Chapter 10: Web maps and atlases

Encarta Worldatlas, 1999, (Seattle: Microsoft).
Frappier, J. and Williams, D., 1999, An overview of the national atlas of Canada. In Proceedings of the 19th International Cartographic Conference ICC99, Ottawa, (Ottawa: Canadian Institute of Geomatics), pp. 261-266.
Grote Bosatlas, 1995, (Groningen: Wolters Noordhoff).
Kraak, M.-J. and Ormeling, F. J., 1996, Cartography, visualization of spatial data, (London: Addison Wesley Longman).
Neumann, A. and Richard, D., 1999, Internet atlas of Switzerland new developments and improvements. In Proceedings of the 19th International Cartographic Conference ICC99, Ottawa, (Ottawa: Canadian Institute of Geomatics), pp. 251-260.
Ormeling, F. J., 1979, The purpose and use of national atlases. Cartographica, 16, (Monograph 23), pp. 12-23.
Palko, S., 1999, Partnership and the evolution of the national atlas of Canada. In Proceedings of the 19th International Cartographic Conference ICC99, Ottawa, (Ottawa: Canadian Institute of Geomatics), pp. 275-284.
Smith, R. M., 1989, Atlas of Arkansas. (Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press).
Times Atlas of the World: Comprehensive Edition, 1999, (London: Times Books).

URL 10.1 Graphic Maps: http://www.graphicmaps.com/graphic_maps.htm
URL 10.2 Magallan Geographix: http://www.maps.com/
URL 10.3 CIA: http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
URL 10.4 Encyclopedia Britannica: http://www.britannica.com
URL 10.5 Encarta: http://encarta.msn.com/maps/mapview.asp
URL 10.6 MapQuest: http://www.mapquest.com/
URL 10.7 MapBlast: http://www.mapblast.com/mblast/index.mb
URL 10.8 National Geographic: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine
URL 10.9 Historical atlas of the twentieth century: http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/20centry.htm
URL 10.10 Niagara Census: http://www.brocku.ca/maplibrary/atlas96/atlas96.shtml
URL 10.11 Elections: http://www.wahlatlas.de/fr_java.html
URL 10.12 National Atlas Canada: http://www.atlas.gc.ca/english/index.html
URL 10.13 National Atlas USA: http://www.nationalatlas.gov/
URL 10.14 National Atlas Switzerland: http://www.karto.ethz.ch/atlas/
URL 10.15 Atlas de Quebec: http://www.unites.uqam.ca/atlasquebec/cadres/accueil.htm

Atlases are probably the most well known cartographic products. Today one can distinguish among references atlases, school atlases, topographic atlases, national atlases and thematic atlases. Each type has its own structure designed to reach the atlas objectives. The first electronic atlases were just copies of paper editions, and are known as view-only atlases. Later options offered by the digital (WWW) environment include interaction and dynamics. This introduced interactive and analytical atlases. These atlases allow the user to decide on the map detail viewed and often also on its representation. It often includes an interactive relation between the map and other media via hyperlinks. Multimedia elements such as text, images and animations can be linked to the map. This environment is familiar to users of the WWW.
Most atlas types have WWW-versions. Of all atlases the national atlas is the most special. National atlases map all the particularities of a country. On the WWW these atlases can be part of the national geospatial data. By presenting a detailed view of the physical and social aspects of a country, the atlas as such is not only a mechanism to inform, but could be part of the geospatial WWW search engine - another entrance to the geospatial data organised via a clearinghouse. Geospatial data providers participating in a clearinghouse are also the data sources for a national atlas. In respect to the National Atlas, the idea is that each organisation makes up-to-date data available at a certain level of aggregation.

Updating in progress (April 17, 2002)