CHAPTER 6

Generalization
 GENERALIZATION
What is generalization?

Process of reducing the information content of maps

due to scale change, map purpose, intended audience,
and/or technical constraints.
 GENERALIZATION
Why we need generalization in mapping?

a) To reduce scope, amount, type and

cartographic data
b) To ensure of graphical reality at desired
scale
c) To highlighting most important object and
neglect less important features
d) To maintain readability and preserve
geographical meaning of the map
 EFFECT OF SCALE ON VISUAL
PERCEPTION
Data captured at one scale are not transferrable to
widely different scales. Data captured at a larger
scale are too detailed for smaller scales.
Data captured at a small scale are too generalized
for larger scales.

E.g. If your map is at 1:50,000 it is not reasonable

to be able to depict a feature or detail smaller
 Larger scale maps

1:24000
1 Less area
2 More details
Larger scale
3 Less generalization
maps
4 Less classification

Transformation from large to small scale

1:100000
requires generalization and classification:
City becomes area then point
Diversity of cities combined into a few
categories (small, medium and large)
Minor streets and roads removed
Different types of roads and streets
combined into few categories
1:250000
Houses then major buildings removed
Small streams removed
Details removed from rivers and roads
Less important text removed

Smaller scale maps

1 More area
1:500000

Smaller scale 2 Less detail

maps 3 More generalization
4 More classification
Scale reduction without generalization Scale reduction with generalization
 Before generalization

After generalization
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When we need generalization?

a) Conditions Relate to the scale used

b) Congestion or overcrowding data
-E.g. : Complex road networks, buildings.
c) Overlap/conflict of data E.g. Many types of tree
species combined into one group.
d) Invisible Small features that cant be identified
(small ponds, trails)
e) Coalescence To grow together or into one body
E.g. Two lakes coalesced into one.
 GENERALIZATION
How to generalize?

Selection Displacement

Simplification Smoothing

Collapse Classification

Aggregation Symbolization

Amalgamation Refinement

Typification Elimination

Exaggeration Size reduction

 GENERALIZATION
Selection
Select the most important (due to some criteria) features
or/and objects and eliminate the not so important
whole features or objects

Capitals, large, medium and Capitals, large, medium and Capitals and large cities only, no
small cities, European Highway small cities, European Highway roads
system and major country roads system
 GENERALIZATION
Simplification
Process of selecting the characteristic, or shape and reject the
redundant point considered to be unnecessary
Determine important characteristics of feature attributes and eliminate
unwanted detail
Benefits : Reduce plotting time & reduce storage

Original coastal lines Simplifies coastal lines

 GENERALIZATION
Collapse
Replace feature or object physical details with abstract geometrical
objects or details of low dimension
An objects geometry is completely changed

Area to point

Area to line
 GENERALIZATION
Aggregation
Group several homogeneous objects or features into one object on the
same level of the object's hierarchy

Original city blocks Aggregated city blocks

 GENERALIZATION
Amalgamation
Group several homogeneous objects into one object on the higher level
of the object's hierarchy

Original buildings Amalgamated blocks

 GENERALIZATION
Typification
-Reduces the density of spatial objects, as well as their levels of detail
-Preserves the representative distribution pattern of these objects

Representations
illustrating typification
given by classification of
point, line and area
features.
 GENERALIZATION
Exaggeration
-Amplify the whole object or a specific portion by not preserving its size.
-Done to highlight distinguishable shapes or details of an object.
-Used to enlarge parts of objects, either because they do not satisfy the
geometric constraints, or because such parts are of special interest

Original group of lakes Smallest lakes is exaggerated

 GENERALIZATION
Displacement
-Employ a shifting of objects from original positions in order to resolve
topological conflicts of more than one object overlapping.
-This operation might be important to solve conflicts between objects
that are too close or to preserve important neighbourhood relations.

Original positions of buildings Displaced buildings

and roads
 GENERALIZATION
Smoothing
Allows an aesthetic refinement by reducing the angularity of angles
between segments of linear objects
Reduce sharp angularity from objects having smooth shapes

Original coastal lines Smoothed coastal lines

 GENERALIZATION
Classification
-Ordering, scaling and grouping of features by their attributes and
attributes values
-Goal of classification : To combines items that share similar
geographic attributes into a new object
-Group the classes for comprehension and ease of representation
 GENERALIZATION
Symbolization
-Combines items that share similar geographic attributes into a new
object, which in turn has a higher level of abstraction, in addition to a
new symbol
-Nearly similar to classification where certain geometries are assigned
to create a new form of features

Before symbolization After symbolization

 GENERALIZATION
Refinement
-Involves reducing a set of features, such as a group of roads, to a
simpler representation

Before refinement After refinement

 GENERALIZATION
Elimination
Eliminates various geographic objects because of their small size or
lesser importance with regards to the maps theme (e.g. elimination of
small islands, elimination of short streets)

Before elimination After elimination

 GENERALIZATION
Size reduction
Reduces the size of a given geographic object

Before size reduction After size reduction

 GENERALIZATION
What factors affect generalization?

Map Purpose &

Conditions in Map Scale
Use

Retention of
Graphic Limits
Accuracy
 GENERALIZATION
Map Purpose & Conditions in Use

The purpose of a map can significantly affect the type, numbers, and
spatial representation of features placed on a map.
For an example two different users may apply two intended purposes of
map:

Situation 1 : Road setting between two villages

Construction engineers may need a content which supports geologic
interpretation and environmental impact assessment .

Situation 2 : Fertilization plan in a piece of land

A farmers would need soil orders and watershed locations to support
crop yield.
 GENERALIZATION

Construction engineer Farmer

Though these two distinct applications may

be developed from the same data source,
the different generalization involved so they
would be specific to each application.
 GENERALIZATION
Map Scale
It is important that the selection of final map scale coincide the maps
purpose and intended audience.
This target scale will determine the amount and type of information
which remains subsequent to the generalization.

DIRECT RELATION TO SCALE

The smaller scale, more generalization needed to

be done to the features selected.
 GENERALIZATION

1: 24000 1: 100000 1: 250000

Mount Rainier at different scale

 GENERALIZATION
Retention of Accuracy

Maintaining accuracy and refers quality and quantity to the absolute

conditions of the map.

1. Quality of data affect the quality of the map produced

2. Accuracy of data sources also need to be consider
3. Lack or abundance of data (quantity matters) also can affect
maps performance
4. Cartographer should also determine the accuracy of the data
used for the maps construction
 GENERALIZATION
Graphic Limits

Another factors which affect the generalization process is graphic

limits.

We can break these factors into two groups:-

a) Technical limits by the cartographers tools
b) Perceptual limits of the human eye

In digital cartography, graphic limits refer to the capacity of the

monitor and software to perform the generalization.