Dictionary

PDA: An acronym for Personal Digital Assistant.

personal digital assistant: A small, handheld computer that can include many of the functions of a desktop or laptop computer, including Internet access.

political maps: A type of map that shows a country's territories, boundaries and capitals.

physical maps: A type of map that shows the geography of an area, including its mountains, waterways and lowlands.

plat: A type of map that shows the divisions and subdivisions of a piece of land.

Prime Meridian: Used as a basis for measuring longitude. It runs north to south through Greenwich, England (0º latitude)

real time: Time as it is currently happening, as opposed to pre-recorded or theorized occurrences. It is often used to define traffic as it is currently happening versus past results or forecasts.

relief model: A map that is three dimensional rather than flat. It is used to show different elevations.

road atlas: A collection of maps that shows streets, highways and other paths for transportation in a given area.

SCH: An abbreviation for school.


scale: The relationship between the distance between points on a map and actual distance. For example, a length of one inch on a map might represent ten miles of actual distance.

satellite: A manmade object that orbits in space. They typically send signals or information to satellite receivers on Earth.

satellite images: Pictures taken from satellites.

street map: A type of map that shows roads in a given area. Street maps typically cover one city or region.

symbol: A small picture on a map that represents something else. For example, a picture of a wheelchair might represent wheelchair access locations. Symbols are explained in a map’s legend.