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Office, E.E. Map Generalization. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/61107 (accessed on 06 November 2026).
Office EE. Map Generalization. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/61107. Accessed November 06, 2026.
Office, Encyclopedia Editorial. "Map Generalization" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/61107 (accessed November 06, 2026).
Office, E.E. (2026, October 19). Map Generalization. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/61107
Office, Encyclopedia Editorial. "Map Generalization." Encyclopedia. Web. 19 October, 2026.

Map Generalization

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Map generalization is the cartographic process of selecting, simplifying, classifying, and transforming geographic information to produce a map that remains clear, legible, and appropriate for its intended scale and purpose [1][2]. In GIS, map generalization is particularly important when deriving smaller-scale maps from more detailed spatial databases, because displaying all source features at their original level of detail may create visual clutter, symbol overlap, and conflicts between features [1][3]. Common generalization operations include selection, simplification, smoothing, aggregation, displacement, and exaggeration, which reduce detail or modify feature representations while seeking to preserve important geographic characteristics and spatial relationships [3][4]. The choice and combination of operations depend on map scale, data characteristics, thematic purpose, and cartographic constraints [1][2][5].

map generalization cartographic generalization GIS map scale spatial data simplification cartographic representation
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References

  1. William A. Mackaness; Dirk Burghardt; Cécile Duchêne. Map Generalization; Wiley: Hoboken, NJ, United States, 2017; pp. 1-16. [CrossRef]
  2. William A. Mackaness; Omair Chaudhry. Generalization and Symbolization; Springer Nature: Durham, NC, United States, 2008; pp. 330-339. [CrossRef]
  3. Zhilin Li; Digital Map Generalization at the Age of Enlightenment: a Review of the First Forty Years. Cartogr. J. 2007, 44, 80-93. [CrossRef]
  4. Lawrence V. Stanislawski; Barbara P. Buttenfield; Pia Bereuter; Sandro Savino; Cynthia A. Brewer. Generalisation Operators; Springer Nature: Durham, NC, United States, 2014; pp. 157-195. [CrossRef]
  5. McMaster, R. B.; Shea, K. S. Generalization in Digital Cartography; Association of American Geographers: Washington, D.C., United States, 1992.
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Subjects: Geography
Contributor MDPI registered users' name will be linked to their SciProfiles pages. To register with us, please refer to https://encyclopedia.pub/register : Encyclopedia Editorial Office
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Update Date: 19 Oct 2026
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