Abstract

Everything, All-At-Once, Terrain to Base Map Workflow
Track: Community Maps Program
Authors: Brian Quinn

ESRI Community Maps inspired MarinMap.org to build a conforming base map at 1:1000 scale.
The base map boosts rapid quality cartography and helps our mobile device map delivery.

From ESRI Terrain Datasets we derived contours, hillshade, and drainage paths. Tidal areas were detailed as aquatic resource inventories; parkland and parcels truncated along high tide line revealed these shoreline environments. Road geometry and topology were upgraded, while bikeways, parking lot paths, trails and docks were added. Building footprints were classified by use, and land use was generalized to landmark areas.

Base maps demand quality data. Roads, buildings, parcels, drainage, shoreline, and vegetation features render together to yield an Everything, All-At-Once challenge---when layers aren't harmonious, distracting artifacts result.

Reducing cost while enhancing detail and ensuring harmony across many layer geometries requires insightful terrain and imagery choices, and clear standards for how features are to be transcribed or rectified.