Introduction

As much as possible, we'd like to produce good quality maps - one of the most enjoyable parts of mapping is the satisfaction that one gets from hearing positive comments about the map and the enjoyable/interesting courses run on it. One measure of quality is consistency - our customers get very little time to study the map before the event and as a result it has to use a standard set of symbols in as legible a manner as possible. This page defines the standards that we will use to assess Melbourne Park/Street maps.

Map Content

Information supplied by the Mapper

The mapper needs to ensure that the following items are displayed on the map:

Title/Name of map
North arrow - this should point to magnetic North
Scale bar
Numeric scale (e.g. 1:10,000)
Contour interval (e.g. 5m)
Copyright statement and date
Date last updated
Mapper's name(s)
Club logo
Orienteering contact information (e.g. VOA phone number)
Sponsor logos

Note that a legend is not required on park/street maps; as we move towards a consistent set of standard symbols, it will be enough to put a standard legend on the newcomer's information board at each event.

Information supplied by the Course-Setter

The Course-Setter needs to ensure that the following information appears on the map:

Event date
Course setter's name
Course
Control descriptions
Finish times and penalties for score courses
Number of controls/course for scatter

Course-Setters are asked to read the Course-Setting Guidelines on the street-O web pages - and to use the checklists contained therein.

Map Format

The following recommendations were made at the park/street mapping meeting in January 2004:

Mandatory Requirements

Standard shading; runnable areas will be white, out-of-bounds areas will be grey.
Minor tracks must be shown as a dashed line on a white background. Dashed lines do not show up well on a grey background.
The scale must be accurate - in both the vertical and horizontal directions.
Control circle placement, size and line thickness are critical - be especially careful not to obscure detail or confuse information near a control site.
Control number placement is also critical - numbers must not touch nearby roads/tracks.
Areas of danger on logical route-choices should be marked with text warnings

Highly Desirable

Boundary roads should be named
Don't map detail inside out-of bounds areas
If route-choices are available between buildings, individual buildings must be shown. Use ISSOM recommendations for tunnels under buildings (see below).
Use dots in the centre of the control circle to show side of road on which the control is placed.
Circle size - vary as required to ensure that detail near the control site is not obscured
Complex areas - show only the detail required for a runner to navigate through the area. Too much detail can affect legibility (this can be a problem if a colour map is printed in black and white).
Underline 6 and 9

Other Information

The international specification for Orienteering Maps is ISOM 2000
Note that Chapter 8 of ISOM 2000 (which deals with Park/Street maps) has been superseded by
- ISSOM 2003 - the International Specification for Sprint Orienteering Maps.
- ISSOM in PDF format (359 kB)
- ISSOM OCAD 7 template
- ISSOM OCAD 8 template


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