Mappers Blog: The swiss quality management system for orienteering maps

Orienteering map production in Switzerland is supervised by the national orienteering federation. Here I give a short outline on the system regulated by the Kartenreglement des Schweizer Orientierungslauf Verbandes. I refere to the version which will be introduced in 2014.

• Every mapping project gets screened by environmental issues
• Every mapping project  gets checked about the accordance to the national version of the mapping norm (Symbolization, minimal gaps and sizes) and usually also field checked in regard to proper interpretation and generalization.
• Additionally also proper drawing is an issue.
• The maps quality promotion is executed by one of 13 consultants, each in charge for a certain region of Switzerland. These are all among the most experienced mappers we have and some of them are even closely linked to OCAD. Their role is consultative and as such they are in a mainly supporting and educating role. If the map is drawn for a member association of Swiss Orienteering, the Federation stands for the costs of the consultant.
• A good cooperation between mapper and consultant usually results in the map being Q-labeled, represented by the Q behind the official map number.
  
  
• From 2014 the label of the Federation will even include a rough information about the actual print quality of the map in hand. See figure above.

That way the Swiss Orienteering Federation secures the high quality of Swiss Orienteering mapping  the whole way from choice of terrain, to survey and drawing to print and as a side effect even introduced a flow of know-how from the experienced to the emerging mapper.