Suggestions for the Revision of ISOM 2000
because of its different structure the comments of the Australian Orienteering Federations are not included
| General | Federation |
| Control There is too much room for the mappers personal interpretation. | Sweden |
| Colours Differentiating between green and yellow PMS 361 causes more problems with colour-blind people than PMS 339. | Sweden |
| Combinations permitted Combination of 401 Open land with 210 Stony ground to be allowed. In the Swiss pre-alps there are many areas with open land as defined under the symbol 401 with scattered stones. | Switzerland |
| Combinations of 310+ 402 and 310+ 402 are relevant for very easy runnable grass marshes. | Norway |
| Four colour printing The current ISOM does not seem to allow four colour printing. Four colour printing is very difficult to get right, and the quality is very dependent on the capabilities of the equipment and the expertise of the involved. ISOM should specify technical requirements for four colour printing. This should include colour mixes (CMYK-values) for the colours of orienteering maps, requirements to the screens (density, angles and special effects such as frequency modulated screens). | Norway |
| Legibility Extensive tests are necessary. Some symbols are unnecessary heavy. Generalisation is too weak. | Sweden |
| North lines Dimension to be increased from 0.125-0.175 to 0.18 (1: 10000: 0.13 i.e. 1,5 x in printed maps). | Finland |
| Number of Symbols Symbol economy should be the ruling principle of ISOM. | Germany Norway |
| Rock and boulder ISOM could be read so that 201 should be used for impassable cliffs while 203 should be used for cliffs that are passable in any direction. If this is the right interpretation, how do we map cliffs that are passable downwards, but not upwards? It is very important to have the possibility to show these kinds of rock faces, as they have a real impact on route choices in many types of terrain. Rock faces that are passable in any direction may be of interest, but they should not come instead of the passable down, impassable up rock faces. | Norway |
| Scale Symbols at scale 1: 10.000 must be enlarged to 150 percent. | Sweden |
| Screens 40 lines/cm are very coarse. Higher screen frequencies should be allowed; 60 lines/cm. | Switzerland |
| Vegetation Many orienteering maps give the impression of vegetation maps. Especially for beginners this can be misleading. An orienteering map should be primarily a topographical map. This should be mentioned in the specification and the number of vegetation symbols should not be increased. | Germany Switzerland |
| The boundaries for green classification (10%, 50%, 80%) is artificial. An argument for the current classification scheme is that the dark green can be used to show vegetation barriers. But green should show runnability, not barriers. Class boundaries to be changed to 25%, 50% and 75%. | Norway |
| Actual symbols | Federation |
| 101 Contour Dimension to be increased from 0.125 to 0.14. | Finland Germany Sweden |
| 102 Index contour The use of index contour should be mandatory for maps with more than 25 metres of elevation variation. | Norway |
| 103 Form line Dimension to be increased from 0.125 to 0.14. | Finland Germany |
| 112 Small knoll Diameter to be increased from 0,5 to 0,5?. | Finland |
| 115 Pit If the dimensions of the present specification are applied to the outermost points of this symbol, the symbol is very small. The present dimensions should be applied to the centre lines | Germany Switzerland |
| 116 Broken ground Diameter to be increased from 0.175-0.25 to 0.25. |
Finland |
| 201 Impassable cliff The main line going beyond the last tag to be allowed. |
Switzerland |
| Natural impassable cliff to be shown with rounded ends (there are very few sharp edges in nature). Man-made cliffs could be shown using sharp edges. | Norway |
| 203 Passable rock face Dimension of tags and baseline to be increased from 0.125 or 0.175 to 0.25; length if needed 0.4. | Switzerland |
| Natural passable rock faces to be shown with rounded ends (there are very few sharp edges in nature). Man-made cliffs could be shown using sharp edges. | Norway |
| 204 Rocky pit If the dimensions of the present specification are applied to the outermost points of this symbol, the symbol is very small. The present dimensions should be applied to the centre lines. | Germany Switzerland |
| 205 Cave If the dimensions of the present specification are applied to the outermost points of this symbol, the symbol is very small. The present dimensions should be applied to the centre lines. | Germany Switzerland |
| 209 Boulder cluster This symbol to be excluded because of apparent confusion with boulder field. Boulder field 208 to be used instead. | Sweden |
| Boulder field 208 is very similar. 209 could be dropped by including its intended usage in the specification 208. | Norway |
| 210 Stony ground Dimension to be increased from 0.125-0.175 to 0.25. | Finland |
