NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN MAKING ORIENTEERING MAPS
L. Zentai
Department of Cartography and Geoinformatics, Eotvos Lorand
University, Budapest, Hungary
zetor@ludens.elte.hu
Orienteering
maps are special type of maps which are mostly made by non-professionals. The
technology of making these maps (fieldwork, drawing) has considerably changed
in the past 20 years.
Base maps
can be made by digital photogrammetry or air-borne laser scanning technology,
but the methods of creating state topographic maps (which are used as base maps
of orienteering maps) have also changed in the last few years. The accuracy of
these maps has also increased to help the users.
In the
field-working we can use GPS devices (sometimes with real-time differential
corrections) for measuring points and lines. GPS devices are available for more
than 20 years, but they became used in field-working as regular techniques only
in the last few years.
For faster,
but not very accurate distance measurements we can use ordinary laser distance
finders.
The
orienteering maps are drawn by computer software; in some countries these were
the first type of maps which were created only by computer methods.
Orienteering
maps are good indicators how the new cartographic techniques are easily
applicable for non-professionals or how widely they are used as everyday
techniques.
The paper summarizes the milestones of the development of these techniques to understand how we can make these methods and devices more user-friendly and simpler.