PRACTICAL 2 PREPARING A MAP

OF THE COMMUNITY
Structure
2.0 Objectives

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Preparing a Map of the Community

2.2.1 Uses of Preparing Map
2.2.2 Indications for Preparing a Map of the Community
2.2.3 Points to Remember
2.2.4 Articles Required for Preparing a Map
2.2.5 Procedure

2.3 Enlarging the Map

2.4 Placement of the Map

2.0 OBJECTIVES
After going through this practical, you will be able to:
locate the general and specific sources from where the maps are available
such as General stores, Panchayat offices/corporations/block development
offices/District office etc;
develop a map of your area with the help of map which is available with the
bloclddistrictoffice;
make use of the map to render services in the community;
identify the distance from one area to the other, from the scale given in the
map; and
enlarge the map if required for clarity and additional information.

2.1 INTRODUCTION
As a Community Health Nurse you are expected to render holistic care to the
individual family and the community at large. This requires a lot of traveling from
,
one place to the other in order to visit the families which may be situated far away
from your center. Hence it is very important for you to know the area, its people
and resources. Therefore, it is necessary to have a community map. A map is a
diagrammatic representation of a specific geographical arca which acts as a guide
tool. Maps provide a comprehensive view of the padcular region, its resources,
institutions and the various salient features of the community. In this practical you
will learn about the uses of map, indicagons for dreparing map, p i n t s to remember,
articles and procedure for preparing a map. You will also learn about the proper
placement of map.

2.2 PREPARING A MAP OF THE COMMUNITY

- - - - - - - -

In this section we shall focus on uses, indications, articles and procedure of

,preparing of map.
2.2.1 Uses of Preparing Map Preparing a Map of the
Community
The uses of map are:
Prevents the wastage of time spent in identifying the resources.
Helps in the judicious allotment of time and prior planning of work schedules.
Seek assistance from local leaders and liaison with them without difficulty.
Gives an idea about the location, direction and distance to be traveled to reach
the people.
Helps to know about resources and facilities in the comnlunity.

2.2.2 Indications for Preparing a Map of the Community

The map can be prepared when,
- Important updated information about the community is not available.
- Indication of the boundaries of the sub - community, housing, wells, roads etc.,
is not specified.
- Resources and organizations in the community, e.g., health centers, schools,
shops, panchayat office etc., are not indicated.
- Data regarding the quantum of work is to be completed.
- Provide Guidance and direction to familiarize the health workers with the area
in order to plan health activities.

2.2.3 Points to Remember

While preparing the community map you should keep the following points in mind:
Draw map according to the scale, i.e., if the scale given is 1 cm = 1 km then
the place which is 10 kms away from the centre should be marked at 10 cms
Give appropriate symbols to indicate the place and give the key on the lower
comer for example the Symbol shows railway line.
Mark the directions in the map using standard abbreviations.
~ k theemap ~ updated by making necessary modifications corresponding to
the changes occurring in the community.
Mark the directions on the map so that a person referring to the map
understands which side of a map faces north - south - east - west.
Place the map of the community on the Board in the Community Health
center for ready reference and guidance.

2.2.4 Articles Required for Preparing a Map

Following articles are required for preparing a map:
A map of the block or the village which may be available with the Block,
Development office1Corporation office1Census office etc.
Chart paper/Graph paper
Stationery items such as pen, pencil, eraser, Scale, Tape measure
If a new map is to be prepared, transport facility, compass, measuring equipments
etc., should be available and the Community Health Nurse need to collect the
required information from the people in the community and by visiting the
Nursing Practices in 2.2.5 Procedure
Community Health-I
Preparation of the map is one of the preliminary steps in planning Community
Health activities, so you need to follow various steps as given below:
Survey the area.
Locate the distinct places or institutions of the community like Schools,
Temples, Health facilities, housing complexes etc.
a Prepare a road map during the survey.
Note down the time of commencement of journey and reaching time.
You can use the time scale to plot the graph, i.e., if the time taken to reach the
nearest school from the PHC takes 15 minutes (x = 15 minutes) and to reach
the nearest temple takes 30 minutes, the distance should be approximately 2 X.
If we could measure X then we can easily calculate 2X , 3X or NX. But
for this standardization of means of conveyance and speed should be kept in
mind.
Cany a compass to find out the direction.
Join the road maps to get a complete diagram of the community.
Highlight the places of significance to the Health worker such as schools,
hospitals, market places, community hall, meeting places such as chaupals etc.
Take necessary help from the local people to understand the area in a better
way.

2.3 ENLARGING THE MAP

-

Sometimes the health worker may be able to procure a small map of the area or
the Block from the Block Development office such as shown in Fig. 2.1.

Forest
Block
Hills
He/she may feel the need to enlarge the map so as to get a better understanding hreparIng a Map of the
Community
and visualization of the community and its resources. She can enlarge the map
using following steps as shown in Fig. 2.2 and Fig. 2.3.

Fig. 2.2 Fig 23

Steps

First draw the lines (in light pencil) to form equal squares over the map area
which you want to enlarge (Fig. 2.2).

Then draw same number of squares but larger ones on another sheet of
paper.

Copy the map square by square. You will have an enlarged map Fig. 2.3.

In this figure you have a square of 1 cm drawn over the map as shown in
Fig. 2.2. Then on the other sheet of paper, large square are drawn and
accordingly filled in. This gives us a map exactly the double in size from the
previous map. The scale of this enlarged map is 1 cm = 2 kms.

This map can be used to mark more information which may be available with
the other health $am members of the community. As and when there is new
information about the community such as new set of houses, institutions, or
other resources, these may'be marked on the map to-keep it updated. This
enables the Community Health Nurse to periodically evaluate the
imntnvementc in the h e ~ l t hc t ~ t ~nf
i c the rnmmiinitv
 Nursing Practices in
I Community Health-I
. Community Health Worker. It helps to guide a new worker to go for the field work
2.4 ,".PLACEMENTOF THE MAP
Map can be placed on the Bulletin Board in the Health center for ready reference
by the workers. The sman version of these maps,(by making Xerox copies of the
map) can be carried by the workers with them for their daily fieldwork.
Activity
Try to locate a map of the area which you have adopted for community health
nursing activities from Block Development office or other sources.
If the map is not available go around the kea, make observations, have
discussions with local leaders. influential persons in the area and prepare a
map of the area.
Mark the important land marks or resources by designating appropriate
symbols to the institutions, resources. Explain the Key of the symbols on the
lower margin of the map.
2.5 LET US SUM UP
In this practical you have learnt that community map is an important tool for
with confidence and locate the families and broad community resources. If the map
is not available you should prepare a new map with the help of community members.