The Spring 2026 newsletter of the ICA Commission on Atlases announces EuroCarto 2026 in Brno (9–11 September) and a joint workshop with the ICA Peace and Conflict Cartography Working Group on atlases as learning tools in higher education; it also solicits ideas for the Commission’s workshop at the forthcoming ICC in Warsaw, including a possible focus on national atlases. It surveys recent atlas initiatives, including updated and printed sections of the National Atlas of Spain, the digital Visualising Conflict/Peace Atlas, Czech dialect mapping, a centenary atlas of Würzburg geography, Ukrainian atlases of settlement and heritage, and atlases produced by Georgia’s Vakhushti Bagrationi Institute of Geography. A historical feature reassesses the 1966 Atlas of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic as a major scientific, cultural, and ideological work, while the editors invite notices about new publications, projects, exhibitions, events, and digital or historical atlases for the next issue.
Co-Chairs Eric Losang and Vít Voženílek praised the Atlas of Sustainability, describing it as a reminder of the value of maps, especially when created collectively with care and conviction.
The inaugural quarterly newsletter of the ICA Commission on Atlases presents commission news, forthcoming events, and recent developments in atlas production and research. It highlights ICC 2025 in Vancouver and the commission’s pre-conference workshop on changing relations between atlas-making and map design, alongside the Barry Lawrence Ruderman Conference on Cartography. Featured projects include the Atlas of the World of ITC, the fifth volume of the Atlas of Czech Dialects, the Czech Map of the Year competition, and the expanding Czech Statistical Atlas; the issue concludes with a call for contributions to future newsletters.
The ICA Commission on Atlases announces publication of The Atlas Cookbook – 10 ingredients how to edit an atlas, a free digital guide for atlas makers, map producers and cartographers. It gives an overview of realisation phases and advice on conceptual, organizational, graphical and publishing issues. Ten chapters run from organization and marketing through content, data management, multimedia and design to prototyping and evaluation; it is written at management level and largely addresses digital technologies, though many sections also apply to printed atlases. A printed edition of 200 copies, supported by ICA and ETH Zurich, is available free from Chair René Sieber.
The ICA Commission on Atlases announced a workshop for 12–13 December 2019 at the Technical University of Munich to discuss a proposed UN Sustainability Atlas and related initiatives. The draft programme covered the 17 sustainability goals, prior materials including the World Bank Atlas 2018, World Bank data and digital/print formats, then atlas definition criteria, an “Atlas Cookbook” and a planned 2020 commission meeting in Madrid. Chair René Sieber invited interested parties to contact the commission.
This article reviews the early history of the ICA Commission on National Atlases from 1987 to 2007. The commission was established in 1987 at the ICA General Assembly in Morelia, Mexico, following a proposal by the Swedish Cartographic Society supported by the Dutch Cartographic Society, with Bengt Rystedt from the National Land Survey of Sweden as its first chair. The commission aimed to promote the production of national atlases, particularly through new techniques. Its terms of reference included: serving as an information source for ICA member countries producing national atlases, identifying technical facilities and their current use, identifying gaps in new techniques, encouraging further development, and presenting reports. Over time, the terms were extended to include national atlas information systems, electronic and PC atlases, and regional atlases. In 1995, Timothy Trainor took over the chairmanship, serving until 2007. The article also traces the commission's prehistory, including the IGU Commission on National (and Regional) Atlases chaired by Professor K. A. Salishchev from 1956 to 1972, and subsequent joint IGU-ICA working groups. The commission held numerous international meetings (e.g., the first in Kiruna, Sweden, in 1989, and later in Beijing, Leipzig, Madrid, etc.) that fostered academic exchange and technological progress. In electronic atlases, Richard Smith presented the Electronic Atlas of Arkansas in 1987, followed by the Canadian Electronic Atlas. After 1995, the focus shifted to web atlases, emphasizing the promotion of design, production, and use, as well as developing new tools. After 2007, the commission was chaired by Peter Jordan and René Sieber, but this article focuses on the early period.
