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Mapwork Theory and Aplication 2014

Geography (Chita Kekana Senior Secondary School)

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Mapwork Theory

THREE MAP SCALES:

1
• Ratio/fraction scale e.g 1:50 000 or
50 000
• Linear/bar scale e.g a ruler (bottom of the topographical map: 1000m = 1km)
• Word/statement/verbal scale e.g 1 cm on a map represent 500 m on the
ground
SCALES CONVERSIONS to cm / km / m

• 1:50 000 is topographical map scale: Which means 1cm on a map is equals
to 50 000cm / 0,5 kilometre / and equals to 500 metre, on the ground.
• 1:10 000 is orthophoto map scale: Which means 1cm on a map is equals to
10 000cm / 0,1 kilometre / and equals to 100 metre, on the ground.
WHICH MAP SCALE IS LARGER OR BIGGER? And why? 1:50 000 or 1:10 000

1:10 000 is a larger scale; because is:

• More clear
• More accurate
• More detailed
• More information
• Five times larger
• Small piece of land shown on a bigger paper
• The scale of topographical map is five times smaller than of the orthophoto
map.
An orthophoto map is an aerial photograph which shows contour lines, spot
heights, trigonometrical stations and other labelled features.

• An orthophoto map is a vertical aerial photograph; a photograph taken

when the camera is perpendicular/straight (90o) to the earth’s surface.
• An orthophoto map depicts/shows only the NORTH or SOUTH or EAST or
WESTERN section of the topographic map.

ADVANTAGES OF THE ORTHOPHOTO MAP:

• More detailed study of an area

• Cheaper to produce
• Easier to update
• Used as a source of spatial information to draw new maps

TIMES OF THE DAY AT WHICH THE OR THOPHOTO MAP WAS

TAKEN/CAPTURED: before midday-12:00 or at midday-12:00 or after midday-

• The shadows of the trees should guide you on time

How do we know; between the orthophoto and topographical map, which one
was taken first?
o Identify the state copy right or year of edition on a both maps.
o Especially the year of edition on both maps.

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How many blocks do the orthophoto map cover on the topographical map? Or
Which blocks are covered by the orthophoto map?

Contour line: line drawn on a map joining all places of the same height above sea level.
Contour Interval: is the different in height or altitude (in metres) between
each contour line.

• Topographic map is 20 metre and Orthophoto map is 5 metre

Height (altitude) above sea level is shown by: spot heights, contour lines,
trigonometrical stations, and bench marks, in meters.
FIND THE HEIGHT/ALTITUDE OF FEATURES ON A MAP: e.g dam walls; contour
lines; reservoirs; buildings; etc
MAP PROJECTION (MAP MAKING):
A globe can show size, shape, distance, and direction accurately, but since paper is not
three dimensional, we have to use map projections. A map projection is a way to show a
drawing of the earth on a flat surface.

- There are FOUR properties which a cartographer should consider when

drawing a map, namely:
• Area
• Distance
• Shape
• Direction
MAP TITLE:
e.g 3227DD Cambridge: the first two number 32 represent lines of latitude and
the second two numbers 27 represent lines of longitude; and the first letter D
represent the big block; the second letter D represent small letter quadrants.
E.g full title of the orthophoto map: (3227 DD 24) the number 24 mean that
the orthophoto map used is number 24; isn’t that we said there are 25
orthophoto maps on a topographical map?

When dealing with coordinates or grid-references, latitudes comes first and

longitudes the second. Direction for latitude is SOUTH and for longitudes is EAST.
TYPES OF RIVERS:
Episodic

- River will only flow after a heavy thunderstorm

- Their beds used as a road or light aircraft runways
- Flows only for few hours
- Never supplied with ground water
- Examples: the biomes of the Northern cape and Western cape

Periodic/ Seasonal/ Non-perennial

- River only flow during the wet season or flows on rainy season
- Flows five to six month
- Examples: western cape/ Plateau streams

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Exotic
- River does not receive any water from base flow to support its flow
- Gets water from high-lying areas

Permanent/ Perennial
- River flows throughout the year or receives ground water all year round
- Example: rivers in the eastern side of S.A

The streams in some blocks are flowing fairly slowly. Evidence from the map
to support this statement:

• Gentle slopes
• contour lines are far apart
• Marsh/Dam

You must be able to identify or suggest whether a feature is:

o Natural or Human-made (like a dam / row of trees / marshes)

An atlas: is a book of maps or collection of maps.

