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During the last decade digital national atlases have made distinct advancements concerning visualization techniques and atlas functionality. Challenges that atlas authors still are confronted with can be identified mainly in the fields of user-centered design, real-time data management, and map design. The ATLAS OF SWITZERLAND demonstrates in its t...
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... Along with the digital revolution, new visualisations and functionalities have entered the field of atlas cartography, and web-based atlases have started to be enriched with a related multimedia content (diagrams, text, visuals, videos, and animations) linked to the displayed geographic entities and have gradually evolved into multimedia atlas information systems (MAIS) [22]. The process of creating web-based atlases and its development over time has been addressed in the studies by Swiss researchers from the Institute of Cartography in Zurich [23][24][25], along with the discussion on different approaches used in the development of web atlases, which were based on multimedia content, but without including cartographic aspects. The importance of including the cartographic aspect in the process of creating a web-based interactive atlas was also emphasised by Lechthaler [26], who mentions the term cartographic information system (hereafter CIS) in this context. ...
On the example of our project on the creation of the historical web atlas on Czech history, we introduce the process of adapting originally printed historical maps for their presentation in the web environment, which overcomes the shortcomings of standard approaches in similar projects based on printed predecessors published only as zoomable scanned analogues or default GIS maps. To simplify the originally complex map and to increase the information potential of the maps, we propose seven different types of additional map functionality according to the specific characteristics of the original map content. In addition, we present a set of rules, principles, recommendations, and methods for the cartographic design and processing of originally printed historical maps that should be considered when they are prepared for presentation on the web, including the description of the specific visualisation processes for the proposed types of map functionality. The proposed complex methodology can be applied to similar projects focused on the conversion of originally printed maps to the web and may contribute to improving the quality of the visualisation and presentation of historical maps on the web in general.
... The last edition, AoS 3, contains about 2000 maps with additional time series in 2D maps and 3D mode (block diagrams, prism maps, and panoramic views). It offers a multitude of tools and map functions, including a sky tool, terrain analysis tools, data and map comparison tools, smart legends, and many more (Sieber et al. 2009). ...
Interactive atlas systems are products of high cartographic quality and user-targeted functionality. The main challenge for future digital atlases will be to incorporate the new trends of 3D mapping, online and mobile applications into atlas design. The Atlas of Switzerland, an example of a mature digital atlas, tries to advance these trends together with existing atlas functions in its next version. Starting with the concept of an online 3D atlas, this article explains the architectural implications of an atlas based on a virtual globe engine. By embedding the globe in a modern graphical user interface and implementing cartographic 3D visualizations, it is intended to strengthen the position of the atlas against other online mapping services.
... The first step is to investigate the possibility to generate the most frequent types of 2D maps found in atlases in a service-based manner. As target of the investigation we selected the maps from Atlas of Switzerland 3 (Sieber et al. 2009), mainly due to the in-house availability of the necessary data. By starting from the same spatial data, we have successfully recreated various types of maps from Atlas of Switzerland (Ortner 2011). ...
... As a first step we collected general feedback from project leaders of ongoing and completed projects of the Institute of Cartography of ETH Zurich (IKA) in order to adopt the main findings about design of graphical user interfaces (GUI), interactive functionality, and visualization methods for our cartographic information system. These projects include the Atlas of Switzerland (AdS, 2004;Sieber et al., 2009), the Swiss World Atlas interactive (SWAi, 2010;Cron et al., 2009;Marty et al., 2009), GEOWARN Geospatial warning system (GEOWARN, 2003;Gogu et al., 2006), and Real-Time Cartography in Operational Hydrology (Lienert et al., 2009). After the development of a first version of the prototype it was presented to the above mentioned specialists who subsequently rated and prioritized specific elements and provided suggestions for improvement. ...
Communication of natural hazard assessment results is crucial to protect people and infrastructure from devastating impacts of extreme events. While hazard maps provide important information on potential impacts, their interpretation and the general knowledge exchange between stakeholders is often difficult. Web-based information systems contain the potential to support hazard management tasks by fast distribution and customization of hazard visualizations through interactive functionality. Cartographic principles are, however, often ignored in existing web-based visualizations which leads to poor graphical results and consequently to an impairment of the information flow. While these issues need to be solved, a new task is already waiting: the integration of uncertainty information into hazard visualizations. Since many hazard management activities rely on hazard assessment results, communication of associated uncertainties among experts is vital. The challenge of this research is to overcome these existing shortcomings by combining high quality cartographic visualizations of natural hazard data as well as associated uncertainties with interactive functionality. The resulting web-based cartographic information system will convene the needs of natural hazard specialists by offering a high level of customization: the suggested visualizations include various cartographic techniques such as the application of textures, bars, and interpolated surfaces. The possibility to interactively select particular data sets, customize colors, choose dimensions, query attribute data, and include uncertainty information facilitates the interpretation of complex data and finally the communication among natural hazard specialists. In this article we summarize requirements that have to be considered, suggest functionalities necessary to perform natural hazards management tasks, and present a prototype of an expert system for the visualization and exploration of natural hazards assessments results and associated uncertainties.
