Goals of Cartography and GI: Representation and Communication - A Primer of GIS: Fundamental Geographic and Cartographic Concepts - page 13

Mental map showing the route from to the center of town. Note how the carto-
graphic representation collapses space to remove or highlight significant geographic detail for this
person.
From www.subk.net/mapsindex.html#maps . Reprinted by permission of Lori Napoleon.
assumptions that go along with them. Much of this discussion can easily
become part of complex philosophical discussions about existence, knowl-
edge, and representation, but we will skip that for now to sketch out more
pragmatically what many geographers and cartographers think about when
figuring out how to understand, analyze, and represent the world around us.
You need to get a basic idea of how maps and geographic information
require a multifaceted framework with many conventions. Understanding
the framework and conventions will be the basis for considering concepts
and skills required for making and using maps and geographic information.
Things and Events
If something can be represented geographically, it is either a “thing” or an
“event.” These are the terms most people also commonly call what you find
represented on maps. You'll see later some other terms, such as “feature”
and “object,” that will help you think about the possibilities and limits of
maps and geographic information. Right now, however, let's consider how
things and events can be represented in geographic information or maps.
Purpose is an important factor for guiding the choices made when making
and using maps and geographic information. For an example, assume you
want to make a map of places where you live where traffic jams occur. You
need to show the location of the traffic jams and the roads they occur on.
The map should also show the location of attractions and important land-