SUITABILITY AND CHALLENGES OF OPEN MAPS FOR EUROPE DATA FOR CREATING A GENERAL PURPOSE SMALL-SCALE MAP OF CROATIA

Abstract. The adoption of the Open Data Directive in 2019 compelled the launch of the Open Maps for Europe project, aiming to provide accessible and harmonized geospatial data from over 40 European countries. This research investigates the suitability of Open Maps for Europe data for creating a general purpose small-scale map of Croatia. The study applies digital cartographic procedures to produce the map, while assessing data quality and fitness for this task. The methodology for map creation involved seven key steps: (1) extracting data from the 1:250,000 scale EuroRegionalMap dataset, (2) performing geometric, topological, and attribute conversions, (3) applying cartographic generalization to adapt the map content to a 1:500,000 scale, (4) conducting data quality checks, (5) addressing exceptions, (6) symbolizing and placing names, and (7) designing a printable map. The resulting general-purpose map of Croatia at a 1:500 000 scale demonstrates that Open Maps for Europe data is generally suitable for map creation at this scale. However, challenges such as data heterogeneity among countries, data gaps in certain areas, inappropriate levels of generalization, and disordered geometry may arise. The map created should be considered an intermediate, rather than a reliable and trustworthy final product since rigorous quality control measures should be undertaken to produce the final map.