Maps are Made of….
• Maps are made up of satellites and aerial
photographs
• Mapmakers can store, process, and display
map data electronically .
This is all made possible due to computers!
Aerial Photographs
• Cameras are mounted in airplanes to capture
aerial photographs.
– Maps show correct location of human-made and
natural features
University of Tennessee
Satellite Images
• Pictures of the Earth’s surface based on data are
called satellite images
– Plants, soil, rock, water, snow, and ice
– Land may appear as red or green, water as black
or blue, and cities are bluish gray.
Global Positioning System
• GPS navigates using satellite
signals to fix the location of
a radio receiver on Earth’s
surface.
– Two parts: orbiting satellites
and a GPS receiver
Geographic Information System
• GIS is a system of computer
hardware and software
producing interactive maps
– Uses many sources: GPS,
satellite images, area
statistics, and existing maps
– Examples - street
addresses, elevation
above a river, and rainfall
– Data layers are different
types of info stored