Cartographyis the art and science of expressing the known physical features of the earth graphically by maps and charts. Today, the complexities of tactical operations and deployment of troops are such that it is essential for all soldiers to be able to read and interpretthe maps in order to move quickly and effectively on the battlefield. To complement map reading procedures, a mastery of field movement techniques is necessary. Soldiers must know how to determine locations of points on a map, measure distances and azimuths, and identify military symbols on a map. The symbols used to represent such military featuresas identity, size, location, or movement of soldiers; and military activities and installations are known as military symbols. These symbols resemble, as closely as possible, the actual features themselves as viewed from above. The simplest way to measure ground distance is the pace count. A pace is equal to one natural step, about 30 inches long. To accurately use the pace count method, you must know how many paces it takes you to walk 100 meters.