METHODS

OF
MAP READING

2, 2014

Zuway Batu
What is Map
• A map is a representation of a geographic area
usually a portion of the earth’s surface.
• It may be shown in many different ways, from a
traditional map printed on paper to a digital map
built pixel by pixel on the screen of a computer.
• A map can be practical, directing travelers from one
point to another through confusing terrain, or
explaining the world by attaching specific types of
information to geography.
 …cont’d

• But maps can also entertain and invite

exploration.
• Maps can be drawn in many different styles,
each showing different faces of the same
subject and allowing us to visualize the world
in a convenient, informative, or stimulating
way.
 Important facts to know about maps

• To use maps effectively, just learn the few simple skills

described here. In addition, be aware of these
important facts:
(1) No map is perfect. People make maps from data they
collect with certain tools. Even computer-generated
maps depend on programs designed by people and on
data collected by human-designed machines.
 …cont’d

• People make mistakes and machines are

never totally accurate all the time, nor can
any device record every detail of a landscape.
 …cont’d

• Therefore, maps can contain errors and

inaccuracies. Because of data errors or
cartographic errors, a certain village may not
be exactly where the map shows it or a
mountain peak may not be exactly as high as
it appears on the map.
 …cont’d

• Very small features may not be accurately

placed on the map or they may not appear at
all. Modern tools such as high-resolution
satellite photography can record details to a
resolution of several meters.
 …cont’d

• Most surface objects of practical importance

can be recorded with such imagery and
translated into highly accurate maps or
photographs, but they are still subject to
interpretation and data error.
 …cont’d
(2) Maps grow old. The world is constantly
changing both physically and culturally, so
maps can become outdated, no longer showing
the world accurately. Modern technology has
provided a partial solution—computers have
made it possible to renew maps easily without
redrawing them.
 …cont’d

• However, appropriate information reflecting

changes in the world must still be collected
periodically and used to revise the maps’
databases.
 …cont’d

(3) Maps are biased. Because maps generally

do not show every single feature of a chosen
geographic area—every tree, house, and road
—the cartographer must decide the
projection and scale for the map and decide
how much detail to present.
 Uses of Maps

- Tracking present location

(Where am I ?)
- Determining Distance
(How far is it and am I there yet ?)
- Sense of direction
(Where do I want to go & where am I actually going ?)
- How to read a topographic map
(What hill or river am I looking at ?)
-Terrain & map association
(Do I understand the map ?)
- Spatial skills
(Can I mentally visualize the landscape in 3D ?)
- Planning safe, practical routes
(Take a long safe route or a short risky route ?)
 Map Information –
Identification
What a Topo map,
Aero photo map,
And actual Land features show

LAND

AERIAL PHOTO TOPO MAP

 Map Information –
Identification
What a Topo map
and actual Land features show
 Map Information –
Identification

What a Topo map

& actual Land features show
 Map Information –
Identification

What a Topo map

and actual Land
features show

Compare the next five

slides with this map, to
get view point
irrespective of what you
see on this map and what
you see on the landscape
in front of you.
BOU
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R CO
.
GRAND
CO.
 Map Information –
Identification
What a Topo map
and actual Land features show
Note: here the map is turned
upside down so you can get a
better perspective
View 1

BOULDER CO.

GRAND CO.
 Map Information –
Identification

What a Topo map

and actual Land features show

View 2

BOU
LDER
CO.
GRAND
CO.
BOULDER CO.

GRAND CO.

BOU
LDER
CO.
GRAND
CO.
 Map Elements
A. Projection –

The way the geography of the earth is taken from

the globe and reassembled on a flat surface is
called the map’s projection.
Projecting Our Globe to a Flat Surface.docx

B. Scale –
The size of a map in relation to the earth is its scale,
which is usually stated as a fraction or ratio.
 …cont’d

• The numerator, at the top of the fraction, is one

unit on the map and the denominator, at the
bottom of the fraction, is the number of the
same units that are represented in the real
world. For example, a scale of 1/10,000 means
that one centimeter on the map is equivalent to
10,000 centimeters on the ground.
 …cont’d

• Map scale : A scale is the ratio between a given

map distance and the actual ground distance.
Large Scale versus Small Scale Map.