The ICA Commissions on Atlases and Education and Training are organising a joint meeting and workshop, “Atlases and Education – Concepts for the Future,” at ETH Zurich’s Institute of Cartography and Geoinformation on 1–2 September 2016. The first day features keynotes and state-of-the-art contributions; the second is planned for presenting and discussing future atlas and educational concepts. Visits to the Zentralbibliothek map library, the old town, and Uetliberg are also planned. René Sieber, chair of the Commission on Atlases, signs the notice.
The ICA Commission on Atlases reported on the ISPRS/IGU/ICA Joint Workshop on Borderlands Modelling and Understanding for Global Sustainability, held 5–6 December 2013 at Beijing Normal University. Peter Jordan, Commission chair, welcomed participants and chaired a cartographic session. About 80 scientists from 11 countries attended; participants stressed multidisciplinary cartography, geoinformatics, GIS and remote-sensing approaches to borderland studies.
As a pre-conference event to the 26th International Cartographic Conference in Dresden, the ICA Commission on Atlases, the ICA Commission on the History of Cartography and the Joint IGU Commission/ICA Working Group on Toponymy held a seminar on historical maps, atlases and toponymy at the Leibniz Institute of Regional Geography in Leipzig on 21–22 August 2014. It drew 40 registered participants from 18 countries and 17 papers across three sessions; proceedings were planned for open-access publication by the host and in its forum IfL series.
The ICA Commission on Atlases announces three forthcoming 2012 events: the 5th All-Ukrainian conference "National Atlases in the Formation of the Global Information Space", planned for 13–14 September in Kiev; a Workshop on City Atlases on 15–16 November in Guangzhou with Chinese institutes and societies; and a special session on new Central European atlases at the service-oriented mapping symposium in Vienna, 22–23 November. Programmes and calls are still to be issued.
The ICA Commission on Atlases reports three 2012 events. It co-organized a Kiev conference (12–15 September) on national atlases, with 64 presentations, mostly on Ukrainian atlas production; a Guangzhou workshop (21 October) on city atlases, mainly Chinese examples though some covered wider regions; and a Vienna SOMAP session (22 November) presenting 11 new Central European atlases. The text records programmes and participants, not decisions.
The ICA Commission on Atlases held a pre-ICC 2011 workshop on 2 July 2011 at IGN in Vincennes, with 17 participants from seven countries and 15 papers. Presentations covered new national, regional, city, thematic and school atlases and updates to existing ones, including the Atlas of Switzerland 3.0, Spain's digital facsimile national atlas and Chinese national and provincial atlases.
The ICA Commission on National and Regional Atlases co-organized an atlas workshop in Yogyakarta on 20–21 October 2010 with Bakosurtanal, Gadjah Mada University and Indonesian geography and cartography bodies. It comprised a workshop on atlases as expressions of space-related identity and a seminar on maps in development; Volume II of the National Atlas of Indonesia was presented. More than 150 attended. The commission also co-organized the 3rd Adriatic Forum in Vienna, 23–24 September 2010, on regional development and atlases.
The ICA Commission on National and Regional Atlases, with the Faculty of Geography at Gadjah Mada University and other Indonesian institutions, organized a workshop in Yogyakarta on 20–23 October 2010. Its two themes were recent directions in national atlas cartography and national, regional, city and school atlases as expressions of space-related identity; Part II of the National Atlas of Indonesia was to be presented. The commission's premise is that theme selection, symbols, languages and place names make atlases carriers of national, regional or city self-images.
The ICA Commission on National and Regional Atlases announced a meeting in Algiers for 8–9 October 2009. The first day would present and discuss an Algerian national atlas project and relevant experience from other countries; the second was reserved for Commission projects, primarily the Cookbook and its progress. A preliminary programme would be sent to CNRA members and posted on the Commission website. The meeting is open to all interested, and additional papers may still be proposed by email to Chair Peter Jordan in Austria.
The commission launched a new website hosted at the University of Vienna, listing members, meetings and agenda and linking to atlases, though the atlas-link section remains sparse and contributions are sought. At a joint meeting with UNGEGN's Working Group on Exonyms in Timişoara, 9–13 September 2008, 48 participants from 18 countries discussed exonym use and a handbook for atlas editors; workshops produced a ten-chapter structure, with authors identified for most chapters. A follow-up meeting was planned for Algiers, 8–9 October 2009.
