86 
uncertain between the new 1:50.000 maps editing 
and the updating of the old l:25.000's. 
The land register large-scale map is, on the 
contrary, completely neglected, since it is the result 
of the digitizing of the old sheets, that is a not less 
doubtful operation. 
We have written too often that passing from 
analogue data to numeric ones is an inconsiderate 
operation: the recall of Porro and of his projects 
made hundred-fifty years ago (7) is obligatory. 
Anyway a third part of the 1:300.000 map sheets 
have been submitted, with the taxpayers money, to 
this unbecoming operation. 
Thus, what was the purpose? At the last SIFET 
national meeting in Bolzano, an influential 
executive said and underlined, (naturally and 
luckily) disapproving, that the 75 per cent of the 
Italian communes general town planning (PRG) are 
still nowadays drawn up on more or less 
manipulated land register maps. 
But a town planning - and in particular a PRG - 
cannot and must not be drawn up on a non 
"regular" map, that is, not only missing the heights, 
but it also not completely describing the 
topographic planimetry, which is the primary aim 
of a map. 
But the worst fact is that the maps are very poorly 
updated; moreover, they are still in a Cassini- 
Soldner projection and not in the Gauss-Boaga 
national one, therefore the overlay of a map at the 
same scale, but plotted from recent flights, creates 
many difficulties. The so called "best fitting", that 
is an affine transformation, is not an operation that 
all municipal technicians can do, and, anyway, it 
twists and spoils the map without naturally 
updating it, if this operation could even be 
considered correct (8). 
Non-rarely something worst happens: maps are 
enlarged at 1:25.000, or larger scales, level curves 
are increased, making them badly suitable to the 
land register map. This terrible proceeding is still 
used, in information technology time, forgetting 
what we call "uncertainty" of the level curves, 
plotted only at sight in many "Tavolette" at the 
time of their survey with RMS of 10, 20, or 30 
meters. 
We can also find people who remake others 
drawings of the maps, and who think, in this way, 
to be assured of their job's quality. 
This is perhaps the most incisive point of this 
paper. How many apparently well traced maps 
hide, in reality, shoddy works, simply derived from 
other plans originally at a smaller scale and badly 
enlarged. Sometimes it happens they come from 
scanned maps integrated into a digital model 
(DEM, DHM) in spite of the tester who (when he is 
present) is often someone not competent. 
In fact, the matter of cartographic test still appears 
considerably topical and very important at the aim 
of the product quality. (9) (10) 
But even when they correctly work, what a waste 
of resources, if we think of the lack, not only of 
any programming form, but also of pure census. 
Maybe they are either simply replicating already 
existing maps or digitising old plans, which could 
have already and correctly been numerical? 
We have already said that state official maps are in 
bad conditions; but what can we say about those of 
the fifteen ordinary regions, of the four under 
special statute and of the two Autonomous 
Provinces? 
We don't have any recent data, also for the 
difficulty of obtaining them sure and reliable; but 
we estimate that not even half of the mentioned 
boards owns an up-to-date and efficient regional 
technical map (CTR). 
We think that (even considering the difference of 
grid, scale, appearance, symbolism, size and digital 
or just analogue structure, that means the difficulty 
of planning with a large scale between close 
regions) this is very little for Italy. Italy is an 
extensive, especially in latitude, country that has a 
really varied territory in terms of mountain 
profiles, geological structure, slope appearance and 
more or less wide human presence. 
Even if we are not dealing here with the 
modifications to apply at cartographic plans, we 
want to express some considerations about the 
delegation to communes of the land register matter 
(Land and Register). 
The recent law regulates, in fact, the charge of 
important land register functions, as "conservation, 
utilisation and updating of land and register deeds", 
for local boards; and everything must be done after 
the constitution of a vague "technical organism". 
Besides they want to charge the local boards with a 
series of duties that the present communal 
technical offices, everywhere in Italy, are not for 
sure able to carry out, due either to the low number 
of employees and, chiefly, to the lack of the 
necessary topographical and cartographic 
knowledge. 
After the above distressed discussion, which is not 
really exaggerated, we express some operative 
considerations and some suggestions for the 
legislator who could have not understood clearly. 
We will explain the planning and project maps: of 
course this will be done using some present 
operative means, which are already in use by some 
firms and by some enlightened boards. 
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