ScaleMaster
Resources
  
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This page is linked to
Cindy Brewer's home page.
  
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Resources below are
 ordered with most recent
 first to the original
 ScaleMaster as the
last item


Full references for
 presentations and papers
are also listed on
Cynthia Brewer's CV

ScaleMaster is a structured diagram for organizing multiscale mapping using multiple databases and design, selection, and generalization decisions.

In its rudimentary form, ScaleMaster is a do-it-yourself Excel file available for download (19. below). Other resources were listed and linked as we continued to develop the idea.
The ScaleMaster project was a collaboration among Cindy Brewer, Barbara Buttenfield, Larry Stanislawski, Lynn Usery, and Charlie Frye.

Research assistants at Penn State: Elaine Guidero, Katherine Meckler, Paulo Raposo, Clare Price, Kevin Sparks, Rick Fourroux, Jay McGilloway, Jim Thatcher, Chelsea Hanchett, Andy Stauffer, Stephen Butzler, Doug Minnigh, Stephen Sylvia, Mamata Akella, Jessica Acosta, Robert Roth, Michael Stryker, Carolyn Fish, Douglas Schoch.
Research assistants at CU Boulder: Chris Anderson-Tarver, Mike Gleason, Ryan Haney.
Others contributors include Aileen Buckley and Mike Howard.


The research work was funded from 2008 to 2013 by the USGS Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS) through Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) grants through geography departments at the Pennsylvania State University and University of Colorado at Boulder.
ScaleMaster research was initially funded by Esri through Professional Services Agreements 2003B6345, 2003B6346, 2003B6347 and 2006B2964.

Additional papers and talks by Buttenfield on her website.
Additional papers by Stanislawski and others on CEGIS Generalization site.
All papers and presentations by the Penn State researchers are linked below.

See new developments with ScaleMaster from Guillaume Touya and Jean-Francois Girres, COGIT lab, IGN France (e.g., sourceforge; ICC2013 paper; CaGIS paper).   The ScaleMaster approach is now popular with national mapping agencies.

49. Presentation by C. Brewer at USGS Headquarters for Henry Gannett Award Ceremony, Reston VA (November 12, 2013) (22MB PDF).
Award announcements: USGS, Penn State.

48. Webex Presentation for Graphics Technical Exchange Meeting, USGS, Denver (November 19-21, 2013): 
Brewer, C. "Highlights from CEGIS & Penn State Multiscale Research on USGS Topographic Mapping" (13MB PDF).

47. Presentations at NACIS, Greenville SC (October 9-11, 2013):
Presentation 1: Raposo, P. and C. Brewer, "Guidelines for Consistently Readable Topographic Vectors and Labels With Toggling Backgrounds" (17.3MB PDF). Invited re-presentation of item 46-1.
Presentation 2: Raposo, P. and C. Brewer,  "Automated Attribute Enrichment for Automated Multiscale Maps" (13.2MB PDF).

46.  Presentations and Proceeding Papers at ICC2013, Dresden (August 25 – 30, 2013):
Presentation 1: Raposo, P. and C. Brewer, "Guidelines for Consistently Readable Topographic Vectors and Labels with Toggling Backgrounds" (5.03MB PDF). Proceedings Paper 
Presentation 2: Brewer, C., E. Guidero, L. Stanislawski, B. Buttenfield, and P. Raposo, "Labeling Through Scale Using Hierarchies of Thinned Road Networks for Design of The National Map of the United States" (10.9 MB PDF). Proceedings Paper 
Proceedings Paper: Stanislawski, L., B. Buttenfield, C. Brewer, and C. Anderson-Tarver, "Integration Metrics for Cartographic Generalization: Assessment of 1:1,000,000 Scale Hydrography and Terrain." 

45.  ICA Workshop Presentation and Proceedings Paper, Dresden (August 23-24, 2013):
Presentation: Raposo, P., C. Brewer, and L. Stanislawski, "Label and Attribute-Based Topographic Point Thinning" (2.19MB PDF). Proceedings Paper 

44. Research presentations at USGS-CEGIS All-Hands Meeting, Rolla MO (June 25-26, 2013):
Presentation 1: Brewer, C., "Multiscale Design for The National Map 2012/13" (11.7MB PDF).
Presentation 2: Guidero, E., K. Meckler, and C. Brewer, "Road networks and populated places: generalization through scale" (7.77MB PDF).
Presentation 3: Meckler, K., P. Raposo, and C. Brewer, "Airports Through Scale" (3.06MB PDF).
Presentation 4: Raposo, P., and C. Brewer, "Automated attribute enrichment for automated multiscale cartography" (7.26MB PDF).

