Disambiguation of the Terms of Large Scale Topographic Mapping and Cadastral Mapping in Brazil

Abstract

The local government is the main provider of direct services to the population. In Brazil, the competence to produce topographic mapping at large scales (greater than 1: 25,000), required for urban planning and the Cadastre in cities, is shared between the Union, the states and the municipalities. Based on geospatial data integration initiatives, such as INDE and SINTER, there is a growing need for standards that allow interoperability between the bases produced by diverse actors. However, among the producers and users of urban cartographic data, there is no consensus regarding the use of the terms topographic mapping in large scales and cadastral mapping. In Brazil, these two terms are historically used as synonyms, collaborating so that initiatives and efforts to standardize and update them have not been fruitful. The objective of this article is to search the literature and compare the definitions of topographic mapping in large scales and cadastral mapping in order to clarify the understanding and the use of these two terms in the country. The method used is the literature review. The classic definitions and those adopted by the national mapping agencies are examined in addition to those found in national legislation, specifications and standards. In addition, a discussion on the merge of the terms in the country is made. As a result, definitions suggestions are presented for each of the terms. With the disambiguation of these two terms, it is hoped to contribute to the structuring and consolidation of standards for a large-scale topographic mapping and a cadastral mapping, standardized and updated, in Brazil, in accordance with the guidelines of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (INDE), and with the participation of the actors involved, be they from the public sector, private sector or society in general.