Help set the direction of future generalisation projects by taking our generalisation questionnaire

The difficult task of deriving smaller scale maps or geodata products from more detailed existing source (for example Tele Atlas MultiNet or Dynamap data) is known as generalisation. This process exaggerates those aspects of the data that are 'important' at a given scale and also removes irrelevant detail which would clutter the map, confuse the user and slow down data display. Generalisation allows products to be automatically produced from a single database and massively reduces the amount of effort that would be required manually. It allows organisations to maintain a single master dataset at a large scale and to propagate edits through all smaller scale data products.

1Spatial has been a market leader in generalisation technologies for many years and is further developing its generalisation capabilities to meet the emerging requirements for deriving geodata at multiple scales from master reference data.  For the overall generalisation process 1Spatial provides a comprehensive solution by splitting the tasks into model and cartographic generalisation. The term model generalisation is used in the sense of generalisation from a digital data model of high resolution to a digital data model of a lower resolution. Using a two-stage approach, the scale change is performed by model generalisation and is done completely at the data model level without taking into account map display or representation. Cartographic generalisation is the second stage that then deals with correct symbolisation, placement or exaggeration of the cartographic objects and the labels on the map. Introducing model generalisation as a pre-process results in simplification as well as harmonisation of the data, i.e. it ensures data quality and uniformity.

1Spatial’s generalisation solutions offers data users the possibility of automatically generating new map products at different scales of map display, which can reducing costs, increase sales and maintain a consistent look and feel for digital mapping. Generalisation sets the direction for organisations to manage their spatial data by storing it once and using it many times. It facilitates spatial data repurposing and reuse.

For more information on our generalisation solutions, contact us