43. Webex Presentation for EUROSDR Workshop (March 21, 2013):
Brewer, C.A., E.M. Guidero, and P. Raposo, "Road thinning through scale for The National Map of the United States" (3.46MB PDF).

42. Refereed Article on road thinning:
Brewer, C.A., L.V. Stanislawski, B.P. Buttenfield, K.A. Sparks, J. McGilloway, and M.A. Howard. 2013. "Thinned road networks for multiscale design of The National Map of the United States." Cartography and Geographic Information Science 40(4): 259-270.  DOI: 10.1080/15230406.2013.799735

41. Presentation during online meeting with CEGIS (February 13, 2013).
Raposo, P., "GNIS Summit Thinning" (3.14MB PDF).

40. Presentation at the Middle States AAG, Shippensburg PA (November 2-3, 2012):
Brewer, C., and P. Raposo, "Multiscale Design for The National Map of the United States" (11.4MB PDF).

39. Presentation at AutoCarto 2012, Columbus OH (September 17-18 2012):
Presentation: Brewer, C., L. Stanislawski, B. Buttenfield, P. Raposo, K. Sparks, and M. Howard, "Multiscale Design for The National Map of the United States: Road Thinning for Topographic Mapping" (7.20MB PDF). Proceedings Paper 
 
38. Presentation at NACIS 2012, Portland OR (October 17-19, 2012):
Raposo, P., K. Sparks, and C. Brewer, "Techniques for Cartographic Presentation of Upsampled Raster Land Data" (13.8MB PDF).

37. Webex Presentation to USGS, EROS (July 18, 2012):
Raposo, P., K. Sparks, and C. Brewer, "PSU Land Cover Treatments: Impervious Surface Focus" (7.24MB PDF).

36.  Research presentations at USGS-CEGIS All-Hands Meeting, Rolla MO (June 26-28, 2012):
Presentation 1: Brewer, C., K. Sparks, and P. Raposo, "Multiscale Design for The National Map 2011/12" (13.0MB PDF).
Presentation 2: Raposo, P., K. Sparks, and C. Brewer, "Multiscale Land Cover Processing for The National Map" (4.70MB PDF).
Presentation 3: Sparks, K., P. Raposo, and C. Brewer, "Multiscale Land Cover Design for The National Map" (2.97MB PDF).

35. Geography Colloquium Presentation by C.A. Brewer at Ohio State (May 24, 2012):
"Multiscale Desin for The National Map of the U.S." (13.8MB PDF).

34.  Presentations to USGS visitors at Penn State (April 18-19, 2012):
Presentation 1: Brewer, C., J. McGilloway, and R. Fourroux, "Multi-Point Sky Illumination" (1.64MB PDF).
Presentation 2: Raposo, P. and K. Sparks, "Feathered-Edge and Spray Can Technique for Upsampled Raster Land Cover Data" (2.61MB PDF).

33.  Refereed Article on operators for multiscale mapping:
Roth, R. E., C. A. Brewer, and M. S. Stryker. 2011. "A topology of operators for maintaining legible map designs at multiple scales." Cartographic Perspectives 68: 29-64. (4.44MB PDF).

32.  Refereed Article on populated place labels: 
Butzler, S.J., C.A. Brewer, and W.J. Stroh, 2011, "Establishing Classification and Hierarchy in Populated Place Labeling for Multiscale Mapping for The National Map," Cartography and Geographic Information Science, 38(2): 100-109.  DOI: 10.1559/15230406382100

31.  Coffee Hour Talk by C.A. Brewer at Penn State (December 9, 2011):
Presentation: "Multiscale Redesign of The National Map with USGS," abstract (17.5MB PDF).
Watch the synchronized video and Powerpoint combination on "MediaSite Live" (click on the link and the presentation starts automatically after a brief set up; you may be prompted to install iTunes). The talk is 1 hour and 6 minutes in length, and is hosted through Geography's Coffee Hour to Go program. 

30. Presentation and poster at NACIS Conference, Madison WI (October 12-14 2011):
Presentation: Brewer, C., J. McGilloway, and S. J. Butzler, "NACIS Presentations on Terrain Inspire Penn State Applied Cartographic Design Course" (15.7 MB PDF).
Poster: Stauffer, A., C. Hanchett, and C. Brewer. Terrain Generalization for Multiscale Mapping Poster (17.7MB PDF).

