Editing Topographic map (section)

{{short description|Medium to large scale map that shows a precise map of the terrain}}
{{broader|Terrain cartography}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{stack|
[[File:USMC-051105-M-0245S-008.jpg|thumb|Sergeant Chris D. Washington checking his Topographic map during a morning deer hunt in [[Kilgore, Texas]]]]
[[File:Topographic map example.png|thumb|upright=1.4|A topographic map of [[Stowe, Vermont]] with contour lines]]
[[File:Topographic-Relief-perspective-sample.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Part of the same map in a perspective [[shaded relief]] view illustrating how the contour lines follow the terrain]]
[[File:MTN50-0535-2013-cns Algete.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4| Sheet #535 (2013 version; second digital edition) of MTN50 Spanish National Topographic map series, covering [[Algete]] town (near [[Madrid]]) and its surroundings.]]
[[File:IsraelCVFRtopography.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4| Section of topographical map of [[Nablus]] area ([[West Bank]]) with contour lines at 100-meter intervals. Heights are colour-coded.]]
}}

In modern mapping, a '''topographic map''' or '''topographic sheet''' is a type of [[map]] characterized by large-[[Scale (map)|scale]] detail and quantitative representation of relief features, usually using [[contour line]]s (connecting points of equal elevation), but historically using a [[cartographic relief depiction|variety of methods]]. Traditional definitions require a topographic map to show both natural and artificial features.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kent |first1=Alexander |title=Topographic Maps: Methodological Approaches for Analyzing Cartographic Style |journal=Journal of Map & Geography Libraries |date=1 July 2009 |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=131–156 |doi=10.1080/15420350903001187 |s2cid=128466975 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233462562 |access-date=13 June 2020}}</ref> A topographic survey is typically based upon a systematic observation and published as a [[map series]], made up of two or more map sheets that combine to form the whole map. A topographic map series uses a common specification that includes the range of cartographic symbols employed, as well as a standard geodetic framework that defines the [[map projection]], [[coordinate system]], [[ellipsoid]] and [[geodetic datum]]. Official topographic maps also adopt a national grid referencing system.

[[Natural Resources Canada]] provides this description of topographic maps:<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-sciences/geography/topographic-information/maps/9767
 |title       = National Topographic System Maps
 |last        = Government of Canada
 |date        = 8 April 2016
|website     = Earth Sciences – Geography
 |publisher   = Natural Resources Canada
 |access-date = 16 May 2016
|quote       = yes
 |url-status  = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20160515060238/http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-sciences/geography/topographic-information/maps/9767
 |archive-date = 15 May 2016
}}</ref>{{quote|These maps depict in detail ground relief (landforms and terrain), drainage (lakes and rivers), [[forest cover]], administrative areas, populated areas, transportation routes and facilities (including roads and railways), and other man-made features.}}
Other authors define topographic maps by contrasting them with another type of map; they are distinguished from smaller-scale "[[chorography|chorographic]] maps" that cover large regions,<ref>P. D. A. Harvey, ''The History of Topographical Maps: Symbols, Pictures and Surveys'', Thames and Hudson, 1980, {{ISBN|0-500-24105-8}}, p. 9. "By a topographical map, we mean a large-scale map, one that sets out to convey the shape and pattern of landscape, showing a tiny portion of the earth's surface as it lies within one's own direct experience, and quite distinct from the small-scale maps that show us the features of whole provinces, nations and continents."</ref><ref name="AAT">[[Art & Architecture Thesaurus]] entry for [http://www.getty.edu/vow/AATFullDisplay?find=topographic+maps&logic=AND&note=&english=N&prev_page=1&subjectid=300028361 topographic maps] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607112443/http://www.getty.edu/vow/AATFullDisplay?find=topographic+maps&logic=AND&note=&english=N&prev_page=1&subjectid=300028361 |date=7 June 2011 }}.</ref> "[[planimetrics|planimetric]] maps" that do not show elevations,<ref>Committee on Nomenclature of the American Society of Photogrammetry, "Definitions of terms used in photogrammetric surveying and mapping: preliminary report", ''Photogrammetric Engineering'', 8, 247–283, 1942. "Topographic Map. A map that presents the horizontal and vertical positions of the features represented; distinguished from a planimetric map by the addition of relief in measurable form." This definition is used in many glossaries of map terminology.</ref> and "[[thematic map]]s" that focus on specific topics.<ref>M.-J. Kraak and F. Ormeling, ''Cartography: Visualization of Spatial Data'', Longman, 1996, {{ISBN|0-582-25953-3}}, p. 44. "Traditionally, the main division of maps is into topographic and thematic maps. Topographic maps supply a general image of the earth's surface: roads, rivers, buildings, often the nature of the vegetation, the relief and the names of the various mapped objects."</ref>

However, in the vernacular and day to day world, the representation of relief (contours) is popularly held to define the genre, such that even small-scale maps showing relief are commonly (and erroneously, in the technical sense) called "topographic".<ref name="AAT"/>

The study or discipline of [[topography]] is a much broader field of study, which takes into account all [[Landform feature|natural]] and human-made features of terrain. Maps were among the first artifacts to record observations about topography.<ref>{{Cite journal
| last = Kent|first=A.J. |last2=Hopfstock|first2=A.
| title = Topographic Mapping: Past, Present and Future
| journal = The Cartographic Journal
| volume = 55
| issue = 4
| date = November 2018
| pages = 305–308
| doi = 10.1080/00087041.2018.1576973
| doi-access = free
}}</ref>