What is map scale? The map on the left is a larger scale map of New York City where one inch equals one mile and every map feature is drawn 1/63,360 the actual size on the earth. The map on the right is a smaller scale map of New York where one inch equals 200 miles and every map feature is 1/12,672,000 the actual size on the earth.

Large-Scale Maps vs Small-Scale Maps

Large-scale maps and small-scale maps serve different purposes and are both necessary for various applications. Maps with larger scales provide precision, while smaller scales offer a broader spatial perspective. Therefore, the scale of a map should complement its purpose and be tailored to the type of spatial analysis it is presenting.

A larger scale map with street-level or parcel-level detail is necessary for city planning, property surveys, or showing turn-by-turn navigation within a city. A smaller scale map of a state with highway-level detail is necessary for regional planning and intercity navigation. An even smaller scale map of a country would be useful for understanding broad geographic relationships and long-distance navigation.

Showing Map Scale on a Map

There are three common ways to depict a map's scale:

• Bar scales: Bar scales use a graphic format. The length of the bar scale shows what that length represents in real world units. In the maps above, the line scales show the map distance that corresponds to one mile and 300 miles respectively
• Ratio or “Representative Fraction” (RF): A scale of 1:1,000 means that every feature on the map is shown at one thousandth of its actual size
• Map units per unit or “Verbal Scale”: A scale of one inch = 100 miles means that every inch on the map corresponds to 100 miles on the earth

GIS Software for Maps at Any Scale

Maptitude Mapping Software gives you all of the tools, maps, and data you need to analyze and understand how geography affects you and your business. Maptitude can be used to make maps at any scale.

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