WHY ARE CERTAIN ACTIVITIES LOCATED WHERE THEY ARE ON A MAP?

E.g cultivated land, aerodrome, settlements, rifle range, cemetery, mining, sewage
disposals

• Reasons the location:

flat land; gentle slope; contours far apart; open space; close to water source;
possible for irrigation; fertile soil; north facing slope; warmer slopes; cheap
land; close to road/railway; away from residence(for pollution); need room for
expansion; large labour pool; close to raw material; energy;
TYPE OF SLOPES:

• Gentle: contours are far away from each other.

• Steep: contours close to each other.
• Convex: contours close at the bottom and far apart at the top.
• Concave: contours close at the top and far apart at the bottom.
IDENTIFY LANDFORMS ON A MAP: Pass / saddle; gap / poort; cliff / gorge; mesa;
butte; spur; valley (think of valley winds: katabatic and anabatic); cuesta / hogsbag /
meanders
Use a labelled diagram to show the flow of air at night in the valley:

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Name the type of wind/air flow on the diagram above:

• Katabatic wind/ Downslope wind / Gravity wind / Mountain breeze

TOURISTS ATTRACTIONS or RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Activities that might attract people to visit an area: recreational activities that
these tourists engage in during their stay at a resort/ nature reserve:

• Mountain hiking; camping (woodlands); parks; a dam(water) for: fishing,

angling, swimming, sailing, diving, snorkelling, skiing, surfing, boating; nature
reserve; sunbathing; beach soccer, rifle range
STREET PATTERNS:

• advantages and disadvantages. Be mindful of how each street influence traffic

flow.

Irregular street pattern:

- Found in modern cities and newer suburbs

Advantages of planned irregular

- Easy flow of traffic
- Quieter roads / suburbs
- Interesting suburb layout
- Accommodates the relief/topography of the land

Disadvantages of planned irregular

- Easy to get lost
- It is not easy to subdivide the land or expand

Advantages of unplanned irregular

- Has a unique pattern.

Disadvantages of unplanned irregular

- Traffic congestion
- Unplanned/ no order
- Can get lost easily

Gridiron / block / rectangular street pattern

- characteristic of the CBD of many South African cities

- Streets mainly intersect at right angles.

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Advantages of gridiron
- Easy to find a place
- Cannot get lost
- Easy to convert to one way street
- Shorter distance to travel
- Reach destination sooner
- Little land wastage

Disadvantages of gridiron
- More traffic congestion
- More accidents because of intersections
- Boring suburb layout

Radial / cobweb street pattern

- Streets that radiate away from a central point.

Advantages of radial
- Easy flow of traffic
- All roads leads to the central point.

Disadvantages of radial
- Traffic jams, delay to reach destination
- Traffic is slow due to no shortcut
- Space is wasted

SETTLEMENT TYPES and PATTERNS:

• TYPES: Rural e.g farm/village and Urban e.g town/city

• PATTERNS: Nucleated/clustered: when buildings are close each other; AND
Dispersed/isolated: when buildings are far from each other.

Problems (disadvantages) that the inhabitants of these houses / buildings

(dispersed/isolated settlements) might experience:

• • Poor infrastructure
• • Isolated –live far from large settlement
• • Lack of services (no schools, clinics, shops)
• • Boredom
• • No exchange of ideas, skills and information

Factors that favors the location of an industry:

• Close to transport routes
• Close to raw materials
• Availability of labour
• Close to market
• Close to water

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Types of Industries: (Light and Heavy industry)

Light industry Heavy industry
Example Jewellery; clothing factory; Power stations; iron and
bakery steel factory; motor
vehicle factory
Location In the CBD and transitional On the outskirt of the city
zone (rural-urban fringe)
Raw materials Small processed. Large, bulk unprocessed
Land usage Need small space of land; Need large space of land,
may be inside the building. flat area.
Far away from CBD and
residential area.
Environmental impact Has little or no pollution. Causes air and noise
pollution. Uses lot of
water.

MAP INDEX TO SHEET:

• identify map titles according to direction on the index to sheet.