29. Presentations and proceedings paper at the ICC2011, Paris (July 3-8, 2011):
Presentation 1: Raposo, P. and C. Brewer, "Comparison of topographic map designs for overlay on orthoimage backgrounds" (18.3 MB PDF). Proceedings Paper 
Presentation 2: Brewer, C., B. Buttenfield, and L. Stanislawski, "Choosing between geometry change and display change for multiscale mapping" (6.98 MB PDF). Proceedings Paper  

28. ICA Workshop Presentations and Proceedings Papers, Paris (June 30-July 1, 2011): 
Presentation 1: Brewer, C., J. Thatcher, and S. Butzler, "Combining Varied Federal Data Sources for Multiscale Map Labeling of Populated Places for The National Map of the United States" (3.20MB PDF). Proceedings Paper 
Presentation 2: Buttenfield, B. P., L. V. Stanislawski, and C. A. Brewer, "A comparison of star and ladder generalization strategies for intermediate scale processing of USGS National Hydrography Dataset.” Proceedings Paper 


27. Research presentations at USGS-CEGIS All-Hands Meeting, Rolla MO (June 14-17, 2011):
Presentation 1: Brewer, C., "Overview of Progress and Goals – Electronic Topographic Map Design Through Scale for The National Map" (1.2MB PDF)
Presentation 2: Brewer, C., "Terrain Representation" (0.9MB PDF)
Presentation 3: Stauffer, A., C. Brewer, "Multiscale Terrain Representation" (13MB PDF)
Presentation 4: Brewer, C., "24K Ortho Designs: Layer Combinations" (4MB PDF)
Presentation 5: Raposo, P., C. Brewer, A. Stauffer, "Comparison of Topographic Map Designs for Overlay on Orthoimage Backgrounds" (16.5MB PDF)
Presentation 6: Brewer, C. "Performance of Map Symbol and Label Design with Format and Display Resolution Options Through Scale for The National Map," follow-up on AutoCarto 2011 talk, item 23 (2MB PDF)

26. Workshop presentations led by C. Brewer at USGS-CEGIS All Hands Meeting, Rolla MO (June 14 – 17, 2011):
PPT 1: Design Examples (6.2MB) 
PPT 2: Overview ScaleMaster (492 KB) 
PPT 3: Elimination (7.14MB)
PPT 4: Resolution (2.77 MB)
PPT 5: Part Principles (12.1 MB) 
PPT 6: Stauffer, Terrain (9.41MB) 
PPT 7: GEOG 467 Terrain Projects (35.3 MB) 
PPT 8: Part Symbols (3.98 MB) 
PPT 9: Ortho PDF Design Layers (13.6 MB)
PPT 10: ICA Workshop Placenames (5.70 MB, item 28-1 above)


25. Presentations at The National Map Users Conference, Denver (May 12-13, 2011) and AAG conference, Seattle (April 12-16, 2011):
Raposo, P, C. Brewer, "Comparison of Topographic Map Designs for Overlay on Orthoimage Backgrounds" (14MB PDF)
Butzler, S., C. Brewer, J. Thatcher, "Establishing Classification and Hierarchy in Populated Place Labeling for Multiscale Mapping for The National Map" (7MB PDF) (see also items 22, 23 and 32).
Stauffer, A., C. Hanchett, C. Brewer, "Terrain Generalization for Multiscale Mapping" (see item 27-3 above)

24. Webex Presentation to USGS National Map Product and Service Leads by C. Brewer, December, 2010.
Talk split among parts of eight PPT files, in response to questions and interests:
PPT 1. Introduction (3.4MB PDF)
PPT 2. Design (2.8MB PDF)
PPT 3. Symbol (1.3MB PDF)
PPT 4. Placenames (4.9MB PDF)
PPT 5. ArcGIS (1.8MB PDF)
PPT 6. Finish (PDF)
PPT 7 (not discussed): Map Series (4.9MB PDF)
PPT 8 (not discussed): Evaluation (1.4MB PDF)

23. Presentations at AutoCarto 2010, November 2010.
Stroh, W., S. Butzler, C. Brewer, "Establishing Classification and Hierarchy in Populated Place Labeling for Multiscale Mapping for The National Map" (6MB PDF)
Brewer, C., C. Hanchett, B. Buttenfield, L. Usery, "Performance of Map Symbol and Label Design with Format and Display Resolution Options Through Scale for The National Map" (5MB PDF)

