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UF Mapping Symbology Guide
  • Data Layer Standards
    • Administrative Boundaries
    • Building Footprints
    • Data Insights Layers
      • 🥕Food
      • 🏠Housing
      • 💧Water
      • 🌎Hazards
    • POIs (Points of interest)
    • Hazard Areas
    • Line Layers
  • Best Practices
    • Symbology Options
    • Map Color Choices
    • Map Color Breaks
    • Map Overlays
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  1. Best Practices

Map Overlays

PreviousMap Color Breaks

Last updated 2 years ago

Maps may include these as outlined by the NWCG:

  • Labels*: Text on the map that specifies boundaries or geographical features (e.g., cities, bodies of water).

  • Legend: The key that describes the meaning of colors and symbols found on the map.

  • Title: The basic description of the map, including items such as incident name and map type. The Unit Identifier and the Local Incident Identifier are included (e.g., ID-BOF-0095). For certain maps, the title must also include the operation date and/or period for which the map was produced.

  • Scale: A graphical expression of a fixed distance, such as 1,000 feet or 1 mile. A textual description, such as 1:24,000 or 1” = 1 mile is useful if the map is printed at the desired output size; however, because digital maps (such as PDFs) can be printed at various sizes, it is preferable to use a graphical scale bar.

  • North arrow: The graphical display used to orient the map correctly. This element could also include additional direction indicators for magnetic declination or grid angle.

  • Date of preparation: Including the date and time the map was produced informs the map user of the currency of the information displayed on the map.

  • Author: The person or group that prepared the map.

In an interactive map, display of labels should be dependent on zoom level. For example, when viewing the state of California with a Zip Code layer, you do not need to display all zip codes. As the user zooms in, that label detail becomes visible.

basic elements