Final answer:
The VOR-DME symbol indicates a navigational aid on aviation charts, which combines VOR with DME to provide bearing and distance. Precision and accuracy are crucial for navigation, depicted by the concentration or spread of dots when using GPS. Map reading essentials like map scale, orientation, and symbols help accurately interpret and navigate using charts.
Step-by-step explanation:
The symbol with a hexagon, a dot in the center, and enclosed by a square indicates a VOR-DME facility on aviation charts. A VOR-DME is an essential navigational aid that combines VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) with Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) to provide pilots with both the bearing and distance to the navigational aid from the aircraft. If your aircraft is equipped with DME technology, it will tell you how far you are from that VOR.
Bearing in mind concepts such as precision and accuracy play a significant role in navigation. Precision refers to how close multiple measurements are to each other, while accuracy indicates how close a measurement is to the true or accepted value. For instance, when a GPS system attempts to locate a point of interest like a restaurant, multiple attempts to pinpoint the location may result in patterns where dots are spread out signifying low precision or where dots are concentrated close to one another signifying high precision. The true location would be represented by how close these dots are to the actual site, indicating their accuracy.
To use charts effectively, understanding the map scale is crucial as it denotes the ratio of distance on the map to distance on the ground. Most maps provide both a numeric scale and a visual scale bar. Additionally, a map should include an arrow that points to the north (orienting the map), and it may also detail latitude and longitude for precise navigation. Lastly, a good map will explain any symbols used which can include a variety of shapes or color schemes that represent different features or information on the map.