The purpose of this research was to develop a conceptual basis for controlling quality in the production of maps and cartographic information. Since objective measurement is an essential prerequisite for controlling quality in any production system, this work focused on the specific problems of determining what the fundamental components of cartographic quality are and how they can be measured.
After reviewing the basic concepts of quality and its control and establishing their relevance to mapping, selected spatial information standards were examined to discover how cartographic quality is presently defined. Spatial data quality involves four characteristics: geometric accuracy, attribute accuracy, logical consistency, and completeness. However, practical limitations were found in the existing definition of mapping quality. For example, methods for measuring the positional accuracy of linear features are lacking.
The nature of geographic information was analyzed for the purpose of establishing an objective basis for its measurement. As a result the point, line, and area point objects were identified as the fundamental units of cartographic expression. These three objects can be adopted as general-purpose quality characteristics for maps and digital geographic information products. Controlling quality in mapping reduces to the problem of ensuring the accuracy (geometric and attribute), consistency, and completeness of features formed from the point, line, and area point primitives.
The more specific problem of measuring geometric accuracy in mapping was explored in Chapters 5 and 6. After reviewing several potential methods for characterizing the discrepancy between two lines, one particular approach was recommended. The preferred method uses a standardized arc length parametrization of the lines to develop a discrete sample of vector discrepancies.
The final chapters of the dissertation place the theoretical framework for defining and measuring cartographic quality in the context of a mapping process and list several issues that require additional research.