Typology, Functions and Production Technology of Cartographic Products in a Developing Country: The Case of Nigeria

Abstract

This paper examines the typology, functional use, production expertise and technology of cartographic products; and their societal relevance in Nigeria. The result shows that different professionals produce maps, and the method of map production is predominantly manual. The influence of modern technologies (with a x2 of 0.34 at 95% level of confidence) was not yet significant. Nevertheless, digital cartography is gradually making an impact especially in the petroleum industry. Specifically, it was found that 76% of the cartographic products are produced manually, while automated and semi-automated cartographic processes produce 24%. Functionally, maps and spatial data are used in various fields and for different purposes: 23% for planning, 18% for education, 17% for fieldwork, 16.5% for environmental and resources management, 16% for tourism, 6% for navigation and street guides, and 9% for other purposes. A variance analysis (ANOVA, F-ratio of 9.58 at 95% level of confidence) showed that there is a strong...