The authors present scientific and methodological approaches to creating a cartographic knowledge base. Its purpose is to increase the efficiency of professional activities, including automation and robotization of production processes and implementation of artificial intelligence technologies, due to timely, targeted and effective use of accumulated knowledge. Domestic and foreign works and regulatory documents related to the matter were studied. The ontology method, based on formalizing a certain area of information using a conceptual scheme, and various approaches to geospatial knowledge were considered. The processes of the subject area formalized description and forming its conceptual structure to create intelligent cartographic systems were analyzed. An example of displaying a fragment of mapping process’ semantic network using the built-in Protégé visualizer was given. Methodological solutions and a procedure for formation, formalization and creation of a professional cartographic knowledge base are proposed. The results of experimental work on representation of professional cartographic knowledge are shown by an example of the technological process of mapping through using geographic information systems