1. n. [Geology]

A map on which primary data and interpretations can be plotted. A base map typically includes locations of lease or concession boundaries, wells, seismic survey points, and other cultural data such as buildings and roads, with a geographic reference such as latitude and longitude or Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) grid information. Geologists use topographic maps as base maps for construction of surface geologic maps. Geophysicists typically use shot point maps, which show the orientations of seismic lines and the specific points at which seismic data were acquired, to display interpretations of seismic data. In the field, geologists can use a plane table and alidade to construct a base map.

See related terms: alidade,  Global Positioning System,  plane table,  topographic map,  Universal Transverse Mercator grid (UTM)