Map Scales Explained
Map Scale Overview
When choosing a map card it’s important to choose the right scale for your needs. While all our maps look good on both the Active 10 and Active 12, they are used for different purposes. Please bear in mind that many of our map cards are sold with multiple scales, and our devices can toggle between the multiple scales – so a map card offering both 1:10k and 1:50k offers a short range Street View and a long distance overview.
1:10k (1:10,000)
1:10k maps show a small area at a time in very high detail. This makes 1:10k maps useful for short range activities. Currently we only sell 1:10k maps as street view layers. This means that they’re street-level maps including road names, place names, and more, usually packaged with a larger map such as 1:25k.
1:14k (1:14,000)
At 1:14k scale, these maps are near Street View scale, providing very high detail. Currently our only 1:14k scale map is in the Greater London area, functioning as a digital A-Z.
1:25k (1:25,000)
1:25k scale maps are useful for activities which benefit from high detail but require more area on the screen at a time, making these maps extra useful for fast paced activities such as running and cycling. 1:25k maps are also useful for plotting long hikes.
1:20k and 1:30k (1:20,000 and 1:30,000)
1:20k and 1:30k maps are similar to 1:25k maps, being only slightly more/=less accurate, these maps are able to perform all the same tasks , though the smaller range of the 1:20k maps help at short distances, the 1:30k maps are useful for slightly longer distances than 1:25k
1:50k (1:50,000)
1:50k maps give an overview of a large area, ideal for fast paced activities or those covering a large area or don’t rely on a lot of details. 50k maps are also great for plotting routes. 1:50k maps are usually packaged with smaller scale maps, which can be combined with our toggle function to provide an overview of an area, whilst the smaller scale (eg 1:25k) maps can be used for the activity (such as hiking).
1:100k (1:100,000)
1:100k maps cover an even larger area than 50k, for example we’re able to cover the whole of mainland France in 1:100k scale.
Categories: Knowledge Base (New) Active12 Active10 Mapping General Active 20