How To Read A Topographic Survey Map. The map reading guide is an ideal resource for a wide range of map users and is an excellent and simple introduction to topographic maps which are suitable for anyone with an interest in maps. It would be thousands of years before cartographers (map makers) could chart large areas of terrain with any real accuracy.
Surveying has to do with the determination of the relative spatial location of points on or near the surface of the earth. A contour line is a line that connects points of equal elevation. Geological survey (usgs) topo maps.
Look closely at the map legend.
A map’s scale connects the. Your survey will display information based on a scale. You can look at a topographic map and quickly see where the hills, rivers, peaks, and valleys are. A survey’s legend is typically presented on the right hand side of the survey, or along the bottom of the document.