| Summary: | This paper aims to document the mapping of environmental objects, such as wetlands functions and landscape, with digital geography tools. Even though these maps are used to support public policies on water management and climate change anticipation, their political dimension is not explicitly discussed. We focus on the methodological issues involved in the processes of describing, recognizing and locating these environmental objects. We undid the illusion of a quick and automatic digital mapping, allowing addressing of any issue in an objective way: methodological choices must be discussed according to the purpose of the map. In an interdisciplinary context, it is necessary to get the measure of the polysemy of terms to reach an agreement on a common definition of objects to be represented. Digital tools challenge expertise: scientists standing between practice and research must consider the political underpinnings of maps produced with data and algorithms with issues that are not made explicit. This is why we question the purpose of the maps based on observations and interviews with their sponsors and end users. This provides key elements to renew the mapping process by examining a plurality of technical solutions, in particular the choice of relevant databases and spatial resolution.
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