Cartographic Representation

Cartographic Representations

Cartographic representations have been designed especially for cartographers who need to manage how and where features will be symbolized and depicted on a map or multiple maps that are derived from a common database. With representations, you can produce

• Multiple map products from a single master database
• Scale-based map products
• Map series products

Rendering Geographic Features

Cartographic representations allow you to store and render additional information with the geographic features on a map. For each feature class, you can define multiple representation rules, overrides, and exceptional ways that symbols will be rendered to enhance the presentation of the maps you produce.

This image was rendered with the swipe tool in ArcMap to show geographic features rendered as simple features (bottom) and as cartographic representations (top).

• Converting Symbology to a Representation

Two fields are appended to the feature class table that allow you to store the following visualization characteristics. Using a combination of these effects allows cartographers to use their skills to produce a wide variety of thematic maps. You can specify as many representations as needed for each feature class.

• Representations rules define the symbol layers and geometric effects used to render map features.
  • Adjusting line pattern endings
  • Creating a complex symbol
• Geometric effects can be applied to a representation rule that dynamically alters the shape of features before they are drawn. This lets you modify the way a single symbol layer will appear or any combination of layers will be rendered.
• Using polygon properties
• Using line features
• Overrides store exceptions to the representation rules.
• Based on feature-level symbology
• Based on shape
• Free representations allow you to create an inline copy of a representation that will fully override all the properties of a representation rule for a feature including its geometry.
• Fine tuning symbol rendering

Representation Pipeline

Alternatively, you can derive values from lookup tables or other source data to populate the representation rule properties. Cartographic geoprocessing tools can be used to dynamically control geometric effects on the representation layer. Cartographic representation editing tools can be used interactively or explicitly to modify symbology, geometry, or both.

In the following two thematic maps, representation management is used to symbolize layers that create two cartographic products from the same master database.

Tourist map showing detailed feature layers.

Topographic map showing detailed feature layers.