Reading Technical Drawings and Maps

Introduction

Location of CNFT in aerial photography of the city of Torres Novas.

A technical drawing allows us to visualize and understand the characteristics of one place or one thing, it can be land, a house, a machine, an object or even an idea. It can relate to several stages of anything that is manufactured, built, assembled or related. In this essay we will explore a site plan and simple architecture drawings. A site plan is a map, where we can locate an object in a relative way. the order of scale of the drawing will be followed between the location of an element and the architectural drawing, in order to understand the gradient of scales necessary to read the space we inhabit.

Task

Location (1) of CNFT in military cartography with its legend (2).

If you understand the content of this quest easily, you can take the opportunity to explore maps in real time through the browser with google earth. You will be able to approach from the globe to your city, from the city to the neighborhood, from the neighborhood to home, school, workplace, bus stop, services and equipment. Turning on and off the aerial view and the road map, you can have the perception of how the graphic representation of the same element can assume different formats and characteristics. Depending on the context of the training, tourist maps can be acquired to design routes, search for heritage elements or landmarks. This exercise would aim to simplify if the map we see corresponds to the spaces we know. You can also be invited to develop your own design. You may be asked to design your city or neighborhood. You can graphically narrate a daily journey, a routine, your home or one of their divisions. this exercise will develop the capacity for individual abstraction, synthesis and communication.

Process

You are encouraged to read the essay attached in the resources - documents section titled ' Reading Technical Drawings and Maps'. This essay will provide you with some simple instructions on how to read map and use it to interpret your geographical locations. Once you have read the essay you will be able to understand: the purpose of a map or any other draw- WHY what it can represent - WHAT with what language and resources it is made - HOW and the diversity of map and drawing users - TO WHOM

Conclusion

Reading and understanding a map, a blueprint, or a project is important to consolidate our knowledge of the territory and the spaces we use. Locating elements on a map helps to choose paths, assists the ability to be oriented in space, as well as allows us to understand absolute and relative distances, and upgrades the exploration skills in spaces that we do not know.

Evaluation

Learning Outcomes

Reading Technical Drawings and Maps will enable participants to ’read’ non text-based documents, giving them the ability to acknowledge information presented in a diversified way.

Knowledge Acquired

After having followed the examples, the trainees should have an idea of how to read technical drawings and maps.

Skills Acquired

The reader will develop analytical skills to read technical drawings and maps.

Competences Acquired

The participant will be able to access alternative ways of gathering graphic information besides words, namely maps and projects.