Introduction to Map Use

study outline – generalization

You should be able to:

1. describe and be able to identify the three different techniques of generalization used in map making.

A. generalization

1. definition – techniques for reducing the complexities details of the real world for display on a map

2. techniques

i. selection – smaller features are not included at all

ii. simplification, including replacing w/ a symbol – complex shapes are shown at the proper size but with a simplified outline

iii. combination – small, individual features are shown as a single feature

iv. exaggerated size – important features that are too small to be drawn at the scale of the map are drawn at a larger size

v. location shift – features drawn with exaggerated size may have to be moved so that they don’t cover adjacent features

3. a single map may use different generalization techniques for different features

4. the smaller the scale of a map, the more generalization Is required