2.7. Polygonal items

These are items that display on the map as polygons (i.e. they encompass a particular area). All buildings, some hydrographic items (seas, lakes, reservoirs, etc.), vegetation (forests, parks), etc. are polygonal items.

Every type of map item has its own type of outline and area encompassed by it. For example, bodies of water are represented as blue polygonal items and vegetation is green.

For some polygonal items (such as administrative divisions), you must enter names. Others don't have names (for example, most woodlands).

Polygonal items can be divided into two types based on the way they are drawn.

Simple

Drawn as a single item with one continuous outline.

Territories, buildings, and road structures (bridges, squares, etc.) are of this type:

General techniques for working with these types of items are found in the following sections:

Composite

These items have a complex configuration (such as administrative divisions, vegetation and hydrographic items, etc.). They may consist of several separate polygons or sections of the border may belong to several different polygonal items of the same category.

This category includes:

  • Administrative divisions. The same section of border may simultaneously border a region, city, neighborhood, etc.:

    Additionally, an administrative division may contain several polygons that do not share borders:

  • Hydrographic items. A reservoir may share part of a boundary with a cove, bay, or strait:

  • Archipelagos (groups of islands located closely together) and other similar items.

General techniques for working with these types of items are found in the following sections:

There are two general rules you should follow when you draw any polygonal item:

In addition to the general drawing and editing techniques for polygonal items, there are rules for drawing specific types of these items: buildings, bodies of water, and others. These rules are given in the subsections of Section 3. Global mapping rules.