Human Geographic Mapping abandons typical political boundaries and maps areas based on natural elements and human interactions. The process is used to outline boundaries and important features based on social networks and scales.
Human Geographic Mapping is based upon the notion that political boundaries (i.e. state or town lines) do not naturally coincide with social, ecological, or other boundaries.
The field of ecosystem-based management grew out of a similar realization—the idea that watersheds were more appropriate units for environmental management than were towns and counties. Human Geographic Mapping outlines the boundaries of areas, like watersheds, that naturally define human interactions in a region. Human Geographic Maps also recognize the importance of scale, with Human Geographic Units occurring from neighborhood level up to the global level.
James Kent Associates uses human geographic mapping as the end-point of the Discovery Process, which identifies the places, elements, and patterns most important to communities. In projects using the Discovery Process, a human geographic map presents the results, or the places and boundaries that are most important for human social and cultural interactions.
In other examples, organizations or communities use mapping more as a process than a product. Individuals can map their own paths and daily routines, or planners can map the overall routines of the community. The process of mapping often identifies routes, areas, or specific places that would not otherwise have been considered significant.
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