GEOGRAPHY

MAPWORK SKILLS & TECHNIQUES

AND GIS
MAPWORK
MAPWORK TOOLS
 MAP ORIENTATION

Before answering any map work questions:

• Read the information provided to you – many
answers are often from the text provided to you.
• Have a thorough look at the map
- the code
- the scale
- dominant colours on the topographic map (often
this helps to recognise the dominant economic
activity of the area)
- look at the area covered by the orthophoto
(outlined in red)
- refer to the reference for any symbols you may
not know
- see if there are any landforms you recognise
 MAP CODE

EXTRACT FROM 2331 CC PHALABORWA

The first two The second The letters The dominant

numbers two numbers that describe area (town/ city)
LATITUDE LONGITUDE where the the map focusses
i.e. 23⁰ S of i.e. 31⁰ E of map sheet is on.
the equator Greenwich on the grid i.e What do I know
Meridian Big block C or have read
and little about this area?
block C
 MAP INDEX

24 in the map index 3224BC refers to …

A longitude
B latitude A longitude
C graticule
D code.

32 in the map index 3224BC refers to …

A longitude B latitude
B latitude
C graticule
D code.
 INDEX TO SHEETS
31⁰E 32⁰E
23⁰S

2331 CC
PHALABORWA

24⁰S
 INDEX TO SHEETS

Can you answer

this…

What is the map

index south-west
of 2331 CC?
 LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE

LATITUDE LONGITUDE
measurement of distance north or south of the measurement of distance east or west of
equator Greenwich Meridian (prime meridian).

Latitude is measured with 180 imaginary lines Longitude is measured by imaginary lines that
that form circles around the Earth east-west, run around the Earth vertically (up and down)
parallel to the Equator. and meet at the North and South Poles.
The distance around the earth measures 360º.

We call these lines parallels.

Latitude: We call these lines meridians.

Image access from https://www.yourexamples.com,

Tuesday 7 December, 14:00
IDENTIFY MAP CO-ORDINATES: From ° to ‘ to “

What will you find at:

25º 25’ 50’’ S and 30º 55’ 35’’ E

Dam

What will you find at:

25º 25’ 15’’ S and 30º 56’ 40’’ E

Cultivated land
PRODUCE MAP CO-ORDINATES: From ° to ‘ to “

• Always start with the lines that

run across the page first –
lines of latitude.
• Read your degrees and
minutes off the map.
• Then calculate the seconds.

• Next move to lines that run

down the page – lines of
longitude.
• Read your degrees and
minutes off the map.
• Then calculate the seconds.
 SCALE
The relationship between the map distance and the actual distance in reality.

TOPOGRAPHIC MAP ORTHOPHOTO MAP

• Ratio scale 1: 50 000 Ratio scale 1 : 10 000

For every 1cm on the map For every 1cm on the map
represents 50 000 cm in reality. represents 10 000 cm in reality.

OR 0.5km OR 0,1km

OR 500 m OR 100m
 LINE SCALE

• Line scale How much map distance represents real distance.

e.g. On the topographic map, this scale shows the map distance that equals
5 kilometres in real life.

e.g. On the orthophoto map, this scale shows the map distance that equals
1 kilometre in real life.
 SCALE

Why does feature 1 appear larger

on the orthophoto map than
on the topographic map?

1
The scale of the orthophoto map
is 5 times larger than the scale
of the topographic map.

1: 10 000 1: 50 000
 SCALE
This portion on
the topographic
map outlined in
red is the whole
area of the
orthophoto
represented.

