Environmental thematic maps in the light of the regulation on the types of cartographic and special thematic studies

Abstract

One of the implementing regulations of the Law on of 3 October 2011 is the regulation of the Council of Ministers on the types of thematic and special cartography studies which determines what thematic maps will be performed by the national geodetic and cartographic service in cooperation with other public administration bodies. This regulation lists the following thematic studies which will have digital form: hydrographic, sozological, geomorphological, soil and agricultural, land cover, land use, technical infrastructure, average transaction prices of land, territorial divisions of country and atlas areas of the Republic of Poland.
Part of the thematic studies listed in the regulation has been carried out for many years in the form of thematic, spatial databases. These are: Polish Hydrographic Map on a scale of 1:50 000
and Polish Sozological Map on a scale of 1:50 000. Currently more sheets of these maps are being made, which are designed to continue the ongoing several years, the construction of highly advanced, specialized SOZO and HYDRO databases. However, these studies are carried out under the Technical Guidelines of GIS and GIS-3-4, which were worked out in 2005 and need updating, so that they will be in accordance with the requirements of the INSPIRE directive. This will achieve a fully interoperable cartographic products offering the possibility of data gathering, merger
and harmonization with other studies (primarily from the reference database).
This article is an enquiry to look at studies mentioned in the above regulation and mainly those which are related to the natural environment. In addition to brief descriptions of selected papers,
the author reflects on the common harmonization of newly developed digital databases of thematic maps. Thematic maps of the natural environment is characterized by the fact that many phenomena are closely related, because of that at some elements of these maps should look globally, not just from the point of doing a thematic, unit study. Another important issue presented in this article is the integration of digital thematic maps from the DTM and orthophotomap. Currently in PZGiK there are collected digital terrain models derived from aerial laser scanning. Using them to create thematic maps would help to increase the accuracy of the input natural phenomenon and in significantly way it will improve the visualization to give better plastic effect, and will be easier for the user.