Map User Communities

There are families of maps that serve specific user communities. This discussion identifies the many user communities and the nature of the maps that these communities employ

The users in each community determine the subjects being mapped, the scales of analysis and presentation, the symbolization employed and set the standards for acceptable levels of accuracy and precision. Most communities of map users operate through a variety of scales. For this discussion the communities are clustered into large groupings, such as Sport and Recreation maps and mapping. It is recognized that within such a grouping there are many sub-groups, such as a bicycling community, a hiking community, a fresh-water lake fishing community, a stream fishing community, a sailing community, a sail plane community, etc. After some effort we may be able to better distinquish between the different sub-groups within each community.

Military organizations and operations rely heavily on maps, but it was decided to not have a separate military map use community because the many ways military organizations use maps are consistent with the other user communities. Military units use maps for planning, for transportation and navigation, for general reference, for facilities management, etc. In this regard, military organizations differ little from government agencies and private firms that manage large tracts of land, have fleets of planes spanning great territories, or put ships at sea.

Note: The effort to build these pages is on-going. If you have something to contribute, contact: Dr. James R. Carter, Illinois State University. jrcarter@ilstu.edu

last updated: 31 August 1999

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