Therefore, the scale

of the orthophoto
map is larger than
the scale of the
topographic map.
SCALE
DOMINANT COLOURS

Always look for the dominant colours on the map first

and decide what they each represent.
E.g. On the Ceres map
• BROWN – contour lines.
- Can I recognise any obvious landforms?
- Where is the land steep or gentle?
• GREEN – ‘cultivated land’ and ‘orchard or vineyard’
- What product might be farmed in this region?
• GREY – Built-up Area
• BLUE – water sources.
- Perennial/ non-perennial; dams
• RED/ BLACK – manmade infrastructure
- National route (red)
- Railway (black)
 CONTOURS AND LANDFORMS
Contour lines join places of equal height above sea level, on a map.
Landforms can be identified by the pattern made by the contour lines.
• Contour lines that are far apart show a gentle slope.

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 CONTOURS AND LANDFORMS

• Contour lines that are close together show a steep slope.

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 CONTOURS AND LANDFORMS

Contour lines that are close together at the top and gentle towards the bottom show a concave slope.

Image accessed from https://bushwalking101.org, Tuesday, 7 December, 14:35

 CONTOURS AND LANDFORMS

Contour lines that are widely spaced at the top and close together at the bottom show a convex slope.

Image accessed from https://bushwalking101.org, Tuesday, 7 December, 14:35

 CONTOURS AND LANDFORMS

A hill is shown on a map by contour lines

Conical hill forming concentric circles.
The inside of the smallest closed circle is the hilltop.

A saddle is a dip or low point

between two areas of higher
ground.
When standing in a saddle,
there is high ground in two
Saddle opposite directions and lower
ground in the other two
directions. A saddle typically looks
like an hourglass.
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 CONTOURS AND LANDFORMS

Ridge A ridge is a sloping line of

high ground. When standing
on the centerline of a ridge,
there is usually low ground in
three directions and high
ground in one direction with
varying degrees of slope.

Contour lines forming a ridge

tend to be U-shaped or V-
shaped. The closed end of
the contour line points away
from high ground.

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 CONTOURS AND LANDFORMS

Spur A spur is a short, continuous

sloping line of higher ground,
normally jutting out from the
side of a ridge. A spur is
often formed by two roughly
parallel streams cutting
draws down the side of a
ridge.

Contour lines on a map

depict a spur with the U or V
pointing away from high
ground.
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 CONTOURS AND LANDFORMS

Cliff

A cliff is a vertical or near

vertical feature; it is an
abrupt change of the land.

Cliffs are also shown by

contour lines very close
together and, in some
instances, touching each
other.

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RECOGNISING LANDFORMS
 LANDFORMS
Landform 7 in on the orthophoto
map is …

A gap. D Saddle
B pass.
C gorge.
D saddle.
 LANDFORMS
Match landform 8 on the orthophoto map
with the correct freehand cross-section.

B
 MAP REFERENCE

Use the map reference to assist you in identifying anything you may not know.
Remember:
Man-made features are listed in black, grey and red.
Natural features are listed in green, blue and brown.
 REPRESENTATION OF HEIGHT ON TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS

Trig. stations
Spot heights

Contour
lines
Bench Marks

When measuring from a trig station, always

measure from the apex of a triangle, e.g.
apex
 CONTOUR LINES ON TOPOGRAPHIC AND ORTHOPHOTO MAPS

Contour interval is 20m. Contour interval is 5m.

Dark brown line appears every 100m. Darker line appears every 20m.
DIRECTION

Determine the direction

of The Toll House from
98.
Answer: SE or SSE
 DIRECTION

Give the general direction in

which river A is flowing.
West North West (WNW) OR North West (NW)
It is important to remember that rivers
flow into dams and out of the dam wall
 DISTANCE

Formula: Actual distance = Map distance x Map scale

Calculate the distance of the landing strip in

metres.

1. Measure map distance.

2. Substitute into formula.
a
Actual distance = 3,2 cm x 500
= 1600 m a Maximum of 2 marks
If you are asked to calculate distance in km,
you simply multiply by 0,5 instead of 500.
 DISTANCE

Formula: Actual distance = Map distance x Map scale

The length of the railway tunnel at F is … metres.