• The mapped area is always at the middle box of the index to sheet. E.g what
is the map/INDEX NUMBER North-east of 3227DD?
• The orthophoto map e.g (3227 DD 24) depicts the … part of the topographical
map. Either: Northern; eastern; western; southern

SIXTEEN POINTS OF DIRECTION:

• North/north-north-east/north-east/east-north-east/east/east-south-east/south-
east/south-south-east/south/south-west-south/south-west/west-south-
west/west/west-north-west/north-west/north-north-west.
• E.g You are standing at A facing B, to which direction will you be facing?
B----------------------A

USES/SIGNIFICANCE/VITAL/IMPORTANT OF A DAM or RIVER:

• Fishing
• Irrigation
• Electricity - Transport
• Industrial use
• Drinking
• Domestic uses ( bathing; cooking; washing; cleaning)
• Recreational activities ( swimming; skiing; diving; surfing)

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Mapwork Theory

PRESENCE OR USE OF GROUND WATER IS SYMBOLISED BY:

• Windpumps
• High drainage density/Fine drainage density
Pieces of evidence from the map to support the statement that the map is
located in a low-rainfall area:

o There are a number of dams

o There are a number of non-perennial rivers/dry river courses
o Many wind pumps to use underground water
o Many reservoirs to store water
o Furrows for irrigation
o Many firebreaks to prevent runaway fires

Identify the stream CHANNEL PATTERNS on a map:

• Meandering
• Braided
• Rock controlled

Identify the DRAINAGE PATTERNS/Stream pattern on a map:

• Dendritic
• Trellis
• Radial
• Centripetal
• Deranged
• Rectangular

River courses: (longitudinal profile of a river)

e.g. The stream in block J6 is in the ... course of the river.
• Upper; lower & middle

Stream Order: e.g What is the order of the stream at the point numbered 7 in block
H8?
• Third order

Identify the geomorphologic features on the map and their formation:

e.g. Oxbow lakes / waterfalls / meanders / braided streams / flooplains

Using topographic map to IDENTIFY FEATURE LABELLED ON THE

ORTHOPHOTO MAP: e.g. 1; 2; 3 ; 4 or A; B; C; D
DISADVANTAGES OF LIVING CLOSER TO CETAIN ATIVITIES OR PLACES:
e.g aerodrome/landing strip/airport; industry; mine; sewage disposals/works:

• Noise and air pollution

• Danger of aircrafts crashing/ explosives causing fires

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• Diseases
• Hearing impairment
• Houses may crack

Advantage for the N1passing through a town: the national freeway serves as a
life-line (advantage) for the city through which it passes, how??

• More passing trade

• Threshold population of services maintained
• Economic growth
• Boost to tourism
• Motorist stop over after long journey
• Stop to refueling of motor
• Buy goods needed for travelling e.g. refreshments

Why does the N1/N2/N3’s – national freeways NOT passing through cities?
Why do they avoid passing through the inner city?

▪ to reach destination sooner

▪ To avoid traffic congestion in town
▪ Reduce accident rate/safer route
▪ Reduce noise and air pollution
▪ CBD couldn’t handle a large volume of traffic
▪ Avoid damage to roads by increase traffic flow

Disadvantage of the N1 passing through a town/city, for motorists:

▪ Slowing down of traffic/journey speed
▪ Takes longer to reach final destination
▪ Congestion
▪ Increases risk of accidents

What are the disadvantages for businesses along the National freeways if they
are diverted to the outer city/ not passing through the city?
▪ Potential income by tourists will decrease
▪ Decrease of threshold population
▪ Economic stagnation/small business close down

PRODUCTS FARMED IN SOUTH AFRICA’S PROVINCES:

• Limpopo: citrus fruits e.g orange; lemons

• Gauteng: maize
• Mpumalanga: sub-tropical fruits e.g bananas; pine apples; paw-paw;
avocadoes
• Kwazulu natal: sugar cane
• Eastern cape: dairy cattle/ Maize
• Western cape: wheat; grapes(wine); deciduous fruits like apples; peaches;
plums
• Northern cape: sheep farming
• North west: beef cattle

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Mapwork Theory

N.B PROVINCE OF LOCATION FOR THE MAPPED AREA IN S.A: NINE PROVINCES

Be able to identify the location of a town mapped and provide the kind of
weather/climatic conditions it is experiencing:
...........................................
PHYSICAL FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE SHAPE / MORPHOLOGY OF A
CITY/TOWN:

• Rivers
• Mountains
• Steep slope
• Floodplain area
• Marshes and vlei
• Erosion
• Rocky outcrop
Shapes of urban settlements can be identified as:

• cross-road
• linear / Elongated
• stellar / star

Shapes of the features(like a dam/rifle range/cultivated land) on a map can be

identified as:
o Rectangular
o Circular.
o Linear.
o Irregular

Ways in which the woodlands/plantations are protected against bush fires:

o There are lookout towers
o Presence of firebreaks
o The roads in the plantation prevent the spread of fires
o Small dams/furrows/rivers in the forested areas

The main way of transporting water to the agricultural land / farm on the
topographical map can be by means of:
- wind pumps.
- pipelines.
- canals.
- furrows.

