or architect’s scale, depending on whether the content of the drawing involves primarily civil engineering (such as for earthwork, drainage structures, and roads) or buildings (including residential, commercial, or governmental structures).
Topographic Maps Are Useful Preplanning Tools Just about everyone uses a map in his or her daily life. Maps are available in many forms: printed in books or on sheets of paper, or brought up on one’s computer screen, smart phone, or tablet. Google (the verb) the name of a restaurant or auto repair shop, and a website will pop up with a map marking the location of the business with a street address. We can glean an amazing and diverse array of information about our world from maps, from directions to the location of hot spots to visit. Landscape architects use maps for nearly every facet of what they do, to better inform them about a project site. Maps represent the Earth in two dimensions. The maps commonly used by landscape architects have topographic information. Topographic maps (ones prepared by a land surveyor or published by the United States Geological Survey) provide three-dimensional information such as elevation and landform, represented graphically in two dimensions. From a topographic map—that is, a map with contour lines—one can determine the level or steep areas on the ground, and identify the aspect of landforms such as areas that are in shade (north side of a hill) or predominantly in sun (south side of a hill). The ground on the north side of a hill is generally wetter, with deeper soils. Soils having more moisture support more diverse and lush plant cover, as they are often in shade during the daylight hours. The ground facing the south is generally drier, with thinner soils and therefore might support drought-tolerant but less diverse plant species. As one becomes more familiar with topographic maps and skilled at using them, a treasure trove of useful information can be mined to give one a better understanding of the physical and temporal aspects of a site, and
What Is Scale, Why Is It Important, and How Is It Used?
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