You are no doubt all familiar with the
London Underground map , the first version of which was devised in 1931 by Underground employee Harry Beck . He realised that passengers on the Underground were not interested in features above ground and only required a map showing the location of stations relative to one another. This type of map is a called a topological map. Topological maps simplify reality so that that only vital information remains and unnecessary detail has been removed. These maps lack scale, and distance and direction may change from place to place , but the relationship between points is maintained.
A recent application of the same idea is this excellent motorway map of the UK...
The detail of the map is too small for you to read on the blog but if you click on it, you will link to a page which will allow you to print out a much larger version. If you are travelling on the motorways of the UK this summer, it is guaranteed to make navigation easier!
Below is an extract of the map for the motorways of central Scotland..