22. Placenames poster by S. Butzler, presented at NACIS 2010 conference, October 2010:
Butzler, S., W. Stroh, C. Brewer, "Populated Place Label Classification and Hierarchy for Multiscale Mapping" (7MB PDF)

21. More on Stream Tapering for Wet and Dry Region Mapping by A. Stauffer, presented at NACIS 2010 conference, October 2010 (also, see item 17-4, Andy's PPT from CEGIS All Hands meeting, June 2010):
Poster (24MB PDF)
Brief summary of processing steps (small PDF)

20. Multiscale map design specifications for a draft topographic map design using date from The National Map (1:24,000) are listed in these three (lengthy) documents:
Symbol styles (2.5MB .DOCX)
Label styles and positioning (.XLSX)
Style File (1MB .STYLE, used with ArcGIS 9.3.1)
The files were prepared by C. Hanchett (August 2010). These designs were presented on a poster at the NACIS 2010 conference and funded by USGS/CEGIS. These are very detailed documents and the map design is still in transition, so please expect refinements to be needed (and a few errors).

19. ScaleMaster diagram for proposed multiscale design for USGS topographic mapping (July 2010).
This is an Excel file with two tabs, prepared by C. Hanchett and C. Brewer. One tab is a diagram that illustrates ranges of data and symbol use on the maps through scale. The second tab summarizes the meaning of the codes seen in the diagram. This is a simple Excel file in which we have manually colored the cells and spaced columns to fit the scale ranges (no fancy functionality here). You may use or change this diagram to suit your mapping goals.

18. Presentation at Esri International User Conference, San Diego (July 12-16, 2010) (summary of 2010 CEGIS talks, in item 17):
Brewer, C.A., B.P. Buttenfield, and E.L. Usery, "Designing USGS topographic mapping for multiscale online use" (19.5MB PDF).
 
17. Research presentations at USGS-CEGIS All-Hands Meeting, Denver (June 23-25, 2010):
Presentation 1: Brewer, C.A., B.P. Buttenfield, and L. Stanislawski, "Progress on Electronic Topo Map Design Decisions" (15MB PDF).
Presentation 2: Hanchett, C.L., and C.A. Brewer, "Multiscale Design: ScaleMaster Decisions and MXD Settings for Symbol Evaluation" (6.5MB PDF).
Presentation 3: Brewer, C.A., C.L. Hanchett, B.P. Buttenfield, and L. Stanislawski, "Evaluation of Map Symbols by Screen Resolution and File Format Through Scale" (7MB PDF).
Presentation 4: Stauffer, A., and C.A. Brewer, "Tapered Symbols for NHD Flowlines Systematically Adjusted for Dry Versus Humid Zones" (1.8MB PDF).

Additional work by Buttenfield and others on her website.
Additional papers by Stanislawski and others are posted on CEGIS Generalization site.
 
16. Extended abstract for GDI2010, Symposium on Generalization and Data Integration, Boulder (June 20-22, 2010)
Brewer, C.A., "Design for multiscale topographic mapping with minimal generalization" (2.5MB PDF).
 
15. Coffee Hour Talk by Dr. B.P. Buttenfield at Penn State, March 26, 2010.
"Mapping Hydrography With the Best of Intentions" Watch the synchronized video and Powerpoint combination on "MediaSite Live" (click on the link and the presentation starts automatically after a brief set up; you may be prompted to install iTunes). The talk is 1 hour and 6 minutes in length, and is hosted through Geography's Coffee Hour to Go program.
 
14. Five papers by students in C.A. Brewer's Seminar in Cartography: Multiscale Hydrography.
Presented December 4, 2009, at USGS Headquarters in Reston VA:
Ross, Kevin, "Ladder versus star: Comparing Two Approaches for Generalizing Hydrologic Flowline Data Across Multiple Scales," 18pp (400KB PDF)
Tyrna, Abbey, "Using Surface Hydrologic Connections to Select or Prune National Wetland Inventory Wetland Features for the National Hydrography Dataset," 12pp (3.7MB PDF)
Wilmer, James, "National Hydrographic Data: Generalization and "The Principles of Selection"," 16pp (5.5MB Word file)
Smithgall, Mark, "Multi-Representation Database Development: Review and Recommendations for National Mapping," 14pp (900KB PDF)
Raposo, Paulo, "Review of DEM Stream Derivation and Spectral Hydrographic Feature Detection for Cartographic Processing of the USGS National Hydrography Dataset," 16pp (3.5MB PDF)
Citation of these papers would also include the date, 2009, and completing information such as "Unpublished seminar paper, Department of Geography, Pennsylvania State University, University Park."
 
