The relationship between the methods of theoretical cartography and various system theories for mapping is considered on the concrete example of mapping the local risk of forest fire occurrence. The result of the study on theoretical cartography is knowledge map (geoontology), that interprets elements and connections in geoimages on the map. Different types of maps are associated with levels of the scientific information hierarchy and, accordingly, the levels of the choice of mapmaking tasks from the many variants of spatial theories, models, knowledge and data.