CARTOGRAPHY

Asst. Prof. Abbas Mohammed Noori

Northern Technical University
Surveying Engineering Department
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 Cartography

>>> Cartography is a Greek word which consists of two words; Carto means

“Map” and graphy means “Making”.

‘’is the study and practice of making representations of the Earth on a flat

surface’’.

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 Scale

>>> Map scale

It refers to the relationship between distance on a map and the

corresponding distance on the ground

>>>> For example, on a 1:100,000 scale map,

1 cm on the map equals to 1 km on the ground

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 Types of scales

 Scale can be written or expressed in different ways:

1. Representative Fraction (RF)

2. Written Verbal Statement

3. Graphic or Bar Scale

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 Scale
>>> The map scale may be expressed in the following ways:

1. Representative Fraction (RF):

This scale is a simple fraction or ratio. It may be shown either as

1:1,000,000 or 1/1,000,000.

 The unit of distance on both side of the ratio must be the same

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 Scale

2. Written Verbal Statement:

This is a statement of map distance in relation to earth distance, For

example, the RF 1:1,000,000 denotes a map on which 1 cm represents 10

km.

 Many older map series commonly referred to this type of scale

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 Scale
3. Graphic or Bar or Linear scale:

• It is a graphic representation of distance. It visually shows, what distance

on the map represents a unit of distance on the ground.

• A special kind of ruler on the map that is divided into equal units of

distances . It includes the units of measurements on the earth's surface

• One end of the Bar Scale is usually subdivided further so that the user may

measure distance more precisely

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 Scale transformations

 1 km = 1000 m  1 foot = 30.48 cm

 1 m = 100 cm  1 foot = 12 inch

 1 cm = 10 mm  1 mile = 5280 ft

 1 Mile = 1.60934 km  1 mile = 63360 inches

 1 inch = 2.54 cm  1 foot = 12 inches

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 Scale- Example

• If a map has a scale of 1/10,000, a road length is 6.2 cm on the map. How

long that road could be on the ground?

>>>> Solution:

• 6.2 cm X 10,000 (scale) = 62,000 cm (on the ground)

• 62,000 cm / 100 = 620 m(on the ground)

• 62,000 cm / 100,000 = 0.62km (on the ground)

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 Types of Graphic or Bar Scale

1. Plain Scale

2. Diagonal Scale

3. Comparative Scale

4. Time Scale

>>> Representative Factor = Area of Drawing cm / Area of Object cm2 or

Length of Drawing cm / Actual Length cm

>>> Length of scale = R.F * MAX. Length to be Measured

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 Plain scales

• They read or measure up to two units or a unit and its sub-division, for

example centimetres (cm) and millimetres (mm). When measurements

are required up to first decimal, for example 4.6 M . It consists of a line

divided into number of equal main parts and the first main part is sub-

divided into smaller parts.

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 Diagonal Scale

It consists of a set of parallel lines, with other lines crossing them obliquely,

so that their intersections furnish smaller subdivisions of the unit of

measure than could be conveniently marked on a plain scale.

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Photogrammetry scale

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 Scale Classifications

Classification Range Examples

Large Scale 1:100- 1:100000 Cadastral, Civil Projects

Medium Scale 1:100000- 1:1000000 Country, City map

Small Scale More than 1:1000000 World map- Atlas map

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 Scale
1. Large scales: show small portions of the Earth's surface and therefore

more detailed information can be shown.

2. Small scales: show larger portions of the Earth's surface and display less

detail

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 Comparison

Small Scale Large Scale

The geographic extent shown on a small scale map is big. The geographic extent shown on a large scale map is
small.

Small scale maps are used to show the extent of an entire Large scale maps are typically used to show neighborhoods,
country, region, or continent a localize area, small towns.

The RF scale of a small scale map would have a much larger would have a smaller number to the right of the ratio. For
number to the right of the ratio. For Example, 1 : 1,000,000 example, 1 : 1,000

Less details less accurate More details more accurate

 How Scale Affects Feature Representation

• The larger the scale of the map, the better the features that can be

detailed. A map that shows the water network of a small area may show

the river as a polygon layer and will show the tributaries of that river.

• A small scale map covering the area would show that same river as a line

feature and the tributaries would be removed (a process known as

generalization).

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 How Scale Affects Feature Representation

• The smaller the scale of the map, the lesser the actual detail of a feature is

preserved.

• Smaller scale maps have river features that have the lines smoothed out

whereas a large scale map would show more detail about the twists and

turns of that same river

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 Types of scales

1. Large scales: show small portions of the Earth's surface and therefore more detailed information can be shown.

2. Small scales: show larger portions of the Earth's surface and display less detail
 Question

• Q/ If you have a map its scale 1cm on the map equal to 1800 m on the ground
with the two known position coordinates on the ground of A and B. A (Easting=
2000 m, Northing= 3000 m) and B (E= 4000 m, N= 9000 m). Find the distance on
the map between A and B.