Map Reading The ability to read and understand a map is an important professional qualification for every Soldier. A thorough knowledge of map reading.

Map Reading The ability to read and understand a map is an important professional qualification for every Soldier. A thorough knowledge of map reading is essential to your military career. Only through mastery of the skills presented, can you hope to proceed to the more complex instruction and application that follows. Map reading is one of the most important skills that you must develop as a Soldier. Once you have the ability to get yourself from point A to point B, you can begin to incorporate the multitude of other variables involved with movement.

Objectives Identify marginal information and topographic symbols on a military map Identify the five major, three minor and two supplemental terrain features on a military map Determine grid coordinates on a military map Determine elevation using a military map Today’s lesson is to lay the groundwork for successful map reading and land navigation by exposing you to the basic information found on all military maps, terrain features, contour lines and elevation, and how to determine four, six and eight-digit grid coordinates.

Marginal Information Tenino Sheet Name Sheet Number
Adjoining Map Sheets Diagram Stock Number Tenino Edition 7-DMATC Series V791 Sheet 1477 IV A map could be compared to a piece of equipment. The first thing you should check on new equipment is the “instructions for use.” In the margin of the map, the map maker has provided information. Before using any map, you should first check the marginal information. Unfold your Tenino map sheet. Sheet Name: The sheet name is found in two places: in the upper center margin and either the right or left side of the lower margin. On this map you see the word “Tenino.” This is the sheet name. It was taken from the most populated, largest or most significant cultural or geographic feature within the mapped area. Sheet Number: the sheet number is also found in two places. Look at the upper right margin. You will find the word “sheet”, some numbers, and a Roman numeral. This is the sheet number. This sheet number can also be found in the lower left margin. This number identifies this map sheet from all other map sheets. Adjoining Sheets: Notice that the center box is labeled "Adjoining sheets." This box has been further divided into smaller rectangles. The center box is outlined in heavy black line, and it contains a number which is the same as the map's sheet number. This is the index to adjoining sheets. It tells you what map sheet you would need to navigate in an area adjacent to the area covered by this map sheet. Stock Number: The stock number is found in the lower left margin of the map. The stock number is unique to this map sheet and is used to order or requisition more maps.

Marginal Information (2)
Special Notes Declination Diagram A map could be compared to a piece of equipment. The first thing you should check on new equipment is the “instructions for use.” In the margin of the map, the map maker has provided information. Before using any map, you should first check the marginal information. Unfold your Tenino map sheet. Sheet Name: The sheet name is found in two places: in the upper center margin and either the right or left side of the lower margin. On this map you see the word “Tenino.” This is the sheet name. It was taken from the most populated, largest or most significant cultural or geographic feature within the mapped area. Sheet Number: the sheet number is also found in two places. Look at the upper right margin. You will find the word “sheet”, some numbers, and a Roman numeral. This is the sheet number. This sheet number can also be found in the lower left margin. This number identifies this map sheet from all other map sheets. Adjoining Sheets: Notice that the center box is labeled "Adjoining sheets." This box has been further divided into smaller rectangles. The center box is outlined in heavy black line, and it contains a number which is the same as the map's sheet number. This is the index to adjoining sheets. It tells you what map sheet you would need to navigate in an area adjacent to the area covered by this map sheet. Stock Number: The stock number is found in the lower left margin of the map. The stock number is unique to this map sheet and is used to order or requisition more maps.

Scale Bar Scales Contour Interval Notes Grid Reference Box Scale: In the bottom center margin you will see the word "Scale" followed by numbers 1:50,000 (one, colon, fifty thousand). This means that one unit of measurement on the map is equal to fifty thousand of the same unit on the ground. Bar Scales: Directly beneath the map scale you will find the bar scales. These are used to convert map distance to ground distance and vice versa. Contour Interval: Beneath the bar scale you will find the contour interval note. This gives the vertical distance between contour lines, and the unit of measurement which is usually either feet or meters. Grid Reference Box: Below the credit note you will find a large rectangular box. This is the grid reference box. In the grid reference box, the grid zone designation, and the 100,000 meter square identification is found. Notice the 100,000 meter square identification for this map is EH and EG and the Grid Zone Designator for this map is 10T. You will be using this information later.

