Conten

ts
Basic definition

The French word cartographie (the science of making

maps), from which we get our English word cartography,

was created from carte, meaning "map," and -
graphie, meaning "representation by."
Around the same time we adopted cartography in the

mid- 19th century, we also created our word for a

mapmaker, cartographer.
 Cartography is the art, science and technology of
map
making.

●aesthetics, design, and visual

expression in cartography commonly categorized
 Basic definition
 Science of cartography as the "accurate relativ
e
representation of the features
mapped using
surveying/remote sensing techniques" (Tomlinson
1994).
 Modern Cartography like many other fields
of "information technology" has undergone rapid
changes in the last decade.

-Rather than merely drawing maps the

cartographic process is concerned with data capture,
image processing and visual display.
 Nature and scope of cartography
Nature
•In nature, it is integrated part of geography.
•An art and also a science involving design due
to
representation of the earth.
Scope
 Cartography played by two actors. Map maker and map
user.
● Map maker
● map user
 Map maker: - to select information from the data domain
&
put it into map format.
 The Cartographic
Process
.” Cartography has been defined by the
International Cartographic Association as “the
discipline dealing with the conception, production,
dissemination and study of maps.” One useful
conceptualization of cartography is as a process
that links map makers, map users, the
environment mapped, and the map itself.

One characterization of this process is depicted

in Figure 1.1 below.
 cont’ d

Purpose
Collection & selecting the data for mapping.
Manipulating & generalizing the data, designing
& constructing the map
Reading or viewing the map.
Responding to or interpreting the information
The Cartographic
Process
 The Cartographic
Process
oThe cartographic process is a cycle that
begins with a real or imagined environment.

oAs map makers collect data from the

environment (through technology and/or
remote sensing), they use their perception
to detect patterns and subsequently
prepare the data for map creation (i.e., they
think about the data and its patterns as well as
how to best visualize them on a map).
 The Cartographic Process
[con’d]
 In the cartographic process as outlined above,
the fundamental component in generating a map
to depict the environment is itself a process –
the process of map abstraction
 Map Abstraction

 Cartographic abstraction is the process

of transforming reality to a map.
 This process involves far more than simple reduction.
 The Cartographic Process
[con’d]
 Since maps are representations of three-
dimensional reality, the cartographer must
employ abstraction to show only pertinent
data in an easy to read and understandable
form, and in a usable size.
 First, data is collected from a variety of sources such
as

o, surveying,

oremote sensing, and

ocensus taking, depending on the project.

 The Cartographic Process
[con’d]
The process of map abstraction includes at
least five major (interdependent) steps:

(a) selection,

(b) classification,

(c) simplification,

(d) exaggeration,
and

(e) symbolization
 The Cartographic Process
[con’d]
(a) Selection: In order to process the
material and present it in a usable form, the
cartographer must go through a selection
process regarding both the map and the
material to be represented.

Scale selection decides how much detail you

can show and the size of the map; then,
of the collected data, the decision must
be made of what to include on the map.
 The Cartographic Process
[con’d]
selection, we retain more important features in the
area and eliminate less important ones.

E.g. if a series of lakes is shown, some of the

smaller lakes in the group can eliminated as the
scale reduces.

Small Scale

Large Scale
 The Cartographic Process
[con’d]
(b)
Classification:
Classification is the grouping of things
into categories, or classes.

By grouping attributes into a few

discernible classes, new visual patterns in
the data can emerge and the map becomes
more legible.

This is the ordering, scaling, and grouping

of features by their attribute values.
 The Cartographic Process
[con’d]
E.g. if there are too many small wooded areas in a region, two or
more of small areas of them can be grouped to single wooded
area.
There are three types of groupings or classifications:
a. Nominal: by 'name type‘/name of a place or qualitatively
e.g. forest species, oil versus gas pipelines, types of buildings;
b. Ordinal: ranked in order (size implied)/ small, medium, large
town
e.g. fire risk- high, medium, low; roads hierarchies (main,
secondary, paths)
c. Interval: by size or quantitatively
e.g. city populations, amount of rainfall;
these can be expressed as
totals, ratios, densities, percentages.
The Cartographic Process
[con’d]
 The Cartographic Process
[con’d]
(c) Simplification: Cartographers also
need to simplify the features on a map
beyond the tasks of feature type
selection and feature classification in
order to make a map more intelligible.

This includes choosing to smooth and

aggregate entities within feature types.
 The Cartographic Process
[con’d]
Smoothing is the act of eliminating
unnecessary elements in the geometry of
features.
aggregation combines multiple features into
one.

Imagine a river composed of

numerous meandering streams at a large
scale (i.e., zoomed in), but when moving
to a smaller scale (i.e., zooming out), the
streams are merged into one larger river as
it becomes impossible to maintain the detail.
The Cartographic Process
[con’d]
 The Cartographic Process
[con’d]
(d) Exaggeration: When cartographers
use exaggeration, they enhance or
emphasize important characteristics of the
attributes.
Only very large scales (such as 1:2,500) can
they show such features as roads, buildings,
and small streams without greatly enlarging
them.

Small Scale

Large Scale
 The Cartographic Process
[con’d]
Symbolization: In the final process of creating a
map, the cartographer symbolizes the selected
features on a map.

These features can be symbolized in visually

realistic ways, such as a river depicted by a winding
blue line.

But many depictions are much more abstract, such

as a circle or star representing a city.

