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MAP AND DATA BASE REVISION 
Ammatzia Peled, 
University of Haifa, 
Dept. of Geography, 
Mt. Carmel Campus, 
Haifa 31905, ISRAEL 
Commission IV, Working Group 3 
KEY WORDS: GIS, Cartography, Revision, Updating 
ABSTRACT 
Digital spatial data base revision is gradually taking place as the main goal and production effort of many mapping agencies all 
over the world. Developing easily effected updating methods of digital mapping information now becomes the key to the 
successful maintenance of the large GIS data bases established by these institutions. The “digital era” of mapping where objects 
and features are to be defined rather than just described in the traditional cartography, is facing us with an additional dimension. 
In an ever-growing domain, in terms of activities and the developing demand of information, non-spatial data becomes a major 
issue in maintaining the spatial data bases we generated until only recently. In the era of the Information Highway, a vast 
quantity of new users have surfaced who are seeking a multitude of information in terms of variety and details that were 
unfamiliar to traditional mapping. Today, it is not enough to map a building and position it correctly. Most of the users are 
seeking the information about the activities taking place at that particular address rather than the physical description of the 
structure. The paper describes the experience gained at the Survey of Israel in updating the National GIS data base that is 
established based on remapping the country using 1:40,000-scale air photographs. The paper presents all the sources used to 
update the base layers (i.e., large-scale photographs, satellite images, large-scale maps, etc.). Also described is the shift in field 
surveys, for updating, from traditional mobile surveying to airborne (helicopter) surveying, based on GPS instruments and 
techniques. Also presented is the methodology developed for semi-automatic revision of digital maps that were produced from 
the GIS data base revised since the last map production. 
BACKGROUND holes, caves, springs, etc; the second is to update the GIS 
data base on information such as activity centres, landmarks, 
etc. These efforts aim not only to update the digital data 
base, but also to revise the traditionally produced maps, and 
in a second phase for developing an automatic revision of 
town maps where these data are mostly needed. 
In 1992, the Survey of Israel launched a remapping project. 
In this effort, the whole country was to be remapped using 
1:40,000-scale air photographs. This effort is based on a 
2.5-D scaleless model [Peled et al, 1991], and aims to 
establish a National Seamless data base of the country. This 
data base serves both as a national digital mapping source 
and also for the Survey's map-series production. Four years DATA BASE COMPLETION 
after launching the remapping project of the country, the 
Survey of Israel has found itself in a most complicated The data base completion phase is regarded at the Survey of 
transition era. On one hand, most of its maps are produced Israel as a revision process. All data that were detected and 
by using traditional cartographic methods. Conversely, new identified on the 1:40,000-scale air photographs are mapped 
digital maps are being produced directly from the newly according to the new digital mapping guidelines that were 
established National GIS data bases. Furthermore, some of developed for the project. These data are tested and 
the data were gathered three and four years ago, which in corrected according to a detailed quality control process, and 
some areas in Israel means they are critically out of date. only when passing the tests are added to the GIS library. 
Thus, in the midst of the remapping effort, passing the 50% This process is carried out in batches of a single 
point in terms of remapped area, the Survey must proceed in photogrammetric model that is connected to existing data to 
three major production efforts: (a) Revision of reproduced generate a seamless data base. 
analogue map-series; (b) Continuing with remapping the 
Country; and (c) Revision of the digital GIS data base in Cartographic Completion 
areas that were just recently remapped. In addition, two 
additional revision and updating procedures are carried in Some features that were depicted, traditionally, in the 
parallel efforts; one being to revise old map series by “analogue” map-series are not mapped in this process. These 
validating functioning and position of objects like water are features such as: water holes, wells, springs, caves, 
645 
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B4. Vienna 1996