Flash

[RobA]

You don't really want a "map" of the actual ground details at every zoom level. A map is a representation, its not reality.

Reminds me of the wisdom of this Lewis Carroll quote:

And then came the grandest idea of all! We actually made a map of the country, on the scale of a mile to the mile!"

"Have you used it much?" I enquired.

"It has never been spread out, yet," said Mein Herr: "the farmers objected: they said it would cover the whole country, and shut out the sunlight! So we now use the country itself, as its own map, and I assure you it does nearly as well.

-Rob A>

[The Cartographist]

Rather than a map that can zoom in to the finest detail, I think that if you want this type of effect, it would be better to produce a map that is hyperlinked to sub-maps that show proportionally smaller and smaller areas. This is done really well at numerous sites on the internet (though I can't remember any off of the top of my head). This form of "interactive" map achieves what I think you are trying to do while eliminating the drawbacks already mentioned above.

[Fister]

Reminds me of the wisdom of this Lewis Carroll quote:

And then came the grandest idea of all! We actually made a map of the country, on the scale of a mile to the mile!"

-Rob A>

A useful quote to remind the cartographer to maintain perspective. However we are not speaking of graphic representations of the Earth's surface, but of graphic representations of our fantastical renderings. So perhaps we might be given a little lee way when imagining our fanciful aspirations. I enjoyed the quote and its message.