Type of scales :
Statement Scale :
"One cm equals one km" or "One cm equals ten
km."
R.F ratio: It can be expressed as 1/100,000 or
1:100,000.
Graphic scale: scale.jpg download.jpg
C. Coordinate Position
• The surface of the globe is divided into a
spherical grid for the convenience of finding
certain points. The grid consists of imaginary
lines called latitude and longitude.
• Where a particular latitude crosses a particular
longitude, a pair of numbers, or coordinates
(X,Y), can be assigned.
 What is Grid
A grid is pattern of parallel lines intersecting at
right angles and forming square or
rectangles.

Identify precise position on the surface of the

earth (or map sheet)
 …cont’d

• Every point on the earth has a set of

coordinates that indicate its position relative to
every other point. A coordinate system contains
information on the kind of coordinates used in
the map (degree/meter) national standard or
UTM (Universal Trans-Mercator system ) zone .
 …cont’d

Degrees are divided into 60 minutes, and each

minute is divided into 60 seconds. For
example, the Adama Gete Hotel has the
following coordinates: latitude and longitude
-----------north and ----------------- east.
(UTM -------------- N, ---------------- E)
D. Legend
• Maps use sets of symbols to indicate the
placement of real objects. The legend is a block
of text or a window in which the symbols used
on the map are explained.
• If the details of a map look unfamiliar, take a
moment to study the legend before proceeding
further.
 Contour

Contour lines connect a series of points of

equal elevation and are used to illustrate
relief on a map.

Contour lines are key elements in the map

reading process.
Characteristics of contour lines

Contour lines do not cross.

Lines that are close together show steep terrain,

and lines that are far apart show flat terrain
Contour …cont’d
CONTOUR LINES
Contour Interval ~ The contour interval is the distance
between each contour line. The contour interval is found
along the bottom edge, center of the map.
Intermediate Contour ~ a brown line on a topographic map
and represents a line of equal elevation.
Index Contour ~ a bolder/wider brown line that has the
elevation value marked at various intervals as a part of the
line.
CONTOUR LINES
• There is a dimension to establishing position which does depend on map reading skills.
• This is the vertical dimension. On a map it is referred to as “relief”.
– Knowledge of the relief of an area is extremely important to a wilderness navigator.
• The most graphic technique ever devised to show relief information is the contour line.
– If you were to walk a contour line you would never go down hill and never up hill, and eventually you would
arrive back where you started.
 CONTOUR LINES
There is a dimension to establishing position which does depend on map reading
skills.
This is the vertical dimension. On a map it is referred to as “relief”.
Knowledge of the relief of an area is extremely important to a wilderness navigator.
The most graphic technique ever devised to show relief information is the contour
line.
If you were to walk a contour line you would never go down hill and never up hill,
and eventually you would arrive back where you started.
 Terrain Relief Features

Five Major Three Minor

Ridge Spur
Hill Draw
Saddle Cliff
Valley Two Supplemental
Depression Cut
Fill
RIDGE
HILL
S
A
D
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L
E
VALLEY
DEPRESSION
SPURS
DRAWS
CLIFF
C
U
T

F
I
L
L
Terrain Features
 Direction: Which Way Is Up?

• A good map indicates a cardinal (principal)

direction for such orientation, usually by an arrow
pointing north.
• Modern maps usually adopt the convention that
the top of the map corresponds to North, the
bottom to South, the left edge to West, and the
right edge to East.
 Conclusion

• To understand/interpret Maps

• The map we produce/use must have the following

Map Elements
 Title
 Scale
 Legend
 Grid lines
 North arrow
 Direction

• 4 Cardinal points – North, South, East and

West
• Further divided in 16 divisions like: North east,
North north east etc.
• Each division is approximately 22.5 degrees or
500 miles
 …cont’d

 True North – the direction of the earth’s north

pole which is 900 North. The North pole star is
directly above the north pole.
Magnetic north – the direction of the earth’s
magnetic pole, i.e. the direction in which the
needle of the compass points
 …cont’d

Grid North – the direction of the vertical grid

lines called easting.
Note: all three north do not point at the
same direction.
• Why we need to manage River Basin & Water shed ?
To establishes a legal framework to protect and
enhance the status of aquatic ecosystems; prevent
their deterioration and ensure long-term,
sustainable use of water resources.

