High-resolution geomorphological map of a low mountain range near Aachen, Germany

Abstract

A high-resolution geomorphological map covering the central part of a low mountain range close to the city of Aachen in the border region of western Germany and eastern Belgium is presented. It is conceptually based on the ‘Geomorphologische Karte 1:25,000’ (GMK) which was developed by German researchers in the 1970s and 1980s but differs from the original concept in terms of data acquisition, processing and map layout in order to overcome some problems of classical geomorphological maps. These comprise time consuming field work, inflexible paper-based map creation, and the resulting poor legibility due to extremely high information density. All mapping was performed in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) environment on the basis of a 1 m LiDAR digital elevation model to reduce the time and cost needed for map production. The scale of the map is 1:5000 and thus increased by a factor of five in comparison to the original GMK to make sure no crucial information is lost through cartographic generalization. The layout was adjusted to fit the larger scale, resulting in an improvement of the morphometric information value and a strengthening of the GMK's construction kit concept. In comparison to the original GMK concept, the methodology yields benefits for the production of geomorphological maps by reducing the effort necessary to collect and manage data, improving the spatial accuracy, and enhancing the flexibility regarding data management and map layout.