A 0,3 m
B 30 m
C 300 m
D 3 000 m

1. Measure map distance.

2. Substitute into formula.
a
Actual distance = 0,6 cm x 500
= 300 m a
 DISTANCE TO A PLACE OFF THE MAP
Formula: Actual distance = Map distance x Map scale + (printed distance)

Calculate the distance from B to Chrissiesmeer

in km.

1. Measure map distance.

2. Substitute into formula.
3. Add printed distance.

B Actual distance = 4,5 cm x 0,5

= 2,25 km + 35km
= 37,25 km
 AREA ON ORTHOPHOTO

Formula: Area = Length (L) x Breadth (B)

Calculate the area covered by feature 2
on the orthophoto map in .
Use the following information:
2 Measured length (map distance) = 2cm
a a
A = (2cm x 100) x (1,6cm x 100)
= 200am x 160am
= 32 000 a
If you are asked to calculate area in
you multiply by 0,1 instead of 100
 AERIAL PHOTOS AND ORTHOPHOTO MAPS
Maps are a graphic method of showing information about places.
Photographs show more detailed information about places, but they have no names.
There are three kinds of photos commonly used:
horizontal, oblique and vertical photographs.

Horizontal photo’s
are ground-level
views.
They are taken
parallel to the
horizon.
AERIAL PHOTOS AND ORTHOPHOTO MAPS
There are three kinds of photos commonly used:
horizontal, oblique and vertical photographs.

High oblique – can see horizon. Low oblique – cannot see horizon
Camera view is at 60º or sky above it.
Camera view is at 30º
Oblique photographs, the camera
is held at an angle to the ground.
Most of the time these are taken
from aeroplanes. We call them
oblique aerial photographs
AERIAL PHOTOS AND ORTHOPHOTO MAPS
There are three kinds of photos commonly used:
horizontal, oblique and vertical photographs.

Vertical aerial
photographs are
taken from directly
above.
 GRADIENT
• We calculate gradient to find the steepness of the
slope
• Calculate the average gradient between spot
height 2263 and spot height 1797

41
CONT..

OR 3.8x500
CONT....

Total= 5 marks

43
 CONT….

Explain the gradient above

= For every 1m vertical you move 4.1m horizontal

Determine the slope of the gradient

=Steep

44
 CALCULATION OF GRADIENT
• CALCULATE THE AVERAGE
GRADIENT FROM TRIG BEACON 90
TO BENCH MARK 786.9

4.
1
CM
CONT….
• EXPLAIN THE ABOVE GRADIENT

• DETERMINE THE SLOPE OF THE GRADIENT

TRUE BEARING, MAGNETIC DECLINATION AND MAGNETIC BEARING

47
48
CONT…

OF TN

49
MAGNETIC BEARING

50
 CROSS SECTION
• Draw a free hand cross section from spot height 734 to trig beacon
90 and mention your slope (4 marks)
 CROSS SECTION
.

52
CONT…

53
CONT….

54
VERTICAL EXAGGERATION

55
CONT….

56
 Activity
• Calculate the vertical exaggeration of the cross section (4 marks)

VS=1cm:10m
HS=1cm:10000cm
 INTERVISIBILITY
• Refers whether one point on a map is visible (can be seen) from one another.
• Determine the intervisibi
lity between point A and
B and give a reason for
your answer (2 marks)
• Determine the intervisibility
between point X and
Y and give a reason for
your answer (2 marks) A B
Vertical scale 1cm: 10m Horizontal scale 1: 50000

58
 WHAT IS GIS
• An organised collection of computer hardware, software, geographic data
and people, designed to capture, store, update, manipulate, analyse and
display the geographical data.
 COMPONENTS OF GIS

softwar
e
 COMPONENTS OF GIS
CPU, screen,
keyboard, mouse,
scanner, printer,
Application
digitizing tablet
programme
such as
ArcView

GIS design
GIS
according to
user’s needs
Maps, aerial photos,
satellite images,
administrative
records, etc.
Data capturers,
data users, GIS
analysts
 FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS

