A Prolog Rule-Based System for cartographic Name Placement

Abstract

Manual name placement is an extremely time consuming task and has been one of the most difficult aspects of the map production process to automate. It is complicated by the large number of rules required for the selection and placement of names. A hybrid Prolog/Fortrau rule-based system is described for placing names on a variety of map types. It uses a set of Prolog primitives for spatial search and name placement operations. The Ordnance Surveyâ s 1:625000 scale digital dataset has been used to illustrate the application of rules for the selection of labels as well as for controlling their size and orientation. The application to other types of maps and diagrams is also briefly described.