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

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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