Sampling for Contour Maps

Extensive hydrological studies, extending over large areas and with large numbers of accessible wells, pose severe difficulties in presenting and processing the wealth of data obtained. One mode is to produce maps with contour lines of the various parameters. 

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Planning of a hydrochemical study should include the question, will the data be expressed in contour maps If so, data have to be obtained with an adequate geographical coverage and adequate density of measured points. These requirements are necessary to ensure adequate resolution and to avoid white holes in the maps. 

Hydrochemical contour maps should be prepared from data collected at the same time. Mixing of data from different seasons, or even different years, reduces the meaning of the map. On the other hand, comparison of contour maps of data obtained at different times may be most informative. The need for many sampling points may result in a need to cut other efforts, for example, to reduce the number of measured parameters, as discussed in the previous section. 

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