Map Agency Legend Map Agency: Above the legend, you will see a seal and a credit explaining which mapping agency produced the map. Your map was produced by the Defense Mapping Agency. Just below this, the map will display when the map was made. (Note to instructor: The Tenino map should be accurate as of There also may be a more current Tenino map in distribution.) Legend: Move to the bottom left hand corner and notice that this area is covered with colors and symbols. This is the legend. This is where the map maker tells the user what colors and symbols stand for on this map. The symbols are not always the same on every map. Always refer to the legend to avoid errors when reading a map. Glossary: There is no glossary on this map. If this was a map of an area in a country whose native language was other than English, there would be a glossary. The glossary lists nouns and their translation in the native language and in English.

Topographic Symbols Manmade and natural features are depicted by symbols, lines, colors, and forms. These features are represented by conventional signs and symbols. To be legible, many of these must be exaggerated in size.

Colors on a Military Map
(IAW FM (C1), dated 30 August 2006) Black: Indicates cultural (man-made) features such as buildings and roads, surveyed spot elevations, and all labels. Red-Brown: The colors red and brown are combined to identify cultural features, all relief features, non-surveyed spot elevations, and elevation such as contour lines on red-light readable maps. Blue: Identifies hydrography or water features such as lakes, swamps, rivers, and drainage. Green: Identifies vegetation with military significance such as woods, orchards, and vineyards. Brown: Identifies all relief features and elevation such as contours on older edition maps and cultivated land on red-light readable maps. Red: Classifies cultural features, such as populated areas, main roads, and boundaries, on older maps. Other: Occasionally, other colors may be used to show special information. These are indicated in the marginal information as a rule. The map maker uses colors and symbols to represent natural and man-made features. FM lists seven colors (black, red-brown, blue, green, brown, red, and other) that show information about natural and man-made features. The use of colors will vary, depending on the date of the particular map. These colors and what they represent are: Black: Indicates cultural (man-made) features, such as buildings and roads, surveyed spot elevations, and all labels. Red-Brown: The colors of red and brown are combined to identify cultural features, all relief features, non-surveyed spot elevations, and elevation such as contour lines on red-light readable maps. Blue: Identifies hydrography or water features such as lakes, swamps, rivers, and drainage. Green: Identifies vegetation with military significance, such as woods, orchards, and vineyards. Brown: Identifies all relief features and elevation such as contours on older edition maps and cultivated land on red-light readable maps. Red: Classifies cultural features, such as populated areas, main roads and boundaries on older maps. Other: Occasionally, other colors may be used to show special information. These are indicated in the marginal information as a rule. (reference FM , page 3-6, dated 30 August 2006)

Contour Lines Contour lines are the most common method of showing relief and elevation on a standard topographic map. A contour line represents an imaginary line on the ground, above or below sea level. All points on the contour line are at the same elevation. The elevation represented by contour lines is the vertical distance above or below sea level. The three types of contour lines used on a standard topographic map are index, intermediate, and supplementary. Index. Starting at zero elevation or mean sea level, every fifth contour line is a heavier line. These are known as index contour lines. Normally, each index contour line is numbered at some point. This number is the elevation of that line. Intermediate. The contour lines falling between the index contour lines are called intermediate contour lines. These lines are finer and do not have their elevations given. There are normally four intermediate contour lines between index contour lines Supplementary. These contour lines resemble dashes. They show changes in elevation of at least one-half the contour interval. Supplementary lines are normally found where there is very little change in elevation such as on fairly level terrain.