Capture Store
Update

Manipulate
Analyse
 SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Secondary data:
Data collected by
Primary data: first someone else e.g.
Data Acquisition:
hand information newspaper, reports,
process of identifying
collected from the internet etc.
and collecting
specific information fieldwork,
to solve a particular observation, surveys,
problem interview,
questionnaires etc.
 REMOTE SENSING
• Observing the earth from a distance without being in contact through
satellites (passive and active)/ aeroplane (Vertical aerial and oblique aerial
photograph)/ hot air balloon. ADVANTAGES of REMOTE SENSING ???
 RESOLUTION

• The ability of a remote sensor to create a sharp and clear image.

• Forms of resolution
Spatial Resolution
Pixels
Temporal Resolution
 SPATIAL RESOLUTION
• The clarity of an image. How clear and easy the detail to see.

Spectral Resolution
• The number of bands of the electromagnetic spectrum captured in
satellite.
N:B The spatial resolution increases if more bands are captured
 PIXELS
• An area represented by each cell or grid in a raster

A C
B
Many pixels Less pixels
Small pixels Larger pixels
High Low
 DATABASE

• A collection of information that is organised so that it can be easily

accessed, managed and updated.
• GIS database stores two types of data
Spatial data
Attribute data
 SPATIAL DATA
• Refers to the position of a geographical objects on earth.
• Spatial data is stored as a raster or vector
• E.g. the spatial data for a perennial water (A4)

25º50’54’’S ; 29º12’48’’E
 RASTER
• Data used is represented and stored by grid cells (rows and columns) or
pixels.
 VECTOR
Shows features as points, lines, nodes and polygons
Nodes: points that are found at the start and end line or where two or more
lines meet e.g. junction or intersections.
Points: made up of a single point e.g. spot height or church
Lines: made up of a sequence of points that have been connected
e.g. road or river
Polygons: made up of series of connected lines e.g. cultivated land
and dams
VECTOR
Point: Building
Line: Perennial
river and
bridge/other roads
Area:
Orchard/vineyard
and perennial water

MAN - MADE ?
NATURAL?
 ATTRIBUTE DATA
Describes or gives the characteristics of an object on earth surface.
 ACTIVITY
• Which of the following 2 diagrams displays raster and vector data respectively? Motivate your
answer. A B
 B
A
 DATA MANIPULATION AND ANALYSIS
• Data manipulation
Change data to make it more useful. The data needs to undergo
change before they can integrate, analyse and display. E.g. from
one map projection to another or converting data from raster to
vector format and from vector to raster format.
DATA MANIPULATION AND ANALYSIS

Data can be manipulated (edited and

processed) and analysed by a GIS.
• Transforming from one map projection
to another
• Converting data from raster to vector
format and from vector to raster format
• Interpolation between points (eg. spot
heights)
 DATA INTEGRATION
• Data integration
The combination of different sources of data into one meaningful
data.
 DATA LAYERING
• Data layering
When different kinds of information are placed one on top of the other to see
the overall picture.
 BUFFERING
• Buffering
To draw an area around a geographical feature to show the zone of influence
or exclusion
 BUFFERING
It is sometimes necessary to identify zones
at different distances from certain geographic
features.

• noise buffers next to roads

• safety buffers for
dangerous areas
Application Question from Past Paper

Create a bufferzone of
250m around marsh/vlei
area

Remember that 250m in

reality will be 5mm on a
1:50 000 map
 QUERYING
• Querying
Finding answers about the place/investigating
 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
• Statistical analysis
The collection of data in large amounts and present it.
 DATA STANDARDIZATION
• Data standardisation
Make data similar to other set of data to allow data sharing. The same
symbols must be used for the same feature.
 DATA SHARING/SECURITY
• Data sharing
Make data available for other users to access.

• Data security
Protecting a database from destructive forces and the unwanted actions of
unauthorized users this may be done by encryption, firewall and password.