Contours
Contours are used to show elevations in a flat map.
A contour line on map connects the path of fixed elevation points across a map. Contour interval is the difference of height between two adjacent contour lines. Different maps may have different contour intervals depending upon the scale or area type.
In a map, more distance between adjacent contours reflects flatter area, while crowded contours tell about steepness of a feature.
every fifth contour line is kept thicker for ease of counting.
try to find contour lines in this map of Muzaffarabad.
In computer age, we have many new ways to visualize and compute a 3D area, but this hasn't harmed the usefulness of contours.
contours are used to design drainage channels, canals, roads, railway lines or calaculate the capacity of a new lake. Military maps need contours for planning operations.
Before computers, contour maps were costly to make, and modify. It included aerial survey, photogrammetry and stereoscopy to manually draw contour maps.
Nowadays, satellites generate data elevation models of globe with
computerized 3D terrain data-sets have made life much easier. custom contours can be drawn in seconds with flexibility of detail and resolution.
It took few seconds to draw contours of Karakorams near K-2 in the picture below. Before computers, it would have taken years if not decades to draw such a map.
Contours are used to show elevations in a flat map.
A contour line on map connects the path of fixed elevation points across a map. Contour interval is the difference of height between two adjacent contour lines. Different maps may have different contour intervals depending upon the scale or area type.
In a map, more distance between adjacent contours reflects flatter area, while crowded contours tell about steepness of a feature.
every fifth contour line is kept thicker for ease of counting.
try to find contour lines in this map of Muzaffarabad.
In computer age, we have many new ways to visualize and compute a 3D area, but this hasn't harmed the usefulness of contours.
contours are used to design drainage channels, canals, roads, railway lines or calaculate the capacity of a new lake. Military maps need contours for planning operations.
Before computers, contour maps were costly to make, and modify. It included aerial survey, photogrammetry and stereoscopy to manually draw contour maps.
Nowadays, satellites generate data elevation models of globe with
computerized 3D terrain data-sets have made life much easier. custom contours can be drawn in seconds with flexibility of detail and resolution.
It took few seconds to draw contours of Karakorams near K-2 in the picture below. Before computers, it would have taken years if not decades to draw such a map.
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