How would you define a contour line?
Definition of contour line : a line (as on a map) connecting the points on a land surface that have the same elevation.
What are the contour lines used for?
Explain to students that these are imaginary lines that join points of equal elevation, and that they allow you to read the shape of the Earth’s surface. Tell students that by reading contour lines, they can measure the steepness of a hill, the height of a mountain, and even the depth of a lake or ocean.
What do contours represent on a map?
Contours are imag- inary lines that join points of equal elevation on the surface of the land above or below a reference surface, such as mean sea level. Contours make it possible to measure the height of mountains, depths of the ocean bottom, and steep- ness of slopes. A topographic map shows more than contours.
What does contour mean in drawing?
outline drawing
contour drawing, version of outline drawing, in which the artist, looking closely at the contour of an object, transfers it in one continuous line to paper without looking down to see what he is doing, except when he needs to place an internal feature such as an eye.
Why contour is important in mapping?
Contour lines are an important part of geographical maps because they show the shape of the land. They are used to show what is on hillsides and mountains. They also show the dips in valleys, rivers, lakes and other water features.
What are the basic features of contour lines?
Characteristics of Contours
- Must close on themselves, on or off the map.
- Perpendicular to the direction of max.
- Slope between them is assumed uniform.
- The distance between them indicates the steepness of the slope, gentle or steep.
- Irregular signify rough, smooth signify gradual slopes.
What do contour lines look like?
Contour lines are the greatest distinguishing feature of a topographic map. Contour lines are lines drawn on a map connecting points of equal elevation, meaning if you physically followed a contour line, elevation would remain constant. Contour lines show elevation and the shape of the terrain.
How do you contour in Arcgis?
- Click the Spatial Analyst dropdown arrow, point to Surface Analysis, and click Contour.
- Click the Input surface dropdown arrow and click the surface you want to contour.
- Type a Contour interval to specify the distance between contours.
- Type a Base contour from which to start contouring, or leave the default of 0.
What is base Contour in Arcgis?
A base contour is used, for example, to create contours every 15 meters, starting at 10 meters. In this case, 10 is used for the base contour and 15 is the contour interval. The values to be contoured are 10, 25, 40, 55, and so on.
How do you make a contour line?
To create contours or isolines from a raster surface, use the Contour tool. To create contours or isolines based on a list of contour values, use the Contour List tool. To create contours from a raster surface and independently generate contours on either side of a barrier, use the Contour With Barriers tool.
Which best describes a contour line drawing?
Put simply, a contour line drawing is an “outline drawing,” that uses no shading. A contour drawing is done when the artist looks intently at the EDGES of an object, but rarely looks at the paper while the pencil moves.
What is contouring in surveying?
Contouring in surveying is the determination of elevation of various points on the land and fixing these points of same horizontal positions in the contour map. In the land property world, a contour is an outline of a mass of land.
What do close contour lines represent on a map?
For example, several contour lines spaced close together would indicate steep terrain, while lines spaced far apart would indicate a gentler slope.
How do you contour in GIS?
In order to create contours, you will need to enable the Spatial Analyst toolbar, which can be found by going to Customize > Toolbars > Spatial Analyst. In the search bar type Contour, and select Contour (Spatial Analyst) from the search results list. The generated contours will automatically be added to the map.