The needs of our moden urban world for more large-scale maps have become obvious. At the same time, the observer is always surprised to note the vastness of our needs in new large-scale mapping and the still relative slowness of current medium- and small-scale map production. Equally surprising are the difficulties encountered by those who are mapping our towns and cities and the sometimes questionable quality of the finished product. Where would be the problem? We have acquired habits, during the last 50 years, in producing medium- and small-scale maps. We must now realize that the new large-scale document we need so badly is a totally different type of map which must correspond to new needs, and we must reconsider the whole aspect of planning and design.

In the systematic production of topographic maps, it is the government alone that has the capability of controlling the quality of the production of the work right to the printed map; and it is also the government itself that constitutes the principal user of its own production. Again it is the government which, in defining the specifications of its maps, makes the major decisions regarding the progress of its mapping. Why then does this actual production often disappoint the map user? Although the means at the disposal of the cartographer of today are powerful, even if the quality of map production is improved, the maps produced very often remain old-fashioned in many respects. The arrival of automation brings to the cartographer the opportunity of researching a new form of cartography which will answer new requirements of the map user.

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The need for large-scale maps is increasing with the development of urban areas, and their production is adding considerably to the work load of the agencies responsible for providing them. The author discusses the technical problems related to the production of large-scale maps and suggests that the responsibility for providing these maps should be decentralized.