... ) appears in autumn 2010 on DVD. In the following, the main features characterising the new edition are presented (after Sieber et al, 2009b ...
... The third edition Atlas of Switzerland 3 (Fig. 1) appears in autumn 2010 on DVD. In the following, the main features characterising the new edition are presented (after Sieber et al, 2009b): New content, new GUI and advanced functionality. ...
This paper demonstrates new innovative functions in the Atlas of Switzerland 3. A special focus is laid on mountain-related topics. The atlas offers a unique possibility to not only look at single topics and phenomena, but allows also for a comparison of different themes. The various analytical and visualisation tools enabling such studies are demonstrated. Since its foundation in 1925, the Institute of Cartography, the oldest academic institution for cartography world-wide, has constantly been involved in designing and editing atlas projects. The illustrated map topics and forms of visualisation were always manifold and adapted to the atlas type in question. In particular, the institute's map authors were always committed to fulfilling the users' needs and to implementing a high-quality graphic design of the map content. Besides conventional printed atlases, such as the Swiss World Atlas, the official Swiss school atlas, the institute has now dealt for the last 15 years with the conception adevelopment of interactive atlases. Multimedia Atlas Information Systems (MAIS) are systematic, targeted collections of spatially related knowledge in electronic form, allowing a user-oriented communication for information and decision-making purposes. As in a conventional atlas, a MAIS mainly consists of a harmonized collection of maps with different topics, scales, and/or from different regions (after Hurni, 2008). The Swiss national atlas, the Atlas of Switzerland, was first established in the 1960s at the Institute of Cartography of ETH Zurich by the former institute heads, E. Imhof and E. Spiess, and was edited over 35 years. Within this period, two editions containing 13 deliveries with a total of 146 map tables with 596 single maps were completed. This printed version presented a wide variety of topics on Switzerland on large-size maps. Since 1995, the Atlas of Switzerland was developed as a digital edition. The atlas has been re-published as interactive Multimedia Atlas in 2000. That version consisted of a 2D-part, presenting statistical data covering Switzerland, based on administrative boundaries down to the community level. Furthermore, a 3D-part allowed to visualise Digital Elevation Model data with a resolution of 25 m nation-wide. Over 13'000 copies of the Version 1 on CD-ROM have been sold, making it a best-seller for Multimedia products in Switzerland. From its first publishing, this multimedia atlas information system set high-quality standards in terms of both its graphic quality and interactive functions. It has also been presented at the Mountain Cartography Workshops at Rudolfshütte and Nuria with special emphasis on mountain related themes.
Atlas-Informationssysteme (AIS) – systematisch angelegte und kuratierte digitale Sammlungen raumbezogener Informationen – dienen dazu, mittels Karten und Multimedia-Elementen Sachverhalte und Prozesse interaktiv zu visualisieren, zu explorieren und zu analysieren. Sie ermöglichen eine raum-zeitliche und thematische Kombination der Kartendaten zur Informationsgewinnung und Entscheidungsfindung. Es werden grundlegende Konzepte von AIS und deren interaktive Funktionalität beschrieben, sowie die Palette der kartografischen 2D- und 3D-Visualisierung aufgezeigt.
In this article, we review the classifications of thematic cartography methods and propose a new universal classification system, putting a special emphasis on the hierarchisation and logical structure. Basic groups of thematic cartography methods are defined as follows: (1) value-by-size/count, (2) value-by-colour, (3) dot density maps, (4) surfaces and (5) cartograms, with a further detailed classification. In the second part, we apply the proposed classification system on the evaluation of thematic cartography methods in five Czech and Slovak national atlases published throughout nearly a century. Our results show that the lowest number of methods was used in the oldest atlas (published in 1935), while the highest number of methods was used in the atlases from the years 1966 and 1980. The newest national atlases (published in 2002 and 2010) use a relatively low number of methods. The maps of the newest atlases are also simpler, and they contain a generally low amount of ascertainable information.
A French municipality which is subject to major risks such as floods has to create a Document d'Information Communal sur les Risques Majeurs (DICRIM) for its inhabitants. This document shall include description of historical events which took place in the municipality. The map is a major tool to locate this type of information in space. In 2011, the City of Saint-Étienne, the Institute of Major Risks of Grenoble (IRMa) and the ISTHME research laboratory of the University of Saint-Étienne (UMR EVS) developed an interactive map about the historical disasters in Saint-Étienne. Within a research project, we carry out a survey to assess how the map is perceived and understood. According to the results we obtained, we create a new map by adding a timeline. A second survey allows gathering new suggestions to improve the map.