13. Series of related papers presented at NACIS 2009 and ICC2009 conferences, authored by B.P. Buttenfield, C.A. Brewer, and E.L. Usery:
 Brewer et al., "Designing The National Map by USGS for Multi-scale Online Use" (23MB PDF).
Buttenfield et al., "Place Still Matters: Generalizing the National Hydrography Dataset by Local Terrain and Climate" (2.5MB PDF)
Brewer et al. "Evaluating Generalizations of Hydrography in Differing Terrains for The National Map of the United States":
     Proceedings paper, 24th International Cartographic Conference (ICC2009), Santiago, Chile, November 2009, 12 pp. (2.2MB PDF)
     Presentation at ICC2009 (10MB PDF).

12. Refereed article on conceptual background for the ScaleMaster project (PDF and HTML versions on Springer Open Access):
Brewer, C.A., and B.P. Buttenfield. 2009. "Mastering Map Scale: Balancing Workloads Using Display and Geometry Change in Multi-scale Mapping." Geoinformatica, 14(2): 221–239.  DOI 10.1007/s10707-009-0083-6
 
11. Proceedings paper for AutoCarto 2008 conference (1.3MB PDF) :
Brewer, C.A. and M.K. Akella, 2008, "Multi-resolution Multi-scale Topographic Map Design: Toward a New Look for The National Map," Proceeding of AutoCarto 2008, September, 12 pp.
 
10. Paper presented at NACIS 2008 conference (3.6MB PDF) by R. Roth et al.
 
9. Paper presented at GIScience 2008 conference (0.8MB PDF) and extended abstract (0.3MB PDF) by M. Stryker et al.
The presentation included demonstration of the interactive ScaleMaster version linked in item 8 below.
 
8. Interactive version of ScaleMaster by M. Stryker and R. Roth with assistance from C. Fish and D. Schoch.
 
7. References cited on Roth et al. poster (PDF) and Booklet of operator descriptions (3.6MB PDF) with references (contains poster content formatted to print double sided and staple across top).
 
6. Poster presented at GIScience 2008 and NACIS 2008 conferences by R. Roth, M. Stryker, and C. Brewer: "A Typology of Muliti-scale Mapping Operators" (8.5MB PDF).
 
5. ScaleMaster is profiled on Mapping Center in this blog entry by C. Frye (items available in ZIP file linked on the blog are the same as 1, 3, and 4 below).
 
4. Proceedings paper for ICC2007 conference:
Brewer, C.A., B.P. Buttenfield, C. Frye, and J. Acosta, 2007, "Scalemaster: Multi-Scale Mapmaking from Multiple Database Resolutions and for Multiple Map Purposes," Proceedings, 23rd International Cartographic Conference (ICC2007), Moscow, Russia, August, 10 pp (1.4MB PDF).
 
3. Papers presented by C. Brewer, J. Acosta, B. Buttenfield, C. Frye, and A. Buckley:
ICC2007 conference in Moscow: "Scalemaster: Multi-Scale Mapmaking from Multiple Database Resolutions and for Multiple Map Purposes" (3.2MB PDF).
Extended version at NACIS 2007 (North American Cartographic Information Society) conference: "ScaleMaster Characterization of Types of Design Changes Through Scale for Mapping from Multi Resolution Databases" (3MB PDF).
 
2. Early work on the ScaleMaster project:
Paper presented at AutoCarto 2006 conference): C. Brewer and B. Buttenfield, "Mastering Map Scale: Formalizing Guidelines for Multiscale Map Design" (1.8MB PDF).

Refereed article: Brewer, C.A., and B.P. Buttenfield, 2007, "Framing Guidelines for Multi-Scale Map Design Using Databases at Multiple Resolutions," Cartography and Geographic Information Science, 34(1): 3-15 (3.6MB PDF).
 
1. The original ScaleMaster diagram (Excel file), for manual editing to describe design and generalization choices through scale. The four diagrams in this file are from map designs by J. Acosta (note Excel page tabs).

Go back to Cindy's page or  PSU Geography or National Mapping Expertise Exchange or GeoVISTA