At its 14th General Assembly in Moscow on 9 August 2007, ICA elected Peter Jordan (Austria) chair of the Commission on National and Regional Atlases, succeeding Timothy Trainor after three terms. A Moscow commission meeting resolved to revive the goal of a "cookbook" for atlas editors on methodological problems of national, regional, city and thematic atlases, to be completed within four years. An editorial board was installed, with a Vienna authors' meeting planned for January 2008; a new website with links to web atlases is also being developed.
The proposed 1995–1999 remit for the Commission on National and Regional Atlases called for demonstrating atlas design and production applications, publishing guidelines for global, national and regional atlases, and exploring new design concepts, multimedia access, CD-ROM and online dissemination. The document also lists proposed work on cartographic theory, visualization, and map and spatial data use; terms for mapping from satellite imagery remained to be added.
The commission reported publication of the Madrid seminar proceedings in June 1993 and production of “Technical and Organisational Approaches to National and Regional Atlas Production.” It participated in the Visegrad seminar and anticipated a South American seminar in August 1994. Bengt Rystedt prepared “National and Regional Atlases: the Electronic Era” at the fifth UN Regional Cartographic Conference for the Americas in January 1993.
This September 1994 report describes the commission’s electronic-atlas session at the ACSM/ASPRS conference in Reno. Presentations covered multimedia, PC platforms, European national atlas formats, and tools for greater user participation. Keller proposed research on comparison, temporal data, hypertext and user demand, while questioning excessive gimmicks. Other speakers outlined an educational atlas of Ohio, previewed an authoring system for nonprofit producers, and proposed a collaborative US national atlas programme. Session papers were planned for a special issue of Cartographic Perspectives; a joint seminar in India was also proposed.
This report records the Fifth UN Regional Cartographic Conference for the Americas, held in New York on 11–15 January 1993, covering national mapping programmes, digital databases, GIS and technology transfer. The UN Secretariat urged renewed national and regional atlas production using accessible electronic formats that could be reproduced and revised quickly; Japan proposed global maps to record environmental changes. Conference resolutions recommended access to publicly funded geographic data without restriction and at minimal cost, alongside training and technical assistance for developing countries.
At its first meeting in Madrid, 18–22 May 1992, the CNRA reviewed national and regional atlas projects and discussed editorial practice, marketing, databases, automated production, electronic atlases, and educational use. It appointed Eva Siekierska deputy chair and Timothy Trainor secretary, and formed working groups on electronic atlases and on GIS and databases. Position papers were planned for Cologne in 1993, alongside a joint workshop in Visegrád; Spain’s IGN also intended to publish bilingual proceedings and conclusions.
In March 1992, the commission outlined a week-long meeting planned for 18–23 May at the Instituto Geografico Nacional in Madrid. The programme included presentations of atlas projects and seminars on editorial and marketing policies, database design, automated production, electronic and educational atlases, and atlas information systems. The business meeting was to assess and disseminate results, complete the first-period report, survey member countries, and plan training for developing countries and a 1993 ICA session in Cologne.
For 1991–1995, the Commission proposed international collaborative study and reporting on thematic atlas cartography, editorial practice, administration and marketing, traditional and emerging production techniques, atlases as geographic information systems, national atlas databases, and PC atlases. B. Rystedt of Sweden was named chair, with Arpad Papp-Vary as executive supervisor.
The Commission planned a Leipzig meeting for 9–12 May 1991 to review German regional and national atlases and discuss developing-country atlas production, data banks, information systems, and electronic atlases. Following planning in Ottawa in December 1990, it proposed a successor commission focused on information exchange, multimedia, technical and design developments, and further atlas production. The existing commission was to present its final report in Bournemouth; if approved, the successor would first meet in Spain in spring 1992.
