Planimetrics has two roots: “planar [1] ” and “metrics,” which is a form of the suffix “-metry [2] .” Essentially, the word refers to two-dimensional space, and the art of measuring, respectively.
The field of geography requires an innate understanding of planimetrics because there are often cases in which some geographic element has a limitation regarding how well it can be represented in a two-dimensional space.
Planimetrics is fundamental to the creation of maps, the representation of real-life features as seen on a three-dimensional Earth, and accurately portraying them on a two-dimensional surface. Maps are the primary way in which people view geographic information. Planimetric elements are represented on two-dimensional maps as they are seen from the air, or in aerial photography, and often include features such as: roads, building footprints, sidewalks, trails, rivers, lakes, etc[3]. These features are often digitized from orthorectified aerial photography into data layers that can be used in analysis and cartographic outputs[4].