USEFUL TOOLSGOOGLE MAPS

OTHER USEFUL TOOLSGOOGLE EARTH

REPRESENTING EARTHTHE GLOBEIt is a 3D representation of the Earth’s surface.

• Northern hemisphere: the half of the Earth above the equator.

• Southern hemisphere: the half of the Earth below the equator.

• Equator: it is an imaginary line that divides the Earth into two hemispheres.

• Earth’s tilted axis: it is an imaginary line that connects the poles.

• Earth’s poles: they are the ends of the Earth that are the furthest from the equator.

REPRESENTING EARTHMAPSFlat representations of the Earth’s surface.

REPRESENTING EARTHMAPSFlat representations of the Earth’s surface.It is impossible to show in a single map all types of information, that is why there are many different kinds of map.

WEATHER MAP ROADS MAP

IMAGINARY LINESPARALLELS MERIDIANS

IMAGINARY LINESPARALLELS

• The most important parallel is the Equator.

• They divide the Earth from north to south.

• They indicate the latitude.

MERIDIANS• The most important meridian is

the Prime Meridian(Greenwich Meridian).

• They divide the Earth from east to west.

• They indicate the longitude.

WHO MAKES MAPS?• CARTOGRAPHERSThey are the people who make maps. They design and do the maps using information like aerial pictures or measurements.

This is Amerigo Vespucci, one of the most famous cartographers of our history.

MAP KEY ELEMENTSThere are some details that maps must have to be considered credible and appropriate:

Date When the map was made.Orientation Where is the North in the map.Grid Formed by lines that divide the map into small areas.Scale What the map distance is.Title What, where and when.Author Who made the map.Index Map address of places.Legend What the symbols mean.Sources Basis for map information.

The more of these items you find in a map, the more reliable it is.To remember all of them, remember the word: DOGSTAILS

SCALESIt is the relationship between the real size or distance and the size or distance in a map or drawing.

It can be indicated by words, numbers or a graphic(a divided bar).

There are two main types of maps according to their scale:

LARGE SCALE MAPS: They show a small area like a city, town or neighbourhood.

SMALL SCALE MAPS: They show a big area like a country, continent or the whole world.

TYPES OF MAPSThere are two main types of maps according to their design purpose:

• REFERENCE MAPS: They give general information of physical and human made environment. They include road maps, political maps, physical maps, satellite and topographic maps.

POLITICAL MAP PHYSICAL MAP

TYPES OF MAPS• THEMATIC MAPS:They show selected features or data. They include weather maps, climate maps, historic maps, treasure maps, …

WEATHER MAP HISTORIC MAP

MAP DESIGNWhen you are designing a map there are some things you must think about:

o Considering the purpose of and audience for the map: different maps for different people or functions.

o Choosing a map type: reference or thematic.

o Selecting a title that represents what is shown in the map.

o Selecting and placing text: text must be easy to read and located in a way that it doesn’t interfere with the map’s data.

o Designing an overall layout for easy understanding: to create a map which is informative, accurate and aesthetically pleasing.

REMEMBER THESE 5 STEPS WHILE YOU ARE DOING YOUR OWN MAP.