Map Skills and GIS

What the page covers

The resources here run from first steps with maps to mapping technology. Early material covers hemispheres, oceans, the Equator, plans and maps seen from above. Further on you will find compass bearings, grid references, map scale, contour lines, projections, latitude and longitude, aerial photographs, remote sensing and GIS.

Where to start

If map work is new, begin with the quiz Geography map reading, which asks about plans, maps and bird's-eye views. The Maps and Globes flashcards then check how globes and flat maps differ, and what longitude and latitude lines do.

For a bit more challenge, work through these in order:

1. The Map Quiz for Year 7, which asks what GIS means, what a map key is and why coordinates matter.
2. The deck Unit 1 - Mapping and Geotechnologies - Key Terms, covering topographic maps, easting, northing and digital mapping.
3. The note Geography Unit 1 Test, which lists the compass rose points 22.5 degrees apart.

Using quizzes and maps together

Take a quiz first and note what you missed. Then open a mind map on that topic, such as Grid References, Map Elements, Topographic Maps or Projection, and read the branches slowly. Return to the quiz afterwards and see what has stuck.

The mind maps Fieldwork and Research and Key Skills in Geography cover data collection and presentation, which is useful for exam-style skills questions in GCSE Geography, IGCSE Geography, A-level Geography or AP Human Geography.

Where it fits

This unit sits in the strand Geographical Foundations and Skills within Geography. It is the place for the tools you use before and during every other geography topic. Most resources suit secondary school, with some primary material and a little at university level.

Next step

Choose one topic that feels shaky, try a quiz on it, and then make your own flashcards from what you got wrong.