Contour Intervals Before the elevation of any point on the map can be determined, the user must know the contour interval for the map he is using. The contour interval measurement given in the marginal information is the vertical distance between adjacent contour lines. Use the following procedures to determine the elevation of a point on the map. Determine the contour interval and the unit of measure used; for example, feet, meters, or yards Find the numbered index contour line nearest the point you are trying to determine the elevation for Determine if you are going from lower elevation to higher, or vice versa. In Figure 10-3 of FM , point (a) is between the index contour lines. The lower index contour line is numbered 500, which means any point on that line is at an elevation of 500 meters above mean sea level. The upper index contour line is numbered 600, or 600 meters. Going from the lower to the upper index contour line shows an increase in elevation. To determine the exact elevation of point (a), start at the index contour line numbered 500 and count the number of intermediate contour lines to point (a). Point (a) is located on the second intermediate contour line above the 500-meter index contour line. The contour interval is 20 meters (Figure 10-2 of FM ), thus each intermediate contour line crossed to get to point (a) adds 20 meters to the 500-meter index contour line. The elevation of point (a) is 540 meters; the elevation has increased. To determine the elevation of point (b), go to the nearest index contour line. In this case, it is the upper index contour line numbered 600. Point (b) is located on the intermediate contour line immediately below the 600-meter index contour line. Below means downhill or a lower elevation. Therefore, point (b) is located at an elevation of 580 meters. Remember, if you are increasing elevation; add the contour interval to the nearest index contour line. If you are decreasing elevation, subtract the contour interval from the nearest index contour line. To determine the elevation to a hilltop, point (c), add one-half the contour interval to the elevation of the last contour line. In this example, the last contour line before the hilltop is an index contour line numbered 600. Add one-half the contour interval, 10 meters, to the index contour line. The elevation of the hilltop would be 610 meters.

Elevation (Figure 10-4 from FM 3-25.26)
There may be times when you need to determine the elevation of points between contour lines to a greater accuracy. To do this, you must determine how far between the two contour lines the point lays. However, most military needs are satisfied by estimating the elevation of points between contour lines (Figure 10-4). If the point is less than one-fourth the distance between contour lines, the elevation will be the same as the last contour line. In Figure 10-4, the elevation of point a will be 100 meters. To estimate the elevation of a point between one-fourth and three-fourths of the distance between contour lines, add one-half the contour interval to the last contour line. Point b is one-half the distance between contour lines. The contour line immediately below point b is at an elevation of 160 meters. The contour interval is 20 meters; thus one‑half the contour interval is 10 meters. In this case, add 10 meters to the last contour line of 160 meters. The elevation of point b would be about 170 meters. A point located more than three-fourths of the distance between contour lines is considered to be at the same elevation as the next contour line. Point c is located three‑fourths of the distance between contour lines. In Figure 10-4, point c would be considered to be at an elevation of 200 meters.

Elevation (2) x 214 256 BM (Figure 10-5 from FM 3-25.26)
To estimate the elevation to the bottom of a depression, subtract one-half the contour interval from the value of the lowest contour line before the depression. In Figure 10-5, the lowest contour line before the depression is 240 meters in elevation. Thus, the elevation at the edge of the depression is 240 meters. To determine the elevation at the bottom of the depression, subtract one-half the contour interval. The contour interval for this example is 20 meters. Subtract 10 meters from the lowest contour line immediately before the depression. The result is that the elevation at the bottom of the depression is 230 meters. The tick marks on the contour line forming a depression always point to lower elevations. In addition to the contour lines, bench marks and spot elevations are used to indicate points of known elevations on the map. Bench marks, the more accurate of the two, are symbolized by a black X; for example X BM 214. The 214 indicates that the center of the X is at an elevation of 214 units of measure (feet, meters, or yards) above mean sea level. To determine the units of measure, refer to the contour interval in the marginal information. Spot elevations are shown by a brown X or dot and are usually located at road junctions and on hilltops and other prominent terrain features. If the elevation is shown in black numerals, it has been surveyed for accuracy at the time the map was printed; if it is in brown, the elevation has not been recently surveyed to confirm its accuracy at the time the map was printed. BM x 214

Terrain Features Five Major Three Minor Ridge Draw Hill Spur Saddle
Valley Depression Three Minor Draw Spur Cliff Two Supplemental Cut Fill The five major, three minor and two supplemental terrain features are discussed and outlined in FM , beginning on page and ending on page

Ridge This is a sloping line of high ground; low ground in three directions and high ground in one direction. Contour lines tend to be U‑shaped or V‑shaped. The closed end of the contour line points to lower ground

Ridgeline Army map reading doctrine used to recognize a series of hill tops or a long extended high ground as a ridgeline. Although this term has been officially removed from the Field Manuals, many Soldiers and leaders still use the term. It is important to understand and recognize a ridgeline, but remember that when you are tested, you will be tested on identifying and labeling a ridge, not a ridgeline.

Ridgeline

Hill A hill is a point or small area of high ground from which the ground slopes down in all directions; with contour lines forming concentric circles. The inside of the smallest closed circle is the hilltop.

