Production of Low-Flying Charts—Aeronautical Chart, Norway

The example shown comes from a series called M517 AIR produced at a scale of 1:250,000. Typical users of this product are helicopter pilots flying time-critical rescue missions in bad weather. As an aeronautical chart, all standard flight information must be included, but because of the intended use at low-flying altitudes, additional information must also be incorporated. Topographic features including detailed hillshading are an important component of this additional information. Even more critical for low flying is knowing the locations of significant elevation points and vertical obstacles such as communication and electrical transmission towers.

Producing this map requires successfully addressing several cartographic challenges including complex and explicit design criteria to achieve maximum readability of a vast amount of information; complex layering and rule-based handling of large amounts of map text; managing accuracy and quality control issues for multithematic, overlapping aeronautical source data; and managing and solving several complex cartographic print requirements including selective transparent masking rules for many layers of data to create the required print product. The production system is completely database driven based on CPS^NG, an application for demanding cartographic work built around ArcGIS.