GIS Files 1: Getting to grips with GIS

1.1: In the beginning . . . there were maps (1)

Map types

The story of GIS begins in the world of maps. A map is a simplified visual representation of real things from the real world.

Maps can model the world in more than one way:

A Topographic map shows the physical surface features, for example, roads, rivers, buildings.

A Contour map shows lines which connect point locations at which a certain property has the same value, for example, height above sea level, isobars showing air pressure.

A Choropleth map shows areas characterised by some general common feature, for example, political maps, agricultural crop types.

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