what are the qualities if a good map?

Answer 1

A good map will have following information if it pertains to a city:
1. Clear identifiation of direction indicating North without ambiquity
2. Scale used in the map
3. Land with major arterial roads clearly given with major important locations
4. Waterways and bridges identified.
5. Bus stations, railway station and airport identified besides major hospitals.
6. Special information on the city
7. Footnotes on currency, languages spoken, population etc.,
VR

Answer 2

That is a general question and in order to answer, it must be considered what the map will be used for.

I use maps to navigate every day of the week. As it turns out I use several maps each for a different image that I require. A map that covers several states might help with the big picture. Then sometimes I need to find a specific location.

Maps are tailored to a particular application. A good map for hiking should have topographical info. A good map for local deliveries in New York City for instance needs great detail, and is usually in the form of a booklet rather than the familiar folding sheet. Truck drivers need maps that show designated truck routes, restricted roads and low bridges.

The best maps are electronic. They posses all the required data for many applications and different sets of info can be turned on and off. The desired zoom can be set and in some cases routing can be suggested and followed in real time.

Answer 3

As a cartography by trade, this is a difficult question to answer. It depends on the type of map you are trying to create. The quality of the map depends greatly on who or what purpose you are creating the map for. Interpretability is always the primary goal in map production, now HOW you want the map to be interpreted, is another entirely different kettle of fish. For instance if you are creating a series of maps for a real estate agency which will use the maps to lure customers to properties, you will want to obviously make the roads legible and all that ****, but the main purpose of the map is not to direct people on how to get to the sites, but to encourage people to WANT to get to the sites. You will want to emphasize schools, shopping centers, parks and recreational sites within a close proximity, while minimizing industrial facilities, tenament housing, vacant lots, and eye soars such as powerplants. If you create a map for a politician, you will want to emphasize the jurisdiction in which he or she holds carries the majority, and minimize the areas which there is less support (depending on circumstances of the maps commission). Some elements that all maps hold in common are generally (though not always) 1. Interpretability 2. Accenting focus of the map, while not distracting the reading with excessive details 3. Pleasing aesthetics (how the map looks). One very important aspect of cartography is establishing trust with the viewer, and this is done primarily through map layout and use of color. I could go on for days on this topic, but these are some of the basics. It's also important to remember that maps ARE only statistics represented visually, they are always made by someone FOR someone, so when you look at a map other than a simple Rand McNally road map, remember that someone paid alot of money for you to see and believe the map they are putting in front of you. (CNN, former USSR, political maps of all sorts)

Answer 4

I think a good map should have a clear scale, a legend and different colour code to make it easier to read the map (e.g. to differentiate international boundaries...)

Answer 5

depends on the type of map you have, or that you are creating. it should be neat and easy to read, with a clear legend and symbols that represent the places you are marking well. it should have a compass (n,e,s,w) somewhere on there so you can tell the direction. labels are important too.

Answer 6

It should have two dimensional features on it that roughly correspond with places in out three dimensional world in order to help you navigate.