The word street simply meant a paved road. A street name is an identifying name given to a street/road. Topology of a city/village includes feature of road networks. Topology refers to properties, such as the connection of roads, but not only through their axes or reference lines, but also at the level of lanes. The street name usually forms part of the address of people living there. Buildings are given plot numbers along the street to further help identify them. Odonymy is the study of road names from a historical and linguistic point of view.

As per Wikipedia, in Medieval England, road names developed gradually, helping to identify a place such as a pond, a hilly place or river, the farm at the end of the road, or the inn in the corner of road. Other streets were named to locate where you might reach if you followed them. For example, London Road, Bath Road.

The most common road name in India is Mahatma Gandhi Road. Almost every town in India has a road named after Mahatma Gandhi, as a token of respect towards him. Agra has 2 roads named after Mahatma Gandhi – Mahatma Gandhi Road I and Mahatma Gandhi Road II. To name a street after a person is a universally accepted way of publicly honouring that person’s accomplishments and his contribution to society.  In India where every city has street named after Mahatma Gandhi Rad (MG Road) is a clear indication that this individual has played a big role in Indian history. Similarly Ambedkar Road, Laxmi Road, Swami Vivekanand Roads are common names in India. 

Street names help us figure out where we are, talk about where we have been, and establish whether we are heading in the right direction. This is of course true both literally and symbolically. n 2008, when Google Maps launched in India, turn-by-turn directions were unusable as some streets didn’t have names. They discovered that many communities in India rely on landmarks instead of street names for navigating. So, they adapted the product to use landmarks as a reference point for navigation.

Streets take their names from people, places, events Nepean Sea Road, Ramabai Road, Ramdas Nayak Road, Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link Road are some famous roads these roads are famous because they are strategically situated in the city. Napean Sea road has some of the expansive and the most expensive apartments in Mumbai. Ramdas Nayak road is basically an arterial road running through Mumbai that connects the intersection near Bandra Railway Station and S V Road. It is officially known as Ramdas Nayak Road but is called Hill Road because it goes over a hilly slope. This area of Bandra is famous for street shopping, eating and hanging out. The Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link , popularly known as Bandra Worli Sea Link is the first sea bridge of India. The cable stayed sections of this bridge , the tall towers along which the cables take support. Pandita Ramabai Saraswati was an Indian social reformer who worked for liberation of women. She was accorded the titles of Pandita and Saraswati as a Sanskrit scholar after being examined by faculty of the University of Calcutta.

Roads get names because of geographically, historically, sociologically and politically. After India became independent in 1947, Congress party leaders set about building the nation. This involved a lot of coming up with new names and changing colonial ones. Their approach valued clarity over creativity. While there are over 100 cities and towns which have been renamed or respelled after Indian Independence in 1947, we look at a few of the famous ones. Bombay was renamed as Mumbai in 1996, similarly Poona was renamed as Pune.

Some streets are named after famous or distinguished individuals, sometimes people directly associated with the street, usually after their deaths. A street name is the initial building block for any address. Any new street name should be distinctly different to any other existing street name in the local area. Street names help us figure out where we are, talk about where we have been, and ascertain whether we’re heading in the right direction. This is of course true both literally and figuratively. While not as critical as regulatory signs, street name signs convey important information to emergency service providers where seconds count. Street name signs are valuable when people are trying to find an address to deliver a package or visit a friend.

Some street names reflect the collective commemorative decisions of municipalities and, as such, can be used as substitutes for their social and cultural characteristics, which is particularly useful given the scarcity of cultural data at the local level. When it comes to new and modern urban planning, developers are typically responsible for naming streets in the new neighbourhoods they build. They often choose street names based on certain traits they want people to associate with the neighbourhood. Sometimes, they name new streets after loved ones.

A well-designed public realm with good street characteristics can positively influence liveability and adaptability, and lead to safe community, interactive streets, healthy living, and better environmental conditions.

Some road names are hilarious. There is road named “Condom Street” in Kolkata. Although, its original name was Moti Sil Street. But due to number of Medical Stores selling “Family Planning” stuff, it’s now called Condom Street. Lover’s Lane (Mumbai) – a peculiar street name that evokes a romantic vibe, often hanging around by couples. Kuchh Bhi Road (Bhopal) – Translating to “Anything Road,” this name reflects a casual, laid-back attitude. Happy Street (Pune) – A cheerful name that suggests a vibrant and lively atmosphere. Bhookha Nanga Road (Indore) – Meaning “Hungry and Naked Road,” this name is quite unusual and reflects local humour.

Cartography or mapmaking has been an important part of the human history for a long time; possibly from past 8,000 years. It seems in ancient Babylon, Greece and Asia cave paining was used for exploration of newer terrains. In those days also people used to create and use maps as an essential tool to help them define, explain, and navigate their way through the world. Tough we have learnt map reading in our high schools; I am presenting here some vital details of map reading which I have found very useful in recent years.

Why do we use Maps?

