It is good to know some basic skills when reading maps, especially when outside mobile reception or your phone battery is dead. Map reading isn’t particularly difficult, you just need to understand some elements. 

Orientation

Most maps have north facing to the top of the page, however this isnt always true and the only way to really tell is with the compass rose. This could be either a simple N symbol with an arrow on it, or more elaborate showing all cardinal directions (North, South, East and West) 

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Distance

You’ll need to understand the relationship between objects on the map, compared to how they are in reality. The scale of a map, will determine the actual distances between objects. 

For example, a map scale of 1 to 100,000 means 1cm on the map equals 100,000 centimetres or 1 kilometre on the ground

It also means 1 inch on the map equals 100,000 inches or 1.578 miles

Our maps are designed to be simple, so they are not to be used for most of the above features, they instead show the relative changes between.


Map Elements

Some maps are complex with symbols representing different objects. These are often described in a legend also called a key. For example in a country map you may find a certain symbology or colors represents mountains, forests, lakes, cities etc. 


Mapping Made Simple

Our maps at mapping made simple have mostly been simplified to be used as a reference. North is up, scale is relative and the map elements have been designed with labels or representational symbology such that the need for a legend is generally not required. 

We have a range of maps for different purposes, reach out and we’ll be glad to help


Thanks 

Mark

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