Type of farming (commercial OR subsistence) practiced in a settlement:

Farms have reservoirs

Farms have boundaries
Farms are specialised - Linked to major transport routes
Large areas cultivated
Numerous dams

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Mapwork Theory

METHODS OF IRRIGATION USED ON FARMING OR CULTIVTED LANDS AND

THEIR ADV/DISADVANTAGES:

• Furrow/canal/flood irrrigation
• Sprinkler / spray irrigation (circular format of cultivated land)
• Drip irrigation
Advantages of the furrow/canal irrigation method:

• Inexpensive or cheap
• Does not need much attention
• Does not need machinery
• No technical knowledge needed
• Flow of water easily controlled
• Requires not much labour
• Water spread over a surface within a short time
• No much energy is required

Disadvantages of the furrow/canal irrigation method:

• High evaporation rate

• Uneven spreading of water on the bed surface
• Uneven water absorption (where slope not level)
• Soil become wetter than normal
• Not suitable for fertilizers or pest control or weed control

Advantages of the Sprinkler / spray irrigation method:

• Requires less labour

• Avoid water loss through seepage
• Distribute accurate/measured water
• Makes it possible to irrigate uneven soils
• Equal or uniform distribution of water

Disadvantages of the Sprinkler / spray irrigation method:

• Water blown away by wind

• High evaporation rate
• Can damage some crop leaves
• Unstable soils lead to compaction
• High energy use

Advantages of the drip irrigation method:

• Less water wastage

• Less energy required
• Limited weeds growth
• Easy to use fertilizers; insecticides and herbicides

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• Not much labour is required

• Can irrigate even shallow soils
• Good for water scarce areas
• Favours any soil texture
• Water is direct to the crop

Disadvantages of the drip irrigation method:

• Water evaporate very quickly if the pressure is high

• High capital outlay
• Requires frequent monitoring
• On sandy soils water absorbs quickly

WHY THERE ARE NO BUILDINGS; ROADS; RAILWAYS ON STEEP SLOPES OR

MOUNTANEOUS AREA OR ARROUND THE VALLEY?

• Very expensive to construct on mountain

• More bridges required as there are more rivers
• Danger of flooding

ACCESSIBILITY OF A CITY/TOWN/PLACE IS DETERMINED BY:

• Many roads
• railways
• Roads intersections
INTERVISIBILITY:

• How visible the place is, in relation to the other. Are there any obstructions
like mountains or the height/altitude of one place varying from the other.

• E.g If you are at spot height .1579 will you see a cultivations at .1349.8
GENERAL DIRECTION OF A RIVER: a river is given direction of flow where it
ends. E.g westward, eastward, south-west

• Higher lying ground where it comes from

• Direction at which tributaries join the river
• The position of dam walls
• Large water storages ahead where the river is flowing to. e.g oceans, dams
HOW TO IDENTIFY WET AREAS OR REGIONS on a MAP:/ or How to see if the
water table is close to ground:

• Many rivers
• Many cultivations
• Many dams
• Dense vegetations / woodlands
• Marsh and vlei
• On the eastern coast of S.A

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SOME FARMS ARE BORDERED BY ROW OF TREES; WHY?

- function of the row of trees

• Act as a wind breaker

• Prevent soil erosion
• To drop the speed of the wind
• To prevent damage to crops
• Aesthetic reasons/beautification

• Nb. Function of a powerline / slimes dams / silos / woodland;park / converyor

belts / row of trees / a dam or a river / canal or furrow
WHY ARE THERE NO SETTLEMENTS IN SOME PARTS OF THE MAP ? Because of:

• Swamps and marshes

• Wetlands
• Protected areas
• Hilly / mountainous / steep gradient(slope)
• Unstable soil (erosion) / mining
• Mosquitoes / insects (wetlands)
e.g Between Blocks J3 (contours far apart) and D8 (contours close
together), where can you advise the municipality to build RDP
houses?

• ANSWER: Block J3
• Reasons:

• Block J3 is relatively flat / is gentle / contours are far apart / is

not expensive for construction / is cheap to build on a flat
ground.
• Block D8 is mountainous/ hilly / steep gradients / contours
are close together / is expensive to build on hilly-steep
slopes.

