Sveriges nationalatlas, band 17: Sveriges geografi

National Atlas of Sweden, Volume 17: Geography of Sweden

Sweden · Sveriges Nationalatlas Förlag · 1996

Editors’ Accounts

A new national atlas of Sweden

Staffan Helmfrid · 1989

Staffan Helmfrid reports on the planning, design and organisation of the new National Atlas of Sweden as of October 1988. Its predecessor, Atlas över Sverige, was produced in 1953–1971 and contained approximately 600 thematic maps. Structural changes, scientific advances and the exhaustion of its stock prompted renewed planning: a study group formed in 1984, a revised proposal followed in 1986, and Parliament approved SEK 40 million in April 1987 for ten years of production. The new atlas was planned as at least seventeen separately available volumes, ending with a condensed school atlas, with each volume issued in Swedish and English. Computer-based cartography and a national atlas database were intended to support revision; a personal-computer edition with classroom software was also envisaged. The design combined scientific standards with accessibility to secondary-school students. The National Land Survey, Statistics Sweden and the Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography jointly directed the project, with the central editorial office at Stockholm University. Thematic editors and host institutions across Sweden would prepare manuscripts, a scientific council would review them, and the Land Survey’s Kiruna unit would undertake prepress production. Helmfrid credits regional policy with supporting the project while noting its demanding decentralised organisation. Nordic cooperation and the atlas’s educational ambitions also receive attention. In October 1988, the first four volumes were in manuscript preparation and the others at the synopsis stage; the first volume was scheduled for April 1990.

The new National Atlas of Sweden

Staffan Helmfrid; Leif Wastenson · 1991

The three first volumes of the new National Atlas of Sweden have been published. The volumes are devoted to the themes "Maps and Mapping", "The Forests", and "The Population". When the National Atlas is completed in 1996 it will comprise a geographical and cartographical description in seventeen volumes, each containing about 170 pages and 100 thematic maps. The books are published simultaneously in a Swedish and an English edition. The manuscripts are produced at seventeen thematic editorial offices spread out over the country. The government-financed project is led by a small editorial board at Stockholm University. The National Land Survey, Statistics Sweden and the Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography are responsible for the project. Production of the thematic maps is carried out by modern computerised graphic methods at LM Maps in Kiruna. The maps are stored in a data base. Apart from the book version the atlas will be produced and distributed in computerised form on diskettes and CD-ROM. Software for this purpose has been developed within the project. The first version of the PC-Atlas has just been produced. This paper will describe the new National Atlas of Sweden with the emphasis on the design, the aim and the use of the atlas in comparison to the first Swedish National Atlas "Atlas över Sverige"(1953-1971). The data sources, the technical production, and a brief description of the contents of the three first volumes are also given.

The national atlas of Sweden - an atlas produced by new technology

U. Arnberg; M. Elg; M. Syren · 1993

This paper examines the application of digital technology in thematic map production and its impact on cartographic practice, using the National Atlas of Sweden as a case study. It first outlines the atlas's background, organizational structure, and production workflow, then details the complete process of creating a map of arable land and meadow for the agriculture volume, from data collection, symbol design, and automated computer processing to final printing. The authors analyze the advantages of digital technology, including high data reliability, flexible color adjustment, and efficient automated processing, while also identifying its limitations, such as the neglect of data accuracy verification, potential misinterpretation from automated symbol placement, and instability of low-percentage colors in printing. The paper concludes by discussing the evolving role of the cartographer in the digital era, emphasizing that collaboration among editors, subject specialists, and computer operators is essential for ensuring map quality. The findings suggest that while digital technology offers greater opportunities, map quality ultimately depends on human judgment and expertise rather than the technology itself.

Reviews & Responses

The new national atlas of Sweden

Michel Cabouret · 1991

This review examines the new National Atlas of Sweden, launched in 1990, with particular attention to its first volume, Maps of Sweden. Intended to replace the scientifically important but outdated atlas issued between 1953 and 1971, the new work was planned as a seventeen-volume bilingual Swedish-English series to be completed from 1990 to 1995. Its themes range from population, agriculture, forests, environment, infrastructure, and cultural life to a concluding regional geography of Sweden; digital editions were also envisaged. Coordinated by Stockholm University’s Department of Human Geography, the project brings together the National Land Survey, Statistics Sweden, the Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography, more than three hundred specialists, and substantial parliamentary funding. The first volume contains twenty-four contributions tracing Swedish cartography from classical representations and early modern maps to military surveys, cadastral plans, nautical and topographic mapping, aerial photography, satellites, and remote sensing. It also discusses geodesy, projection problems, geographical-name standardization, and the use of historical maps in agrarian geography, local history, and genealogy. The reviewer praises the volume’s authoritative scholarship, methodological value, and exceptional illustrations, especially Ulf Sporrong’s analysis of Sweden’s rich cadastral archives. Nevertheless, two weaknesses are identified: the bibliography omits two major predecessor atlases, and the concluding general maps of Sweden have been criticized for their cartographic principles and inconsistent nomenclature. Although these shortcomings generated politically charged controversy because public funds supported the project, they should not obscure the first volume’s substantial contribution to the history, practice, and modernization of Swedish cartography.

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