Cartographic generalization in a digital environment: when and how to generalize

How should cartographic generalization be embodied in a digital environment? This paper will address that question by presenting a logical framework of the digital generalization process which includes: a consideration of the intrinsic objectives of why we generalize; an assessment of the situations which indicate when to generalize; and an understanding of how to generalize using spatial and attribute transformations. In a recent publication, the authors examined the first of these three components. This paper focuses on the latter two areas: to examine the underlying conditions or situations when we need to generalize, and the spatial and attribute transformations that are employed to effect the changes. -from Authors