Base maps provide a framework for spatial display and analysis of the disaggregated indicator data. Developing them at appropriate resolutions is important for the long-term collection and analysis of indicator data. Thematic maps of urban indicators can then be prepared and published.

For Shanghai, two levels of resolution are used: one at the district level (equivalent to municipalities in a metro area) and another at the sub-district level (equivalent to census tracts). An extensive set of indicator data is available for the first level, which is less than optimal for in-depth analysis. At the sub-district level, the indicators are limited to demography (population and population density) and economic activity (employment and output by sector).

With the electronic maps provided by our partner and a map developed by Dr. Wu previously, we have finalized a base map for Shanghai. This involves some map cleaning and verification. First, we have checked for subdistrict boundaries and names across the two sets of maps to ensure consistency. We now have a base map of subdistricts that is essentially based on the UTM map provided by our partner and can also incorporate other indicator attributes associated with Dr. Wu's map. After comparing the subdistrict names and boundaries in the base map to published data, we also have discovered that some subdistricts have been combined. Both the base map and data have been adjusted to link the correct data to the correct subdistricts. We then have created a district base map by merging the subdistricts

For Guatemala City, we have two sets of base map _ one at the district level and another at subdistrict level, similar to Shanghai. Using an electronic map obtained from the Geographic Institute of the University of San Carlos, we have finalized a base map at the district level that would allow us to show census indicators for the entire metropolitan area. We also have used this level of resolution to showcase the 286 squatter settlements within the metropolitan area of Guatemala City identified and surveyed by the Center for Urban and Regional Studies.

With the Faculty of Architecture, we have identified several difficulties to obtain a digitized map of Guatemala City at subdistrict (zone) level. Our final solution is to manually digitize a hard-copy map of the central business district. This will allow us to have a partial base map of the city by zone (sub-district level) to display indicator data collected by the Faculty of Architecture and to analyze land use changes in the area. But the database still has some design problems and we have been assisting our partner in creating some guidelines for data entry and linkages.

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