The 1:24,000-Scale Topographic Base Map Data Model

The union of cartography and GIS has not always been one of complete cohesion. Designing GIS databases has frequently left mapmakers with a difficult job and mapmakers have no consistent means for communicating cartographic requirements to database designers. Today there is a widely held expectation that GIS means maps, this is partly because maps or things that look like maps are easy to make using GIS software. Many organizations also expect to use their GIS data holdings in multiple mapping and analytical contexts. This article presents key concepts that show that GIS databases can be designed such that they facilitate rapid production of many high-quality cartographic products. At the heart of these concepts is the idea that standard database modeling practices can yield well designed GIS databases that support cartographic purposes as well. This article presents these ideas based on work completed at ESRI over the past two years on how to include cartographic information in a GIS data model to support creating a 1:24,000-scale base map.