WETMAAP Skill 2  
Fort Clatsop: Element 2

Skill 2: Scale Determination
Element 2: Determining Scale of  2000 Aerial Photograph

Materials:

            1:24,000 scale Warrenton-Astoria Topographic Quadrangle   
   
         2000 Aerial Photograph of study site
            9" x 9" clear film overlay
            color marker pens
            ultra fine black marker pen
            ruler
            drafting tape
            calculator 
           
Reference Manual

Exercise:

      1. Tape the 9" x 9" clear film overlay on top of the 2000 aerial photography.

      2.  Use the Black pen to make four marks on each fiducial.

                          Hint: The fiducial is a yellow dot or cross-hair along each of the four sides of the aerial photography.

      3.      Using the 1:24,000 scale topographic map and the Black pen, locate the four corners of the study site on the 2000 aerial photography.

            4.   Use the ruler and the Black pen; link the four corners of the study site to make a complete boundary.

            5.      Identify two points on the 1:24,000 scale topographic map at least four inches apart.

                              Hint: It is best to identify and use cultural features, but if not enough are available, use two natural feature points that do not appear to have changed.

            6.      Identify the exact same two features from the topographic map on the 2000 aerial photograph.  Make a mark on the aerial photograph for each location.

            7.      Measure the distance between the two points on the 1:24,000 scale topographic map with the ruler.

_________________      What is the distance in inches?

            8.      Measure the distance between the two points on the 2000 aerial photograph with the ruler.

                  ________________                  What is the distance in inches?

            9.      Using the calculator and "Scale Determination" section of the Reference  Manual, determine the scale of the aerial photograph.

_________________      What is the scale that you calculated?