Saddle A saddle is a dip or low point along the ridge or crest of a ridge or ridgeline. A saddle can also be the low ground between two hill tops. If you are in a saddle, there is higher ground in two opposite directions and lower ground in the other two directions. A saddle is normally represented as an hourglass shaped contour lines.

Saddle

Valley A valley is a reasonably level ground bordered on three sides by higher ground. A valley will generally have maneuver room and normally has a body of water running from the high ground down into or through the valley. The water may be intermittent or permanent and may vary in size from a stream, creek or river. Contour lines that form the valley are U-shaped with the close end of the U indicating the high ground. The direction of the water flow can be determined by identifying the closed end of the valley. The water will flow away from the closed end of the valley.

Valley

Depression A depression is a low point or hole in the ground with higher ground on all sides. It is represented by closed contour lines that have tick marks pointing toward low ground. Usually only depressions that are equal to or greater than the contour interval will be shown. A pit or mine can also be represented by depression contour lines.

Depression

Spur A spur is a short, continuous sloping line of higher ground, normally jutting out from the side of a ridge or a ridgeline. A spur can be easily recognized by the draws that are normally found to either side of the spur. Spurs have U or V-shaped contour lines with the closed end toward high ground and the open end toward the low ground.

Draw A draw can be shaped like a smaller version of a valley; so therefore, the contour lines of a draw look similar to that of a valley. And though a draw may also have an intermittent or small water source running down and through the draw, the draw is a lot smaller terrain feature than the valley, has no level ground and little or no maneuver room. The ground slopes upward on the sides and toward the head of the draw. Contour lines may be U-shaped, but are normally V- shaped with the point of the V toward the head of the draw or high ground. A draw can be easily identifiable by the spur that is normally found to one or both sides of the draw. Water sources in a draw may also form the head waters of a larger stream or river that flow through a valley.

Cliff A cliff is a vertical or near vertical slope. It is an abrupt change of the land. A cliff may be shown on a map by contour lines being close together or touching, or by a ticked carrying contour line. The tick marks always points toward lower ground.

Cut I A cut is a man-made feature, such as when a hill is cut away to lay a level bed for a road or railroad track. It is shown on a map when it is a least 10 feet high. The contour line extends along the length of the cut. The tick marks point toward the roadbed.

Fill A fill is where a low area has been filled-in to level off a place, such as for a railroad track bed. The contour lines extend along the fill area. The tick marks point toward lower ground.

Protractor (GTA ) The protractor is a U.S. Army Graphic Training Aid (GTA ). There are four major components of the protractor: The cross hair in the middle is used as a vertical and horizontal reference to the north-south and east-west grid lines on a military grid map. The three scales 1:100,000; 1:50,000; and 1:25,000. The scale is used with the corresponding scaled map. The inner scale depicts 360 degrees and is used to determine or plot azimuths. This scale determines the “grid” azimuth compared to the magnetic azimuths given by a compass. The outer scale depicts “mils”. There are 6400 mils in a circle. The mils scale is used primarily for indirect fire purposes because indirect fire assets prefer to compute fire support using mils (because it is more accurate than degrees). Some Soldiers prefer to cut off the outer scale to avoid confusion between the degree scales. There was a time when this was a bad habit, because the Soldier on the ground or the Soldier in the Fire Direction Center had to compute degrees into mils. However, since the advent of computerized fire direction, the FDC can now simply punch in the Soldier’s grid from their call for fire and the computer will convert the grid into mils.

Determining Grid Coordinates
Select the correct scale on the protractor Place the horizontal scale on the grid line with the “0 mark” at the lower left-hand corner of the grid square. Slide scale right into until the vertical scale intersects the center of your plot point Read right then read up Note: Have Cadets refer to their Tenino map sheet and Protractor Select the correct scale on the protractor Place the horizontal scale on the grid line with the “0 mark” at the lower left-hand corner of the grid square Slide scale right into until the vertical scale intersects the center of your plot point Read right then read up

