Planimise

Planimise is a term used in cartography and geographic information systems (GIS) to describe the creation and management of planimetric map data, which records features in their two-dimensional horizontal position while disregarding height. In practice, planimise focuses on the plan view of roads, parcels, buildings, and other infrastructure, ensuring consistent scale, alignment, and a common coordinate reference system across layers.

In typical workflows, planimise data are produced from various sources such as traditional surveying, aerial photogrammetry, LiDAR-derived classifications, and satellite imagery. Features are stored as 2D geometries with attributes (type, ownership, zoning, material). Quality control involves positional accuracy checks and topology validation to maintain clean, interoperable layers for analyses and mapping standards.

Planimise serves as a foundation for cadastral mapping, urban planning, asset management, and geographic data interoperability. While planimetric data are essential for 2D analyses and cartographic representations, many modern projects supplement them with elevation data or 3D models for height-aware decisions, building information models, and terrain analyses. The approach is frequently used in conjunction with planimetric mapping concepts and is closely related to GIS workflows and spatial data standards.

Etymology and usage: Planimise combines notions of plan view with mapping, and is often used interchangeably with planimetric mapping, though the preferred terminology may vary among institutions.

See also: planimetric mapping, planimetric data, GIS, cartography, cadastral mapping.