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1. Purposes: 
Japanese digital mapping specification was 
established in 1988. 
PASCO introduced the DAT/EM 3D-driver of 
AutoCAD(DAT/EM Mapping System) for the WILD 
A7 analogue stereoplotter in late 1988. 
For digital map productions for Japanese 
municipalities,PASCO has configured a total 
MAPCAD - 
digital mapping system - 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Photo 1.1 MAPCAD subsystems 
MAPCAD has 5 subsystems for 
procedures as follows: 
1) MAPCAD10 ; Total station Surveying 
2) MAPCAD20 ; Map Digitizing 
3) MAPCAD30 ; Stereoplotter Compilation 
4) MAPCAD40 ; Automatic Graphic Output 
5) MAPCAD50 ; Compatible File Output 
In this paper we will present our plan to 
make tentative specifications for a new 
surveying process for digital mapping. 
Our major mapping scales are for 1:500 
,1:2,500 and 1:25,000 topographical maps. 
We have tried newly developed methods,such 
as GPS surveying,CAD compilation,CG plane 
table surveying and CAD Laser Printing. 
The purpose of our study is as follows: 
1) To configure new mapping procedures 
compared with current conventional 
digital mapping process. 
2) To present guide lines of the tentative 
specifications for new digital mapping. 
3) To examine key parts of those guide 
lines in some experimental projects. 
4) To introduce new applications of 3D 
digital maps in the field of civil 
engineering design with DTM (Digital 
Terrain Modelling) techniques. 
5) To combine the digital mapping process 
with 3D GIS,using new methodological 
concept known as CAD-GLOBE 
different 
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2. Subjects,Methodology and Substance 
2.1 Research of guide lines for tentative 
specifications in digital mapping 
2.1.1 Current standard procedures of 
digital mapping in Japan 
1) Planning and Preparation 
From the beginning until the present,the 
major purpose for digital mapping in 
Japan has been either digital data 
reservation for forthcoming urban 
planning system or automatic drafting 
output to previously produced by 
expert draftsmen. This step is now 
being restructured by 3D GIS systems. 
2) Signalization 
This step can be done with Ground 
Control Surveying by well trained 
surveyors,and may be reduced by GPS 
Surveying. 
3) Aerial Photography 
Precise large scale mapping has been 
modified with a FMC camera,and some 
simple GPS navigation systems were tested 
in surveying aircrafts. 
4) Ground Control Surveying 
Very recently, this step was reviewed 
and authorized by the governmental 
organiZations,using a total station 
surveying system.Shortly this step will 
be changed and regulated by the official 
manuals for GPS Surveying. 
5) Aerial Triangulation 
This process was modernized by rigorous 
solutions in 1985,and restructured with 
PC programs. This should be modified and 
rationalized with GPS Surveying and CAD 
techniques. 
6) Field Identification 
This most important data acquisition 
process has been reorganized by new 
guiding principles. 
7) Digital Compilation 
There are 2 methods in this process in 
Japan.The most conventional way looks 
like analogue plotting on an attached 
drawing table or simple digital map data 
capturing contained in a stereomodel. 
MAPCAD has improved this so called 
plotting process with 3D CAD (AutoCAD) 
into compilation and editing procedures. 
8) Map Data Editing 
This step is done by three diffent 
methods as follows. 
a)Digitizing plotted map 
b)O0ffline Editing of captured map data 
c)Refinement of compiled map data 
Most of this process will be restructured 
using 3D CAD/GIS. 
9) Supplementary Surveying 
Plane table surveying,still in use now, 
has been a conventional method. 
PASCO has drastically changed this 
process by using the CG plane table 
surveying system which was created and 
developed in 1990. 
10)Final Graphic Editing 
This step is the most time consuming 
process for conventional digital mapping 
systems because erroneous data handling 
,such as free editing without data, is