Cartography Glossary

noun a geographical coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface, measured in degrees from the prime meridian

• The Prime Meridian is the line of longitude that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
• I always get confused between latitude and longitude when looking at a map.
• I have no idea what my longitude is, but I know I'm definitely in the right place.
• She felt lost in life, unsure of her longitude and latitude in the grand scheme of things.

noun the process of determining the area of a plane figure

• The architect used planimetry to create detailed floor plans for the new building.
• I had to study planimetry for my architecture class, it's all about drawing floor plans.
• I'm really good at planimetry, I can sketch out a floor plan in no time.
• In a way, planimetry is like mapping out the blueprint of your life before taking any major steps.

noun a three-dimensional representation of the earth's surface that takes into account variations in gravity and topography

• The geoid is a model representing the shape of the Earth, taking into account variations in gravity and the Earth's rotation.
• The geoid basically shows how lumpy or bumpy the Earth's surface is due to gravity.
• The geoid is like a 3D map of the Earth's lumps and bumps caused by gravity and rotation.
• The geoid can be thought of as the Earth's unique fingerprint, showing its irregularities and imperfections.