How To Read A Topographic Survey Map

It does this by using contour lines. In some cases, this language is expressed using words, but more often it’s done through the use of symbols.

How to read contour lines on topographic maps. map maps

A map’s scale is typically represented in inches on american maps.

How to read a topographic survey map. First, look for the map’s scale, which will let you know how much detail the map contains. On the topo map they appear as the brown lines. This contour and elevation information distinguishes them from other maps.

Start by studying what each line, symbol and color means. A topographic map can be easy to read once you know the details. Your survey will display information based on a scale.

Each map sheet is physically about 29 inches high and 22 inches wide. The scale on any topographic map will tell you how many miles, or fractions of a mile, one inch. You can look at a topographic map and quickly see where the hills, rivers, peaks, and valleys are.

If you have a paper map, the scale is easy to understand. It would be thousands of years before cartographers (map makers) could chart large areas of terrain with any real accuracy. Read the map it’s important to understand the scale of the map when analyzing it.

One of the advantages to using a topographical map is that it shows the three dimensional lay of the land. Contour lines on a topographic map. On these maps, one inch equals 24,000 inches or 2000 feet.

How to use topographic maps edition 4. Classic 7.5 minute usgs topographic map for manitou springs, colorado, 1961. A separate set of topographic maps represent alaska.

We recently covered the basics of topographic maps, including how to read contour lines, and how to use the maps to plan your next outing. And, as you’d expect, streams and lakes are shown in blue. Look closely at the map legend.

The map reading guide is an ideal resource for a wide range of map users and is an excellent and simple introduction to topographic maps which are suitable for anyone with an interest in maps. With all those map basics out of the way, we can finally start looking at how to actually read a topographic map. On the poster is atopographic map of salt lake city.

It shows the relative distance of the map to the physical world. Generally, green indicates denser vegetation, while light or colorless areas suggest open terrain. To read the contour lines on a map, first note the direction your map faces.

When you are navigating, a topographic map can show you where you are, what route to. Geological survey (usgs) topo maps. In this post, we’ll go into more detail about u.s.

The first key is to understand the color codes on a topographic map. Know your scale — the scaling of topographic maps is the same as the scaling of standard maps. Planimetric maps contain symbols, roads, rivers, and other distinguishable landmarks but lack any way to determine elevation.

A contour line is a line that connects points of equal elevation. Most maps are oriented with north at the top of the map. Surveying has to do with the determination of the relative spatial location of points on or near the surface of the earth.

To read a topographic map, it is necessary to know the principles behind the symbols on the map. How to read a topographic map. A survey’s legend is typically presented on the right hand side of the survey, or along the bottom of the document.

It is the art of measuring horizontal and vertical distances between objects, measuring angles between lines, determining the direction of lines, and of establishing points by predetermined angular and linear measurements. A map’s scale connects the. It is available as a pdf download below.

Typically the usgs maps have a scale at the bottom and you can use that measurement on the map to calculate the distance between two points. Reading and interpreting contour lines may seem intimidating at first, but it’s actually quite simple and is a valuable skill for learning to how to read a topographic map. These maps show the land's contours, elevations, mountains, valleys, bodies of water, vegetation and more.

For any map, you have to learn to read and understand the language of the map. The first known maps to include geographical features were found in ancient rome. This lesson will help students learn how to read that map.

For example, a scale of 1:24000 indicates that 1 inch of the map is equal to 24,000 inches in the real world. See the map below showing this example.

Architectural Survey Including Boundaries and Topography