Four-Digit Grid Coordinates
Then Up EH 78 00 1) Identify the 100, 000 Grid Square Identification Letters (in the Grid Reference Box). 2) Read Right to the last grid before your point. 3) Read Up to the last east-west grid below or before your point. What is the cardinal rule of reading grid coordinates? YOU READ from RIGHT AND then UP! A four-digit grid coordinate is basically the grid square your grid coordinate is in. A four-digit grid coordinate will get you within 1,000 square meters of your plot. Submitting a four-digit grid coordinate is not very useful except for quick referencing a key terrain feature or item on the map. Start from the bottom left hand corner of the map sheet and read right until you come to the north-south grid line that just precedes your target or plot. Then we read up until you reach the east-west grid line that just precedes your target or plot Instructor Notes: Read Right

Place your protractor scale on the Zero-Mark( )
When you have reached the intersection of the north-south grid line and east-west gridline that is to the left and below of your target or point, you are now at the “zero mark”. This zero mark will give you four digits; the two from your north-south grid line and the two from your east-west grid line. Congratulations, you have just determined a four-digit grid coordinate to your target or plot. In the example on the slide, the four digit grid is “7800”. This four digit grid is 1,000 meters x 1,000 meters, or if you think about it--contains 1 million square meters. As you can see, this is not a very accurate. If you were searching for a food or ammo cache for your squad, and all you had was a four-digit grid, then think how long it would take you to check each of the one million little square meters! Instructor note: Have students practice using their protractor and map sheet. NOTE: Walk around and make sure Cadets are doing this correctly.

SAMPLE 1,000 METER GRID SQUARE 100,000 M SQUARE IDENTIFICATION
Six-Digit Grid Coordinates EG EH SAMPLE 1,000 METER GRID SQUARE EG EH 100,000 M SQUARE IDENTIFICATION GRID ZONE DESIGNATOR 16S 78 79 00 01 X SAMPLE POINT A six-digit grid coordinate will get you within 100 x 100 meters of your plot. This is more accurate than the four-digit grid you previously plotted. But consider the hidden ammo and food cache scenario. Now, you and your squad must search a 100 x 100 meter area to find your supplies. Instructor note: Continue to monitor Cadets’ ability to do this correctly.

SAMPLE 1,000 METER GRID SQUARE 100,000 M SQUARE IDENTIFICATION
Eight-Digit Grid Coordinates 98 01 00 99 79 78 77 76 EH 1000 5 7 8 9 6 4 3 2 1 X EH EG SAMPLE 1,000 METER GRID SQUARE EG EH 100,000 M SQUARE IDENTIFICATION GRID ZONE DESIGNATOR 16S 78 79 00 01 X SAMPLE POINT An eight digit grid coordinate will get you within 10 x 10 meters of your plot. This is more accurate than the 6-digit grid you previously plotted. Now, you and your squad will only have to search an area that is 10 meters by ten meters, vastly decreasing the time required to find your supplies. Instructor note: Continue to monitor Cadets’ ability to do this correctly.

Closing Summary Questions Next Lesson: 03b, Land Navigation
Review Map Reading chapter in student text and answer critical reasoning questions Bring the following to class: Tenino map sheet Protractor Paper and pencil Briefly review how the lesson covered the objectives. Identify marginal information and topographic symbols on a military map Identify the five major, three minor and two supplemental terrain features on a military map Determine grid coordinates on a military map Determine elevation using a military map Successful navigation requires a thorough understanding of the map reading basic concepts we’ve covered today. Map Reading and Land Navigation is a perishable skill that you will quickly lose if you do not practice constantly. Likewise, constant practice will allow you to master this perishable skill which will lead to self-confidence and confidence in front of your Soldiers and superiors. Knowing how to read and understand maps are valuable skills that can strengthen your awareness, credibility as a leader, and help you standout among your peers. Questions Next Lesson: 03b, Land Navigation

Map Reading The ability to read and understand a map is an important professional qualification for every Soldier. A thorough knowledge of map reading.

Similar presentations

Presentation on theme: "Map Reading The ability to read and understand a map is an important professional qualification for every Soldier. A thorough knowledge of map reading."— Presentation transcript:

Similar presentations

About project

Feedback

Log in

Auth with social network:

Map Reading The ability to read and understand a map is an important professional qualification for every Soldier. A thorough knowledge of map reading.

Similar presentations

Presentation on theme: "Map Reading The ability to read and understand a map is an important professional qualification for every Soldier. A thorough knowledge of map reading."— Presentation transcript:

Similar presentations

About project

Feedback