REAL LIFE NEWS: THE HIKER’S MAP OF MARS
by Hazed
Ordnance Survey have produced a map of Mars (or part of it at least) at a scale of 1 to 4 million. The map shows the Western Arabia Terra.
It has been compiled using the elevation data from the Mars Global Survey’s Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter. The team created the map by treating the data exactly as they would data from Earth-based geography.
Ordnance Survey is the national mapping service for Great Britain. Its maps are beloved of hikers, and they show contour lines to indicate elevation as well as many other features of use to those walking the hills and vales of the country.
The map was produced for one of the scientists involved in the European Space Agency’s exoMars Rover programme, Dr Peter Grindrod of the University of London.
The designer of the map, Christ Wesson, said "The cartographic style is something that is very different to your typical planetary map and is identifiable as an OS map. The key ingredients to this style are the soft colour palette of the base combined with the traditional map features such as contours and grid lines, and the map sheet layout complete with legend."
The second source link below leads to an image of the map on Flickr, where you can download a copy at a variety of sizes – including the giant original size of 11574 x 9921.
Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/02/16/os_mars_map/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/osmapping/25012985956/
