Großskalig

Großskalig is a German adjective meaning “on a large scale” or “of large scope.” It is used to describe projects, systems, processes, or studies that operate over wide geographic areas, involve substantial resources, or rely on extensive data. The term appears in fields such as planning, economics, engineering, science, and public administration, where the scale of effort or impact is a central consideration.

Etymology and orthography: the word is formed from groß (large) and skalig, a suffix used to convey scale-related meaning. Spelling variants include großskalig and, less commonly, großskalig; hyphenation can occur in longer compounds and spellings may vary by source or style guide.

Usage and context: großskalig emphasizes breadth of reach and impact rather than depth in a strictly localized context. It is used to differentiate large-scale efforts from small- or mid-scale ones, such as in policy documents, project proposals, and academic discourse. Typical contexts include infrastructure development, data-intensive research, manufacturing systems, and urban or regional planning where the scope extends across large areas or volumes.

See also: Großmaßstab, Kleinmaßstab. These related terms refer to large-scale and small-scale perspectives, commonly used in mapping, modeling, and planning to denote the extent of a representation or intervention.