• Water does not stop at administrative or political

boundaries, so the best way to protect and manage
water is by close international co-operation
between all the countries within the natural
geographical and hydrological unit of the river
basin – bringing together all interests upstream
and downstream.
WHAT IS A RIVER BASIN?

• A River basin is the portion of land drained by a river and

its tributaries. It encompasses the entire land surface
dissected and drained by many streams and creeks that
flow downhill into one another, and eventually into one
river. The final destination is an estuary or an ocean. As a
bathtub catches all the water that falls within its sides, a
river basin sends all the water falling on the surrounding
land into a central river and out to the sea.
• The overall land mass of the country is hydrologically
divided into 12 Basins. Eight of these are River Basins,
One Lake Basin and Three Dry Basins . Four of the River
Basins, Abbay, Baro-Akobo, Mereb and Tekeze are part
of Nile River System, flowing generally in the Western
direction toward Sudan eventually terminating in the
Mediterranean Sea. Five Basins namely, the Omo-
Ghibe, Awash, Rift-valley Lakes , Denakil and Aysha can
be categorized as the Rift-valley system as all of them
drain their water in the Great East African Rift-valley.
The remaining three, Genale-Dawa, Wabishebelle and
Ogaden are part of the Eastern Ethiopian Basin that
generally flows in the South-easterly direction toward
the Somali - Republic and then to the Indian Ocean .
RIVER BASINS OF ETHIOPIA
The overall land mass of the country is hydrologically divided
into 12 Basins. eight of these are River Basins, one Lake
Basin and three Dry Basins . Four of the River Basins, Abbay,
Baro-Akobo, Mereb and Tekeze are part of Nile River System,
flowing generally in the Western direction toward Sudan
eventually terminating in the Mediterranean Sea . Five
Basins namely, the Omo-Ghibe, Awash, Rift-valley Lakes ,
Denakil and Aysha can be categorized as the Rift-valley
system as all of them drain their water in the Great East
African Rift-valley. The remaining three, Genale-Dawa,
Wabishebelle and Ogaden are part of the Eastern Ethiopian
Basin that generally flows in the South-easterly direction
toward the Somali - Republic and then to the Indian Ocean .
Map indicating the location of the River Basins of Ethiopia.
Men pull each other across Blue Nile River by rope prior to the building of a
new bridge
Location and Size
Almost all of the basins radiate from the central ridges that
separate the Rift Valley from the highlands of Ethiopia to all
directions out of the country. Basins drained by rivers
originating from the mountains west of the Rift Valley flow
West into the Sudan, and those originating from the Eastern
highland flow East into the Republic of Somalia. Rivers
draining the Rift Valley Basins System originates from the
adjoining highlands and flow North and South of the uplift in
the Center of the Ethiopian Rift Valley North of Lake Ziway.
SUMMARY
The different basins of the country have a diverse and
varied resource base. A planned approach to the
utilization of these resources in a holistic and integrated
manner can change the existing grim picture. These
plans should take the specific socio-economic,
ecological and resource bases into consideration. The
interaction between the different components of the
basin and the impact of one on another should also be
given due emphasis. In this respect, the proper
implementation of the existing Integrated Basins
Development Master Plans can help reverse the
prevalent watershed degradation on top of improving
the socio-economic status of basins.
What a watershed is
• A watershed is today defined as all the land and water
areas which contribute runoff to a common point. The
watershed above any point on a defined drainage
channel is therefore all the land and water areas which
drain through that point (often the outlet). It is marked
by an elevated line that forms a division between two
areas drained by separate streams, river systems or lakes
which is called Water divide.
Why watersheds are a reasonable planning unit

• Natural resource management is necessary and has to be

done in an integrated manner in order to be successful,
i.e. to secure the living conditions of local communities
as the overall goal of Watershed Management.
Therefore, a planning unit is required within which most
vital resources can be managed effectively, collectively
and simultaneously
COMPONENTS OF WATERSHED DEVELOPMENT
Human Resource Development (Community
Development)
• Soil and Land Management
• Water Management
• Crop Management
• Afforestation
• Pasture/Fodder Development
• Livestock Management
• Rural Energy Management
• Farm & non-farm value addition activities all these
components are interdependent & interactive.
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