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Abstract
Application of expert systems is currently a fashionable topic in cartography. From the mid 1980s, researchers in cartography have attempted to realize the automation of map design and production using expert systems. To develop map design expert systems, the first step must be the formalisation of the map design procedure, and the knowledge representation methods are the basis of knowledge formalisation. This paper aims to present a new knowledge representation method for map design, i.e. a Generalized Frame (GF). This method has been employed by MAPKEY—a thematic map design expert system, which has been used for the design and production of a thematic atlas. This new method improves the knowledge representation capacity of the so- called frame method in artificial intelligence. It also integrates the advantages of all other methods, i.e. frame, rule, relation and procedure into a single map design expert system.