Maps are one of the most important tools researchers, cartographers, tourists, students and others can use to examine the entire earth or a specific part of it. In simple words maps are pictures of the earth’s surface. They can be used as general reference to show landforms, political boundaries, water bodies, and the positions of cities.

What are the uses of Maps?

A map gives a minute depiction of a very large space. It acts as a guide in places which we have never visited before. They give us the distance in two places, mountains, rivers, railway station, airport, and shapes of places or destinations.

Purpose of a map
With a map, one does not have to depend on anybody for local directions. It acts as direction finder for a very small price.

The IT revolution has given way to GIS (Geographic Information Systems) it has become large domain within the broader academic discipline of Geoinformatics. The fact is – Geoinformatics due to spatial data infrastructure has no restrictive boundaries.

Different types of maps can show us a plethora of information existing on earth. Twenty years ago, we used paper maps and printed guides to help us navigate the world.

Today, the most advanced digital mapping technologies—satellite imagery, GPS devices, location data and of course Google Maps are much more accessible. This sea change in mapping technology is improving our lives and helping businesses realize untold competences and destinations. I today’s age it is essential for every business organization to have its online presence for its existence needs to be known to the world. Its presence needs to be found. And where do people go when they need to find something? It’s Google, and when we look out for something Google maps are most useful. They present the minutest detail to find out a location.

What are the different types of maps.

Definition of Political Map: A political map does not show any topographic features. It instead focuses solely on the state and national boundaries of a place. They also include the locations of cities – both large and small, depending on the detail of the map. A common type of political map would be World Atlas.

Definition of Physical Map: Physical maps often include much of the same data found on a political map, but their primary purpose is to show landforms like deserts, mountains and plains. Their topography style presents an overall better picture of the local terrain.

Uses of Physical Maps
Physical maps use color connotations to show physical landscape features of a place. They show rivers and lakes and water bodies with blue color. Mountains and elevation changes are usually shown with different colors and shades to show relief. Normally on physical maps green shows lower elevations while browns show high elevations.

What is a Topographic Map: In modern mapping, a topographic map is a type of map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of break, using contour lines (outline) by using different methods.

Conventional definition of  topographic map require a it to show both natural and man-made features. A topographic map is published as a map series which is made up of two or more map sheets that combine to form the whole map. A contour line is a combination of two line segments that connect but do not intersect; these represent elevation on a topographic map. Contour lines on topographic maps are normally spaced at regular intervals to show elevation changes. For example. each line represent a 100 foot (30 m) elevation change usually. When lines are close together the terrain is steep and when lines are little distanced they represent a reasonable terrain.

Definition of Climate Map: They symbolize aspects of climate. They show the geographic distribution of the monthly or annual average values of climatic variables such as temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, percentage of possible sunshine, isolation, cloud cover, wind speed and direction, and atmospheric pressure over regions ranging in area from a few tens of square kilometers to global breadth. The climate map minimizes the bias in the data by averaging 30 years data; this it does to take into account one or two periods with abnormally high or low values.

Definition of Economic Map: An economic or resource map shows the specific type of economic activity or natural resources present in an area. This is shown through the use of different symbols or colors depending on what is being shown on the map. Economic Map shows branches of various production spheres. These maps are concerned with the trade, commerce, transport of goods, economic conditions etc of a country, a state or a city. These maps also show unemployment, energy resource usage, banking and commerce, and world trade.

Definition of Road Map: A road map is one of the most widely used map types. These maps show major and minor highways and roads in details, as well as spots like railway station, airports, city locations and points of interest like parks, campgrounds, temples, churches and monuments. Major highways on a road map are generally red and larger than other roads. Minor roads are a lighter color and a narrower line. A road map primarily displays roads and transport links. It also shows political boundaries and labels, making it also a type of political map. The earliest road map was drawn around 1160 BC in ancient Egypt.

Definition of Thematic Map: An early contributor to thematic mapping was in England by the English Astronomer Edmond Halley. His first significant cartographic contribution was of a Star Chart of the constellation of the Southern Hemisphere, made during his stay at St. Helena and published in 1686. In that same year he also published his first terrestrial map in an article about trade winds, and this map is called the first meteorological chart. Another example of early thematic mapping was by London physician John Snow. In this map cholera disease had been mapped thematically. Snow’s cholera map in 1854 is the best known example of using thematic maps for analysis. Essentially, his technique and methodology anticipate principles of a geographic information system (GIS).

 What does a Thematic map do?

A thematic map focuses on a particular theme or special topic.  They do not just show natural features like rivers, cities, political subdivisions, elevation and highways. If these items are on a thematic map, they are background information and are used as reference points to enhance the map’s theme.

How to read Maps and develop map reading skills?

And, finally we all need to learn the map reading skills that is required to read and interpret maps. They fall under visual literacy because one needs to get habituated to read images. Visual literacy means not just decoding an image but also to comprehend it; grasping the image and its intentional meaning, evaluating it, and integrating it into other knowledge. Though it seems easy, map reading requires patience and a sharp approach to comprehend it.