TIME
CTS 11 Orienteering
1 period (45 minutes)
5.1 Map Reading
WHAT TEACHING METHOD IS SUITABLE FOR THIS PERIOD?
The Guided Discovery Method is best suited for this lesson, as most of the information is either
common knowledge or straightforward.
WHAT MATERIAL DO I NEED?
WHAT MATERIAL DO THE CADETS NEED?
1. Local Area Map (overhead slide if possible)
WHAT SHOULD THE CADET BE ABLE TO
PERFORM AT THE END OF THE PERIOD?
The cadet shall demonstrate:
1) an understanding of the different uses of a
map;
2) the ability to differentiate between types of
maps;
3) the ability to identify objects on a map; and
4) an understanding of the cardinal points and
how they relate to a map.
1. Handout – Local Area Map
WHAT INFORMATION WILL BE PASSED ON
TO THE CADE CADETS IN THIS PERIOD?
The main teaching points are:
1) the purpose and use of a map;
2) the different types of maps and
specifically what they are used for;
3) the different objects contained on a
map; and
4) the cardinal points and their relation to
a map.
INTRODUCTION
WHAT?
WHY?
EXPECTATIONS
TEACHING POINTS
Going somewhere
To go from one place to another (anywhere) you need two items of information:
you need a direction and a distance to travel. Think about this for a bit.
Overland Navigation
Overland navigation is the process of getting from one place to another travelling
over the dry parts of the surface of the earth. Almost all of the time, people
navigate using landmarks (things or places they remember). To get somewhere
they remember a series of points that they move between until they get to their
destination. This usually does not involve tools for measuring either distance or
direction. Road signs are a good example of landmarks we use all the time.
Nautical Navigation
This type of navigation is done over the wet surface of the earth. It involves the
use of landmarks but once you are out of sight of shore it mostly involves the use
of tools such as maps, direction indicators, and distance travelled or speed
indicators, position indicators and celestial bodies (the sun, moon, and the stars).
Maps and How They Work
What are maps?
Mostly, maps are two dimensional representations of the features on or near the
surface of the earth. All of the features are accurately related to each other based
on scaled distance and angular direction. Maps are an analog memory device for
recording landmarks.
Why do we need maps?
We need maps to travel to across places where we cannot recognise or remember a
sufficient number of landmarks to complete our journey safely and efficiently.
Safety is most important because the most efficient route may not be the safest
route. Simply, maps are someone else’s memories and measurements of
landmarks (or waypoints on the water) recorded on flat surface.
In the following picture of a road intersection, you can see that the safest route
(black lines) is much longer than the most efficient route (dark grey line with arrow
heads). Successful navigation allows you to cross terrain safely by avoiding
hazardous places or physical obstacles. In this case there are plenty of landmarks
to allow you to find the safe route. In wilderness areas, places of danger or
obstacles may not be as obvious and this is where map reading skills become
extremely useful.
Figure 1. Traffic Intersection Routes [1]
Maps are made up of a reference system on which meaningful symbols are placed.
The reference system, which is usually a grid, allows us to accurately place symbols
that mark the features of interest on the map. Different types of maps have
different features of interest and use different symbols.
Road maps naturally show roads and highways plus landmarks, bodies of water,
and political boundaries.
Climatic maps show features related to climate such as rainfall, temperature,
vegetation, and so forth.
Political maps show major centres such as capital cities, and boundaries between
countries, provinces, states, townships and municipalities.
Nautical maps or charts show bodies of water, shore lines, landmarks, submerged
hazards, navigation aids, and water depth.
Topographical maps show roads, structures, landscape features, bodies of water,
elevation, and vegetation.
What do most maps have in common?
Maps have a reference system. The reference system allows the map user to know
the distances between features on the map and their relative directions. Most
commonly used maps have a rectangular grid system where regularly spaced lines
run up and down, and across the map and intersect at right (90°) angles. The grid
will be aligned with some known, observable, point. This is usually the physical
north pole of the earth (true north) or the magnetic north pole (magnetic north).
Based on the geometry of the grid, we now know that the lines run north-south and
east-west.
If there is no symbol on the map indicating the direction of north, the top of the
map page can be assumed to be north. Symbols, as simple as an arrow or as
detailed as a compass rose, can be used to show the direction of north on a map.
Figure 2. A Compass Rose and True North Symbol.
On a magnetic compass or compass rose the directions will also be noted in
numbered degrees. The compass circle is divided into 360 degrees (360°) and the
cardinal points have the following degree numbers:




North – 0° and/or 360°
South – 180°
East – 90°
West – 270°
Using a protractor, any angular direction can be found on the map. If you have a
set of parallel map rulers then angular directions can be taken from the map’s
compass rose. If you only have a ruler and a calculator, you can use trigonometric
functions to determine your angles. The important point here is that the map grid
system helps you determine half of what you need to know to go somewhere: it
allows you to determine direction.
If you use this knowledge and physically rotate a map so that “map north” aligns
with “true north” (or “magnetic north” on an orienteering map) then your map is
orientated. Once this is done, the angular direction of features on the map will be
the same as those physical features on the ground. As an example, if your map
shows a big hill due east and your map is oriented properly, then looking due east
you will see “guess what?”, a big hill. Orienting your map is the first step in
knowing what physical features are to be found in what directions. We will deal
more with this topic later in the “Introduction to Orienteering”.
Map Symbols
What are map symbols?
Map symbols can be lines, colours, shapes, letters, numbers, and small drawings.
They all convey information about what you will find on the ground at the location
shown. Below are some examples of topographic map symbols [2].
Nautical maps (charts) have their own set of symbols to indicate the locations of
things both above and below the water.
Summary
Map reading is not difficult if you understand the coordinate system used on the
map and you understand what the symbols mean. It can actually be fun to go
discover a place you have never been before using tools as simple as a map and
compass.
1. “Traffic Intersection, Blacksburg, Virginia”. Orca Computer Inc. Retrieved February 01,
2007, from http://www.orcacomputer.com website:
http://www.orcacomputer.com/vse/VSEBrochure/VSEBrochureMain.html
2. “Topographic Map Symbols”. California State University. Retrieved February 02, 2007,
from http://www.csuchico.edu/ website:
http://www.csuchico.edu/lbib/maps/MAP3.GIF&imgrefurl=http://lib.csufresno.edu/subjectre
sources/maps/topos.html
CONCLUSION
HOW SHOULD THE CADETS BE TESTED?
The requirement for promotion includes the ability to read a map and identify different objects
located on it. This can be accomplished easily through individual assessments, or with an inclass practical exercise.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I NEED TO KNOW?