Location:
key ideas and important concept knowledge
Key ideas
The overarching key ideas of estimation, benchmarks, visualisation, equality and equivalence, language and strategies need to be considered when developing units of work in location. The specific key ideas in location are: position, direction and orientation.
Position
The position of an object on a plane or in space can be specified and described relative to a reference point.
Direction
The direction (i.e. movement) of an object can be described relative to its starting position and surrounding landmarks.
Orientation
The orientation of an object can be described in relation to a reference direction.
Usually the reference direction is a compass point or bearing, or axes on a Cartesian plane.
Important concept knowledge
Visual representations
The location of objects on a plane and/or in space can be visually represented; each representation has particular purposes and ways in which they are read and interpreted.
Visual representations include diagrams, plans, grids, maps, directories and networks.
Coordinate system
A coordinate system is a system used to locate the position or direction of an object on a plane or in space relative to the distance from an origin.
Grid reference
An alpha-numeric grid reference defines a region on a map.
Grid maps
Overlaying an array of squares onto a map provides a means to identify the location of landmarks. The squares are individual (discrete) so the landmark lies inside the given space; for example, the car is located at B1 and the tree is located at D4. The horizontal reference is given first.
Example: in the alpha-numeric reference D2, the letter D represents the horizontal x-axis and the numeral 2, represents the vertical y-axis.
An ordered pair reference defines a point, rather than a region, on a map or Cartesian plane.
Compass points
Cardinal direction
A cardinal direction is a bearing described by north, south, east and west, and is commonly denoted by the direction’s initial.
The four main points on a compass are:
• north (N) – 0° or 360°
• east (E) – 90°
• south (S) – 180°
• west (W) – 270°.
Inter-cardinal direction
Inter-cardinal points can also be used:
• north-east (NE) – 45°
• south-east (SE) – 135°
• south-west (SW) – 225°
• north-west (NW) – 315°.
Other inter-cardinal points include:
• north-north-east (NNE) – 22.5°
• east-north-east (ENE) – 67.5°
• east-south-east (ESE) – 112.5°
• south-south-east (SSE) – 157.5°
• south-south-west (SSW) – 202.5°
• west-south-west (WSW) – 247.5°
• west-north-west (WNW) – 292.5°
• north-north-west (NNW) – 337.5°.
Bearings
A bearing is the angle between north and another landmark as taken from a fixed point. The angle is measured in a clockwise direction.
BOLTSS
BOLTSS (i.e. border, orientations, legend, title, scale and source) is standard information to include on a map:
• border – the limits of the area covered by a map
• orientation – an indication of north
• legend – symbols on the map that represent natural or artificial features on the ground; legends are sometimes referred to as ‘keys’ as they ‘unlock’ the meaning of the symbols
• title – the name of the map, identifying the geographic area that it covers
• scale – a ratio indicating distance on a map in relation to distance on the ground
• source – where the information on the map originated.