| 0.20 | Norway Sweden |
| 211 Open sandy ground The figure of this symbol is not according to the text. The distance between the dots to be measured in a 45° angle (0.6). | Switzerland |
| 212 Bare rock The screen to be reduced from 30% to 20% and increased from 54 lines/cm to 60 lines/cm. | Finland |
| 303 Waterhole If the dimensions of the present specification are applied to the outermost points of this symbol, the symbol is very small. The present dimensions should be applied to the centre lines. | Germany Switzerland |
| 306 Crossable small watercourse Dimension to be increased from 0.125 to 0.18 in order to easily distinguish between this symbol and 307. | Germany Sweden Switzerland |
| 0.14 | Finland |
| 0.15 | Norway |
| 307 Minor water channel Dimension to be increased from 0.125 to 0.18 in order to easily distinguish between this symbol and 307. | Germany Switzerland |
| 0.14 | Finland |
| 0.15 | Norway |
| 308 Narrow marsh The dots to be increased from 0.25 to 0.35. | Sweden |
| 0.3, keep 0.5 as dot distance. | Norway |
| 310 Marsh Symbol should be changed so that less obvious forms are legible. See examples. | Sweden |
| 311 Indistinct marsh Symbol should be changed so that less obvious forms are legible. See examples. | Sweden |
| 402 Open land with scattered trees The figure for this symbol is not according to the text. The distance between the dots to be measured at a 45° angle (0.6). | Switzerland |
| The dots should be adjusted. No concrete proposal. | Norway |
| 404 Rough open land with scattered trees Symbol to be changed in order to increase legibility and avoid confusion with 402. | Sweden |
| The figure of this symbol is not according to the text. The distance between the dots to be measured at a 48° angle (0.6). | Switzerland |
| The dots should be "adjusted". No concrete proposal. | Norway |
| 406 Forest: slow running Screen to be increased from 20% to 30%. | Finland Germany |
| 407 Undergrowth Symbol to be put together with 409, since the legibility is extensively reduced. | Sweden |
| The symbol 407 and 409 tend to interfere with underlying symbology, particularly contours. A better solution should be found. | Norway |
| 408 Forest: difficult to run Screen to be increased from 50% to 60%. | Finland Germany |
| 415 Cultivated land Diameter of black dots to be reduced from 0.25 to 0.20. | Finland Norway |
| Cultivated land must not be open (yellow). In many places around the world (e.g. Tanzania) they practice agro-forestry (growing crops in the forest). | Norway |
| 416 Distinct vegetation boundary Symbol to be enlarged from 0.175 to 0.22. The present specification is obviously intended for a 0.175 mm pen, which produces larger dots | Finland Switzerland |
| 0.2 | Norway |
| 509 Narrow ride The line to be increased from 0.125 to 0.18. | Germany |
| 515 Wide ride There is no need for this symbol. | Norway |
| 518 Major power line The line for pylon to be increased from 0.125 to 0.18. | Sweden |
| 531 Ruin Minimum size like building (527). | Sweden |
| The minimum size is rather large. Is it necessary Norway to use a full line for the smalI ruin? | Norway |
| 539 Cairn The line width to be reduced from 0.175 to 0.08 and the diameter of the ring. | Norway |
| 540 Fodder rack In order not to jeopardise relations between orienteers and landowners/hunters, fodder racks should not to be shown on the map or it should be a local symbol. | Sweden |
| 602 Control point The definition of the line between controls is missing. | Norway |
| New symbols | Federation |
| Elongated knoll improves legibility | Finland? Sweden |
| Forest difficult to run with great variations There is a need to be able to show forest which is Sweden difficult to run in but with great variations. The runnability should be equivalent to that of 406. 20 percent screen with large white dots | Sweden |
| Bushes Bushy area with small trees, where you can run by zigzagging as in 406. Green 60% (40 lines/cm), white 50% (16.75 lines/cm) | Finland |
| Bushes Uncrossable area of the shores of waterways. Green 33% (27 lines/cm), blue 20%. | Finland |
| Windfalls In a more ecologically focused forestry, windfallen trees may not be cleared away as it is done today. There will almost certainly arise a need to show these areas on the map. One way could be use the symbol for undergrowth and indicate the runnability direction as is being done in 411. | Sweden |
| Small hut e.g. hunting hut There is a risk of confusing it to rocks unless the symbol is heavily over-dimensioned | Sweden |
| Tractor tracks Deep, clearly visible tracks made by forest tractors. Ground surface broken, reduced runnability. 2 parallel broken lines, 0.08, length 2.5, distance between lines 0.25. | Finland |
| Trench Black line 0.13 (same as 414). | Finland |
| Overprinting symbols Overprinting should be regarded as part of the Switzerland map and therefore be included in the specification (ski orienteering, mountain bike orienteering, corrections). | Switzerland |