SOURCES OF WATER FOR FARMERS:

• Dam
• River
• Reservoir/tank
SOCIAL SERVICES ARROUND THE MAPPED AREA:

• Clinic
• Hospital
• School
• Place worship
• Police station
OF WHAT IMPORTANCE CAN A RECREATIONAL AREA LIKE A Park or Forest
/ Woodland SERVE:
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Mapwork Theory

• Supply oxygen
• Absorb carbon dioxide
• Clean the air
• Provide water vapour (evapo-transipiration)
LAND-USE ZONES:

✓ On which land-use zone do we find e.g cemetery; industry; sewage disposal;

golf course; aerodrome; shops; brick works?
• CBD: shops
• Rural-urban fringe: cemetery; golf course; aerodrome; industry; sewage
disposal; brick works; plant nurseries
• Transition zone: industry; ware houses
• Residential zone: offices;
N.B MAN-MADE or CONSTRUCTED FEATURES AND/OR NATURAL
FEATURES ON A MAP (GIS)
N.B How to identify street names on the map. (not patterns?)- find the street on
the topographical map, and identify its name on the orthophoto map; the name of the
street is provided on the orthophoto map.
How to identify modern and/or old townships:
▪ New / modern has a planned irregular street pattern
▪ Old has less vegetation / trees / plants / parks / greenbelts
▪ New / modern situated on the outskirts / far from existing built-up area / CBD
▪ New / modern has fewer / no services
▪ New / modern has open spaces between buildings
▪ New / modern has more trees / vegetation visible, indicating it is more
established
▪ Old has fewer open stands
▪ Old is closer to CBD / on outskirts of CDB
▪ Old is mainly grid street pattern

How to identify a high-income residential area on map: (where rich people stay)

✓ Large stands / houses

✓ Far from the industries / CBD
✓ Close to open space / river
✓ Close to recreational areas
✓ Build on North facing / warm slopes
✓ More Accessibility
✓ Next to coast / ocean view
✓ Next to nature reserve (view)
✓ Next to river (view)
✓ Larger plots / low density

Types of towns (settlements): e.g Musina is an example of a … town.

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▪ central place / junction / gap or gateway / specialized

▪ break of bulk point / mining / resort
What evidence on the topographical map and orthophoto map suggests that a
town or city is a central place town?

• Many urban services

• Churches
• Schools
• Police Stations
• Shops
• Hospitals
• Recreational facilities
• People from surrounding rural area can use these urban services
• Roads from different directions converge

Services that the town/city may offers when identified on a map:

• Medical services
• Educational services
• Employment opportunities
• Higher-order functions/shopping centres
• Recreational facilities

Types of roads: Arterial / main / secondary / other road / national freeway

Evidence from the map that the woodlands or plantations or farms are highly
protected: (or protected against fires)
• Fence
• There are lookout towers
• Presence of firebreaks
• The roads in the plantation prevent the spread of fires
• Small dams/furrows/rivers in the forested areas

Point of evidence from the map that these woodlands/plantations are grown
for commercial purposes:
- Many roads to transport wood
- Provision of housing for labourers
- Protective measures (examples) in place
- Large area covered
- Millpark / sawmill
- Naming of plantations

What does the presence of conveyor belts indicate on a map?

• Industries / factories –
• way or means of transportation within the boundaries of an industry.

How do we see if the topographical map provided is a complete one?

• It must have 15' of longitudes and 15' of latitude.

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When was the topographical and the orthophoto map edited? – find answers
bottom corners of the maps e.g year edited: 2000

Tone and Texture of the features on a map?

➢ E.g a tone of a dam – dark or light coloured
➢ E.g a texture of a dam – can be fine or coarse

Land use: A useful method is to consider economic activities:

a) Primary - farming (describe the type of farming: cultivation, orchards,

vineyards, stock farming with kraals, watering-places, windmills,
dipping tanks, irrigation furrows, canals and pipes, farm dams,
plantations);
- mining (describe mine sites and proximity to communications);
- forestry (describe how this relates to relief);
- fishing (coastal maps, especially of the southern and western
coasts of South Africa, show the fishing areas).

(b) Secondary - industry (look for industrial location factors, market, raw
material, power and water, labour, flat land and transport).

(c) Tertiary - services (education, recreation, health, shops, etc.)

• N.b how each activity support one another e.g a mine & a farm

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