ABSTRACT
The terms ‘map use’ and ‘map user’ appear in a variety of contexts, and it is necessary to consider carefully their various applications. Although map users can be regarded collectively as the total range of people using maps, their interests and activities are diverse. Groups of map users may have interests in common, which may be identified by formal consultation with them, or anticipated by map makers. Some such groups may exert a strong influence on the creation of maps, especially if their consumption of map sheets is high, or if they are regarded as ‘important’ in the community. In some cases they may not be a cohesive body at all (e.g. motorists), even though they are numerically important as possible map purchasers. A special-purpose map is generally easier to deal with from the map maker’s point of view, as the expected needs and interests of the prospective users, and possibly their level of skill, can be more easily summarized. Multi-purpose maps, including many special-subject maps, are open to a greater variety of potential uses, and frequently have to compromise between very different interests.
