“Mapping” in a geography derived understanding describes the representation of information in a spatial context. In the spatial planning context, mapping is mostly used as a cartographic or figurative representation of spatial units, concepts and designs.

In the AlpES project the mapping is used in two different contexts: The mapping of ecosystems (see term Ecosystem mapping) describes the delineation of ecosystem types. The mapping of ecosystem services (see term Ecosystem mapping) focuses on the (spatial) representation of ES indicator values derived from the assessment.