What is a topographical map? What are its advantages and disadvantages?

The shape, relief, contours, roughness, and other dimensions of the Earth’s surface are referred to as topography. This can include both natural and man-made geological features. To provide a complete visualization of an area, surveys are done to analyze, measure, and map topographical features. Travel, transportation, aviation patterns, engineering, architecture, geology, forestry, and farming all benefit from the topography survey. It also has a huge impact on the architecture and layout of cities.

Advantages of topography survey:

1. It helps in achieving an in-depth and accurate picture of the building, land, and other structures of the land.

2. For geographical experts, topography mapping can help show the terrain and forms of the earth's surface orientation and monuments along with terrestrial phenomena.

3. For engineers, topographic maps can help check the appropriate corridors or road construction and select appropriate sites. Moreover, the mapping also helps in large projects, pipe laying, construction, and others.

Disadvantages of Topographic Survey:

1. A topographic map is a standard camping item for many hikers and backpackers. Along with a compass, one of these maps can be extremely useful for people starting on a long backcountry journey into unfamiliar terrain. However, there are limits to what all the lines and symbols can tell the map reader.

2. The biggest drawback of using a topographical map is that the information can be dated. Every map gives the date as to when the survey was done, but map readers should be aware that the landscape and places on a map can change over time.

3. Topographic maps are large and bulky, and so they might become a hindrance to backpackers and other wilderness adventurers, who wish to travel light. The 32- by 40-inch size also means that backpackers and canoeists must be very careful how the maps are packed.