Mapping and Remote Sensing

Lecture-2

Saima Rafique
Lecturer, DCPR, UET, LHR
 Types of Maps
• In geography maps are one of the most important tools
researchers, cartographers, students and others can use
to examine the entire Earth or a specific part of it.
Simply defined maps are pictures of the Earth's
surface. 
• They can be general reference and show landforms,
political boundaries, water, the locations of cities, or in
the case of thematic maps, show different but very
specific topics such as the average rainfall distribution
for an area or the distribution of a certain disease
throughout a county.
 Types of Maps
•  Political Map: A political map does not
show any topographic features. It instead
focuses solely on the state and national
boundaries of a place. They also include the
locations of cities - both large and small,
depending on the detail of the map. A common
type of political map would be one showing the
50 U.S. states and their borders along with the
United States' north and south international
borders
Political Map
 Types of Maps
• Physical Map: A physical map is one that
shows the physical landscape features of a
place. They generally show things like mountains,
rivers and lakes and water is always shown with
blue. Mountains and elevation changes are usually
shown with different colors and shades to show
relief. Normally on physical maps green shows
lower elevations while browns show high
elevations. An example of a physical map is one
showing the state of Hawaii.
 Physical Map: Hawaii

Low elevation coastal regions are shown in dark green, while the
higher elevations transition from orange to dark brown. Rivers are
shown in blue.
 Types of Maps
• Topographic Map: A topographic map is similar
to a physical map in that it shows different physical
landscape features. They are different however
because they use contour lines instead of colors to
show changes in the landscape. Contour lines on
topographic maps are normally spaced at regular
intervals to show elevation changes (e.g. each line
represents a 100 foot (30 m) elevation change) and
when lines are close together the terrain is steep.  By
contrast, the low elevation, flat coastal areas show
contour lines that are spread apart.
 Types of Maps
• Topographic Map
 Types of Maps

• Population
Maps: Population
map shows the
population of certain
area, show no of
people live in
particular area.
 Types of Maps
• Climate Map: A climate map shows information
about the climate of an area. They can show things
like the specific climatic zones of an area based on
the temperature, the amount of snow an area
receives or average number of cloudy days. These
maps normally use colors to show different climatic
areas. A climate map for Australia for example uses
colors to show differences between the temperate
area of Victoria and desert region in the center of
the continent.
Climate Map: climate map for Australia
 Types of Maps

• Economic or Resource Map: An economic

or resource map shows the specific type of
economic activity or natural resources
present in an area through the use of
different symbols or colors depending on
what is being shown on the map. For example
an economic activity map for Brazil can use
colors to show different agricultural products
of given areas, letters for natural resources
and symbols for different industries
Economic or Resource Map: Brazil
 Types of Maps
• Historical Maps: 
• A historical map shows locations, events, or points of
interest for a specific time in hstory. They may also
focus on a geographical location.
 Types of Maps
• Historical Maps: 
 Types of Maps
• Road Map: A road map is one of the most widely
used map types. These maps show major and minor
highways and roads (depending on detail) as well as
things like airports, city locations and points of
interest like parks and monuments. Major highways on
a road map are generally red and larger than other
roads, while minor roads are a lighter color and a
narrower line. A road map of San Francisco, California
for example would show the major highways as a wide
red line and other large roads as a lighter red with
minor streets as gray.
Road Map: San Francisco
 Types of Maps
• Thematic Map: A thematic map is a map that
focuses on a particular theme or special topic
and they are different from the six
aforementioned general reference maps
because they do not just show natural
features like rivers, cities, political
subdivisions, elevation and highways. If these
items are on a thematic map, they are
background information and are used as
reference points to enhance the map's theme.
 Thematic Map
• This simple
thematic map
divides global life
expectancy into
three colors -
green for high life
expectancy, yellow
for medium, and
red for low life
expectancy.
 Cadastral Plans and Maps
What is a Cadastre?
• The cadastre of a country is its register of property
titles and is usually managed by government agencies –
in Australia these are often called Land Titles
Offices.  The information recorded includes an
accurate description of the location of a parcel of
land and who owns it.  It may also record what the
land can be used for (e.g. residential or not, national
park etc) and may also show the location and shape of
buildings.  In some countries it also records the value
of a property, in these cases the cadastre may also
be used for land taxation purposes.
 Cadastral Plans and Maps
What is a Cadastral Plan?
• The foundation block of a cadastre is the cadastral
plan (or survey plan).  This is produced by a licensed
surveyor who accurately measures and records the
boundaries of each property.  This occurs whenever
a new land parcel is created and each new survey
produces a new survey plan.  Because of this each
plan is static in time. it represents the shape and
status of the cadastre at the time of survey.
•   A properly registered cadastral plan is a legal
document.
 Cadastral Plans and Maps
• This is an excellent
example of a cadastral
plan.  Note the detailed
information relating to
points along the
boundary of both
parcels of land and two
of the adjoining roads.
• Because 2 parcels of
land are shown on the
one plan it is most likely
that this cadastral plan
was drawn when the
parcel of land was sub-
divided into 2 parcels.
 Cadastral Plans and Maps
How is a Cadastral Map different to a Cadastral Plan?
• Cadastral maps are produced by joining together individual
cadastral plans.    It is often created on demand and
therefore not necessarily up-to-date.  These maps are
used by a broad range of people (public and professional)
for all manner of things including real estate sales,
valuation, Land Title Office management of the cadastre,
planning etc.
• Cadastral mapping is one of the best known forms of
mapping, because it is the mapping that shows all of the
land parcels in relation to one another and to the adjoining
roads.
 Cadastral and Map

This is an example of a cadastral map and the area circled in red shows
the cadastral plan which is described in the previous slide.