At its 8–12 August 1990 Beijing meeting, the National Atlas Commission brought together about 40 participants from nine countries. Six sessions covered national reports, thematic and regional atlas compilation, electronic atlases, production systems, atlas information systems, and environmental applications; participants also examined more than 65 Chinese atlases and visited two Chinese Academy of Sciences institutes. About 45 papers were prepared. Members agreed to publish ICA-sponsored proceedings and planned further work on a six-chapter final report, with a 1991 meeting scheduled for Leipzig or, alternatively, Madrid.
Timothy Trainor’s report describes the National Atlas Commission’s working meeting in Stockholm and Kiruna, 11–15 March 1989. Sessions covered national mapping programmes, PC-based and electronic atlases, vector and raster data processing, geographic identification codes, and topological databases, with demonstrations of Swedish atlas production and Canada’s electronic atlas. The commission formed a core working group and outlined a technical report for Budapest, planned to compile national reports and papers on user needs, atlas information systems, electronic atlases, and atlas work in developing countries.
Timothy Trainor’s report of 11 September 1989 records the commission’s focus on atlas mapping techniques, particularly automation. The meeting reviewed national atlas reports and technical papers on databases, GIS, electronic atlases, computer-assisted production and atlas use. Edited proceedings were scheduled for distribution in January 1990. The commission planned to submit a draft final report at the 1991 International Cartographic Conference in Bournemouth, offering guidance on the transition from traditional atlases to those based on current information technology.
The Commission on National Atlases scheduled a meeting in Stockholm for 11–15 March 1989 to prepare a technical report for the 14th International Cartographic Conference in Budapest. The proposed report would cover national atlas work and production techniques, the market and future trends in technical systems and software, and the technical, educational and distribution aspects of electronic and interactive atlases.
For 1987–1991, the Commission on National Atlases, chaired by Dr. B. Rystedt of Sweden, was tasked with supporting ICA members producing national atlases, documenting technical facilities and their current use, identifying gaps in emerging techniques, and encouraging further atlas production.
This paper introduces the World Digital Database for Environmental Science (WDDES) project, initiated in 1984 by a joint working group of the International Geographical Union (IGU) and the International Cartographic Association (ICA). The project aims to construct a global digital base map at a scale of 1:1 million (approximately 1 km resolution) to support correlation analysis and modeling in environmental sciences. Through a series of international workshops, the group evaluated various data sources and ultimately selected the ONC map series as the primary source, supplemented by GEBCO oceanographic data, a new compilation for Antarctica, and the Australian national database. Geotechnical experiments were conducted to validate the feasibility of digitizing and structuring map data. The paper details the project's management framework, comprising an International Editorial Board, a UK production team, and a worldwide distribution mechanism, and discusses the design of a Database Management System (DBMS), quality assurance strategies, and international/national linkages. With an estimated cost of £1.5-2 million, the project seeks to provide a unified and reliable geospatial data foundation for global environmental science research.
The IGU/ICA Joint Working Group on Environmental Atlases, chaired by D. P. Bickmore of Oxford, sets out terms of reference: prepare a detailed design study with examples, on a pilot basis, for a Digital World Base Map for Environmental Science; present the plans at international meetings of associated disciplines; and prepare a final report to ICA and IGU at their next congresses. Seven members from institutions in the Netherlands, USA, Spain, Australia, Hungary, France and Canada are listed.
The IGU/ICA Joint Working Group on Environmental Atlases cancelled its planned August 1984 meeting in Caen and proposed instead to meet in Zurich, Switzerland, alongside the symposium on Geographical Data Sensing and Processing.
The IGU/ICA Joint Working Group on Environmental Atlases lists four tasks: continuing publication of reviews and essays on environmental maps, exploring ways to present environmental conditions and factors, investigating the development of environmental databases, and establishing information exchange among IGU and ICA commissions and working groups addressing related subjects.
This brief notice records the 1978–80 composition of the Joint ICA–IGU Working Group on Environmental Atlases. F. Vazquez-Maure chaired six regular members from Europe, Canada, and Japan; F. J. Ormeling Jr. served as documentalist, and several corresponding members are listed in the surviving excerpt.
