Map Scale

The scale is the ratio of the map distance to the actual distance, indicating the degree of distance on the map compared to the actual Distance Scaling. The scale gives a visual indication of the size of the elements on the map and the distance between them. The larger the scale is, the smaller the scope of the map is, and the more detailed the content is; the smaller the scale is, the larger the scope of the map is, the simpler the content is, and the lower the accuracy is. For example, on a 1: 100,000 map, the length of 1 cm on the map is equivalent to 100000 cm (1000 meters) on the ground. Strictly speaking, the whole map scale is consistent only on large scale maps representing small areas, regardless of the curvature of the earth.

Map Scale classification

Map Scale can be divided into main scale and local scale:

  • Main Scale: refers to the scale on the point or line without deformation on the projection plane, which is mainly used to analyze or determine the actual reduction degree of the ground. For a map with a large mapping area, a large reduction rate of the scene, and a complex map projection, the length of the map varies according to the location and direction.
  • Local Scale: refers to the scale where there is deformation on the projection plane. It is mainly used to study the size, distribution and projection properties of map projection deformation.

Map Scale form

Map Scale has three types: digital type, text type and graphic type. The specific description is as follows:

  • Digital Scale: Expressed as a digital fraction, such as 1:100000. The size of the ratio can be determined by the denominator of the scale. If the denominator is small, the ratio will be large, and the scale will be large; if the denominator is large, the ratio will be small, and the scale will be small.
  • Text Scale: Indicate in words on the map how many meters 1 cm represents the distance on the ground. For example, 1 cm on the map is equivalent to 500 meters on the ground.
  • Graphical Scale: Draw a line segment on the map and indicate the actual distance represented by 1 cm on the map.

Scale related functions

SuperMap provides a variety of functions related to the scale, which is easy to be ignored when the scale is not required. It is better to combine the scale functions with each other. Functions related to scale mainly include two types: map (thematic map) related scale function and layout related scale function.

Map correlation scale

  • Minimum Visible Scale: The minimum Display Scale of the map. If the map scale is smaller than Minimum Visible Scale, the layer is invisible. You can usually set it in the Layer Properties panel. For details, see the Set Layer Visible Scale Range .
  • Maximum Visible Scale: refers to the maximum Display Scale of the map. If the scale of the map is larger than Maximum Visible Scale, the layer is invisible. You can usually set it in the Layer Properties panel. For details, see the Set Layer Visible Scale Range .
  • Use Fixed Scale: When you zoom through a map in Map, you can display the map in Fixed Scale or in a specified series of scales. Map Fixed Scale can be set in the Ranges tab of the Map Properties "panel, as described in the Set Map Fixed Scale.
  • Scale in the status bar: The scale in the Map Status Bar displays the scale of the Current Map. You can directly enter a new Display Scale in the edit box and press Enter to change the Display Size of the map. The setting of the scale here takes precedence over the setting of Fixed Scale. If Fixed Scales is set, the map will be displayed as Fixed Scale, and the value set in the scale edit box of the status bar will be invalid.
  • Scale in Map Cache: The scale function in the Map Cache dialog box is used to set the Map Scale that needs to Generate Cache images. The system will Create Folder for each scale and save the generated cache image in the corresponding folder. Please refer to the Map Cache Usage Guide for detailed description and specific operation.

Layout-related scale function

  • Scale of the map in the layout: Add a map element in the Layout, right click the added map and select the "Properties" item to pop up the "Layout Map Properties" panel. The scale of the selected map is displayed in the Default Display in the scale edit box of the panel. Enter a new scale bar value to modify as needed.
  • Scale in the layout element: Scale element can be added in the layout to indicate the scale of the map element in the layout. Please refer to Draw Scale for specific operations.