The Uncertainty in Mapping the Spatial Limits of Geographic Features

Abstract

With the advancement of spatial and temporal resolutions of satellite images, there is an increase in demand for larger scale cartographic products. For cartography, the increase in resolution means the possibility of detecting the limits of the objects that we want to map with greater precision. When observing a vector cartographic product, all the features represented are regions that present some characteristic that differentiates them from the “continuum” around them. However, many of the features with which cartographers work on a daily basis lack clear, well-defined geometric limits. Coastal lines, Biomes in general, Risk Zones, Cold Front, Crime Zones, etc., are examples of features that need to be mapped, but due to their characteristics, they present challenges to be geometrically modeled. In this work, a bibliographical review will be presented, supported by several conceptual exercises, with the objective of showing how the positional uncertainty of the limits of geographic features affects the cartographic process (from collection to representation), and as a classification of these limits and also of the types of associated uncertainties, can help in a better understanding and treatment of geospatial information.