Mapping for Municipal Planning and Engineering—Back to Basics

Abstract

Good maps are required for the efficient and effective conduct of municipal planning and engineering. In spite of the rapid changes that have taken place in surveying and mapping technology, maps of the scale, accuracy, and precision required for sound municipal planning and engineering are lacking in many communities. As the principal technical advisor to local government, the municipal engineer bears the responsibility for the status of mapping within the community and for the adequacy of such mapping to meet the dayto‐day needs of municipal planning and engineering functions. This paper reiterates, within the context of the recent interest in computer mapping and related integrated data banks, the basic principles involved in mapping for municipal planning and engineering purposes. The paper describes the types of maps required for municipal planning and engineering applications, discusses the scales and contour intervals required, and describes the type of survey control network on which the maps should be based. Examples of the application of maps to municipal planning and engineering are given, together with examples of derived maps.