Create custom elevation profiles with National Geographic MapMaker Sketch tools
In the latest release of MapMaker, you can now use the Sketch tools to draw a line and then easily see the underlying elevation profile. You can use this to:
- Plot the profile, distance and elevation gain of a planned fieldwork excursion.
- Direct students to specific locations to see the elevation profile of a subduction zone, volcano or any other geographic feature.
- Help students map and calculate their routes to school.
Note - If you want to save your work so that you can share your map or come back to it later, you will need to sign in with an ArcGIS Online username and password. Details of how to to get an ArcGIS Online account to do this can be found here.
To get started just follow the steps below:
1. Open MapMaker.
2. Navigate to the location where you want to see the elevation profile. In this example we will look at the glaciated landscape of the Lake District National Park in the UK to help plan an upcoming field trip.
3. Click on the Sketch tool button from the bottom tool bar and then select the Line button at the top of the panel.
4. Sketch out the path. One click to start, click along the path and then double click to finish the line. This will draw a thin black line on the map. If you want to change the color, linestyle or thickness of the line, choose the Edit arrow at the top right of the Sketch panel.
5. Select the line you have just drawn and change it's style. At this point you will also need to add some pop-up information to enable the new elevation profile functionality.
6. Once you have finished changing the style and adding the pop-up information, click on the X at the top of the Sketch panel to close the Sketch tool. Now click on the line to show the pop-up information.
7. In the pop-up panel you will now see the new Elevation profile button. Click on this to see the profile of the line that you just drew.
8. To see the additional statistics of length, gain, loss, min, max and more, click on the Show details down arrow in the bottom right of the profile.
9. Repeat these steps for anywhere else in the world to see the elevation profile beneath your sketched line.
10. And don't forget, if you want to save your map so you can share it of work on it later, you will need to sign in with an ArcGIS Online username and password.