Map symbols are constructed from more

primitive “graphic variables, the elements that make
up symbols.
The Cartographic Process
[con’d]
 Analog Cartography and Digital
Cartography
Analog cartography is
typically
upon dependent
data sources such as previously
published maps, aerial photography, or
some form of annotated geographic data,
such as field notes or surveyed sample points
(Starand Estes 1990).
Digital Cartography Digital means
electronic technology that generates, stores,
and processes data and Cartography is An art
of making maps.
 Introduction to Map
Basic Definitions of Maps:
A map can be simply defined as a
graphic representation of the real world.
This representation is always an abstraction of
reality.
Maps are used to display both cultural
and physical features of the environment.
Standard topographic show a
maps information variety of land-use
including
elevation, roads,
rivers and other classification,
water bodies,
political boundaries, and the identification of
houses and other types of buildings.
 Introduction to Map
Some key characteristics of maps are:
maps portray, as accurately as possible, the
spatial relationships between features – i.e. where a
feature is located relative to other features.
maps are drawn to a scale.
As a general rule, a map is usually a two
dimensional representation (e.g. a ‘flat piece of
paper’) of a three dimensional object (e.g. the
Earth) – occasionally it may be a three dimensional
object (e.g. a globe).
maps generally have a reference system
(eg latitude/longitude) which allows the location of a
 Introduction to Map
Types of maps:
According to the ICSM
(Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying
and Mapping), there are five different types of
maps:
General Reference,
Topographic
al, Thematic,

Navigation Charts and

 Introduction to Map

1. General Reference (sometimes

called Planimetric maps)

Think of a regular map, where cities and

towns are named, major transport routes
are included along with natural features like
lakes and rivers.

focuses on the location and names of

features.

These are the maps that are ideal for helping

 Introduction to Map
2. Topographical map
Topographical maps stand out from the
other offerings by showing detailed elevation,
with contour lines helping to map the landscape.
3. Thematic map
A thematic map is also called a special-
purpose, single-topic, or statistical map.
A thematic map focuses on the spatial variability
of a specific distribution or theme (such as
population density or average annual income).
 Introduction to Map
[con’d]
4. Navigational Charts
Along with general reference and topographical
maps, navigational charts are another invaluable tool
when it comes to actually getting around, whether you’re
at sea or in the air.

5. Cadastral Maps and Plans

Cadastral maps are a lot more specific, and although

they’re widely used, there’s a good chance you won’t see
one every day.

The plans map out individual properties, offering details

like boundary information when houses or land are
 Introduction to Map [con’d]

Marginal Information on maps

Marginal information are the

peripheral information on the edge of the map
that provides useful information about the
map to the map user.
 Introduction to Map [con’d]

Marginal Information on maps…

Marginal information found on maps

include the following;

1. Map Title (or Map Sheet Name)

Map title is the name or heading of

the particular map sheet.

It is usually printed in bold letters on the top

of the map sheet.
 Introduction to Map
[con’d]
Marginal Information on maps…
2. Map Identification
Map identification refers the information about
the identity of a particular map sheet.
This information is useful to anyone intending to
use or purchase a similar map.
3. Legend
A legend (also known as a key) is a table
which explains the meanings of the
conventional symbols, colors, and abbreviations
used on a corresponding map.
Introduction to Map

nal Information on
[con’d]

maps…
GIS-based multi‐criteria analysis
Mar for Final suitability map for urban
green spaces towns of Ethiopia:

gi
the case of Sululta
 Introduction to Map
[con’d]on maps…
Marginal Information

Scale

Scale: The scale is found in the center of the lower margin.

The scale is represented as a representative fraction and

as a graphical scale.

The representative fraction gives the ratio of map distance

to
the corresponding distance on the earth’s surface.

For example, the scale 1:50,000 indicates that one

unit of measure on the map equals 50,000 units of the
same measure on the ground.

Graphical Scales are located in the center of the lower

margin.
 Introduction to Map
[con’d]
Marginal Information on
maps…

5. Map Borders

A map border is a framework of the map

understudy.

 It identifies exactly where the mapped area

ends.
 Introduction to Map [con’d]

Marginal Information on maps…

Most of the topographic maps usually have

two borders; the neatline and the borderline.

The neat line only encloses the mapped area,

while the borderline encloses both the

neatline and mapped area. The
borderlines are usually thicker than the
neatlines
 Introduction to Map
[con’d]
Marginal Information on
maps…
 Introduction to Map
[con’d]
Marginal Information on maps…
6. Index to Adjoining Sheets /Adjoining
Sheets Diagram
In the margins of most topographic maps,
there is usually a box containing 9 squares
whereby the central square (usually shaded)
represents the map that is being used at the
moment.
The other squares represent the maps
surrounding the map sheet being used.
This box is what is referred to as the index
 Introduction to Map
[con’d]
Marginal Information on
maps…
 Introduction to Map [con’d]

Marginal Information on maps…

7. North arrow

A map symbol that shows the direction of

north on the map, thereby showing how
the map is oriented.
 Map Generalization
Map generalization is the name of the
process that simplifies the
representation of geographical data to
produce a map at a certain scale with a
defined and readable legend.
To be readable at a smaller scale, some
objects are removed; others are enlarged,
aggregated and displaced one to another,
and all objects are simplified.
During the process, the information is
 Introduction to Map [con’d]

The smaller the scale, the less information

is given per square kilometer.

Conversely, the larger the scale, the

more detailed is the area mapped for the
same map size.
 Map production

Map production has long been a core

practice of
cartography. Based on
photogrammetri remote geodetic, sensing
lase
c,
scanning method or
topographi r
based c
s, of the surveying process.
production is a part ma

In each country, topographic mapping hasp its

own traditions, including selection of
the map projections and datum