AbstractDesigning USGS topographic mapping for multiscale online useTrack: Cartography and Map Production Author Federal topographic map production has moved to digital delivery, and we present design work for multiscale mapping to improve The National Map. This effort complements USGS' work on orthophoto-based GeoPDFs (Digital Map--Beta) and Maps-on-Demand. The designs in development are prepared using automated geoprocessing to produce generalized hydrography for scale change with stream categories and hierarchies symbolized. In addition, we automate labeling; display transportation and boundary line features; represent point locations for populated place, cultural, and emergency-response features; and combine contours and hillshading with selected land cover and land use symbols. Categories and hierarchies of symbols are structured using hue, lightness, and size. Map displays change systematically as scale is reduced through feature weighting, symbol-level drawing, elimination, and symbol change. The design is tested with eight hydro subbasins from varied landscapes throughout the United States and in media that vary in resolution and display quality. Cynthia Brewer Pennsylvania State University Dept of Geography 302 Walker Bldg. University Park, Pennsylvania 16802 United States Phone: 814-883-4378 Fax: 814-863-7943 E-mail: cbrewer@psu.edu E. Usery Center for Excellence in Geospatial Information Science USGS 1400 Independence Rd. Rolla, Missouri 65401 United States Phone: 573-308-3837 E-mail: usery@usgs.gov Barbara Buttenfield University of Colorado-Boulder Dept. of Geography UCB 260 Boulder, Colorado 80309 United States Phone: 303-492-3618 E-mail: babs@colorado.edu |