A Key Numbering Solution for 1:25,000 Topographic Maps

ABSTRACT

The automatic placement of map labels in graphically dense areas is one of the challenging problems in modern cartography. Creation of the annotation layer still requires human interaction and automation of this process has significant potential for reducing the time required for map production. In this paper, we present a software technique for the key numbering process that we applied to approximately 20% of the 1:25,000 topographic maps of Turkey. The results were compared with those obtained from the traditional manual method. The consistency of the results is above 90%, achieving time savings of 70%, which indicates an substantial improvement in topographic map production.

KEYWORDS:

• Key numbering
• topographic mapping
• dense area labelling
• label placement rules
• ArcObjects

Acknowledgements

We would like to give our sincere thanks to M. Bahadir Yaman for his contributions in software development studies, General Directorate of Mapping and I. Oztug Bildirici for their contributions to the publication of the work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request. Data Sample link: https://www.harita.gov.tr/uploads/Key_numbering_article_data_sample.zip

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Turgay Çap

Turgay Çap is a PhD student in Necmettin Erbakan Univercity Map Engineering Department. He works in the General Directorate of Mapping of Turkey and he is responsible for the cartographic production of 1:25,000 topographic maps. His research interests focus on topographic map production.

Hüseyin Zahit Selvi

Hüseyin Zahit Selvi graduated from Selcuk University/Konya in 2003 as a Surveying Engineer. He started to work as a Research Assistant at Selcuk University in 2004 and completed his MSc at Selcuk University in 2006. In 2011, he was awarded TUBITAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey) Scholarship and he researched location–based services at the Institute of Geoinformation and Cartography at Vienna University of Technology under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Georg Gartner. He completed his PhD programme at Selcuk University in 2012. He studies the generalization of roads, model generalization and location-based services. He has been working at Necmettin Erbakan University as an Associate Professor of cartography since 2019.

İlkay Buğdayci

İlkay Buğdayci graduated from Selcuk University/Konya in 2002 as a Geomatics Engineer. She worked as a Research Assistant at Selcuk University from 2003 to 2012. She completed her MSc in 2005 and her PhD in 2012 at Selcuk University. She studies cartography and GIS in education, cartographic design and map use and has been working as an Assistant Professor at Necmettin Erbakan University since 2012.