Cyberspace surveying and mapping has become a hot research topic of widespread concern across various fields. Its core task involves surveying the components of cyberspace, analyzing the laws of cyberspace phenomena, and mapping the structure of cyberspace. Research on cyberspace surveying and mapping faces issues such as diverse conceptual terminologies which is lack of unified research frameworks, unclear understanding of elements and laws, non-standardized methods of cyberspace map expression, and the absence of unified standards. Based on systematically reviewing the current status of cyberspace surveying and mapping research across fields, a common understanding of the essence of cyberspace has been analyzed. Starting from the spatial, geographical, and cultural characteristics of cyberspace, the features and advantages of studying and utilizing cyberspace from the perspective of mapping geography are dissected. A research framework for cyberspace surveying and mapping is proposed, focusing on the core content and key technologies of "surveying " and "mapping" in cyberspace, and explaining its relationship with 3D Real Scene, Digital Twins and Metaverse. Cyberspace surveying has been divided into narrow and broad senses, pointing out the lack of holistic measurement of cyberspace features and the lack of research on measuring the phenomena and patterns of human activity in cyberspace. From the perspective of cyberspace cognitive needs, a conceptual model and classification system for cyberspace maps have been proposed. Focusing on the cyberspace coordinate system, "geo-cyber" correlation mapping, and methods of expressing cyberspace maps, the key technologies for creating cyberspace maps are described in detail, and the methods of representing cyberspace maps and their applicability are systematically analyzed. Finally, key scientific questions and critical technologies that need focused research, such as the top-level concepts of cyberspace, cyberspace modeling methods, theories and methods of cyberspace maps, and the design of application scenarios for cyberspace maps, are discussed. © 2024 Science Press. All rights reserved.
