Topographic profile pdf
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When working data with topographic maps, topographic profiles and their construction, we often ask you to connect data points with a smooth curve. In such instances, you will be asked to plot some points and connect them with a smooth line. This is different from the plotting of a best fit line because it involves extrapolation of information from spatial data. In the case of constructing a topographic map, you must extrapolate the placement of the appropriate elevation contour. For topographic profiles, you must extrapolate the contour of the landscape (that is, whether it goes up or down) when faced with repeating elevation contours. When should I construct a profile?How do I construct a topographic profile?To construct a topographic profile, you need to find a line on a map that is interesting. In many cases, this line is given to you (often labeled something like A-A' or A-B). The line should go through some part of the map that you are interested in, so that you get useful information. The following list provides some guidelines for effectively constructing a topographic profile and uses the topographic map and profile line provided to the left (you can download a pdf of the map and profile to work from (Acrobat (PDF) 2.3MB Jul18 11)):
Where are smooth curves used in the geosciences?Topographic profiles are used in many applications in the Geosciences. Some of the topics where you will need to recognize and draw a topographic profile are:
Next stepsYou have completed the steps for constructing a topographic profile! Now you can move on and practice with some other data on the sample problems page. If you would like to know more about smooth curves and topographic profiles, you can use the links below. References and resourcesSeveral universities have tutorials for how to construct a topographic profile. Here are just a few: « Previous Page Next Page » |