Maps are very efficient to communicate spatial situations.
A theoretical framework for a formal discussion of map production and map use is constructed using a multi-agent framework. Multi-agent systems are computerized models that simulate persons as autonomous agents in a simulated environment, with their simulated interaction. A model of the process of map production and map use is constructed based on a two-tiered reality and beliefs model , in which facts describing the simulated environment and the simulated agents' beliefs of this environment are separated. This permits to model errors in the persons' perception of reality.