The IGU/ICA Joint Working Group on Environmental Atlases held its second meeting at the Royal Society of London on 24–27 April 1978 and its third at the University of Maryland on 22–23 July, during the 9th International Conference on Cartography. A fourth meeting was planned for late April 1979 in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
The IGU/ICA Joint Working Group on Environmental Atlases held its first meeting in Madrid on 10–13 October 1977. It established its future scope of work and links with related commissions and working groups, agreed principal conclusions, and discussed an initial set of regional atlases. The notice scheduled the next meeting for London on 24–26 April 1978.
The IGU/ICA Joint Working Group’s terms of reference proposed documenting environmental atlases and related maps in national, regional and urban atlases, comparing their subjects and methods, recommending production guidelines, and publishing the results. Its proposed initial tasks were to gather information on relevant atlases and maps and survey the precise meaning of “Environmental Map.” The document records planned work, with no completed results reported.
This report reviews the activities and progress of the IGU Commission on National and Regional Atlases from 1972 to 1975. Since its establishment in 1956, the commission has held plenary sessions biennially. The 9th Plenary Session in Leipzig in 1974 focused on methods for compiling national and regional atlases, the design concepts of thematic maps, and the integration of environmental and urban maps. The report notes a significant increase in the production of regional atlases during this period and emphasizes the importance of atlas compilation in developing countries. Future plans include publishing a guidebook on atlas preparation and promoting new formats such as computer-generated maps and loose-leaf editions.
At its Leipzig meeting on 23–30 September 1974, the Commission heard papers on national-atlas issues and atlas projects in several European countries, including the German Democratic Republic’s atlas then in production with more than 100 maps. It discussed expanding environmental, regional, and urban mapping; assisting developing countries with atlas preparation; and encouraging cross-border atlas cooperation. The next meeting was planned for Yerevan in July 1976.
By А. Б. Багдасарян· Известия Академии наук СССР. Серия географическая(1): 131–133
Meeting in Leipzig on 23–30 September 1974, the IGU Commission reviewed national and regional atlas projects and discussed environmental, economic, social, and cultural mapping, international cooperation, bibliography, and continued standardization. Edgar Lehmann advocated environmental and planning atlases and newer technical methods, including computers. For its planned 1976 Yerevan meeting, the Commission recommended further discussion of environmental maps, cross-border and superregional atlases, urban mapping, and the definition of a regional atlas.
This paper outlines two core tasks of the ICA Commission on Thematic Cartography prior to the 1976 Moscow Conference. First, to facilitate the compilation of national reports on thematic mapping, the Commission proposed a standardized outline covering eight aspects, including institutional information, cartographic activities, map types, output quantities, research, and training, aiming to unify report structures and expedite the compilation process. Second, recognizing that the editing of national and regional atlases involves both geographical and cartographic dimensions, the Commission actively sought cooperation with the IGU Commission on National and Regional Atlases. The paper notes that with the establishment of the ICA Commission on Thematic Cartography, a new situation for collaboration has emerged. Further discussions were planned for the Leipzig meeting in September 1974, with outcomes expected to be presented at the 1976 Moscow Conference.
By J. J. Klawe· Newsletter of the Canadian Committee for Geography 2(4): 2-4
The IGU Commission on National and Regional Atlases met in Leipzig on September 24–27, 1974, with members from fourteen countries reporting on national atlases: Belgium's 87-plate atlas (1950–1972) is complete, Poland has about 40% of its 127 plates printed, and the GDR's atlas of over 100 maps is in production. Discussion centered on five points: environmental maps, regional atlases, aid to developing countries, urban maps, and cross-border cooperation. The next meeting is set for Yerevan, 1976. J. J. Klawe found the technical visits, except that to the Geographical Institute, disappointing.
This document sets out the tasks of the Commission on National and Regional Atlases: strengthening international cooperation on atlas production, especially among neighbouring countries such as those around the Baltic Sea; improving and standardizing principal map types or model maps; systematically analysing newly published atlases; maintaining an up-to-date bibliography of atlases and related literature; and assisting individual countries with atlas creation. It lists responsibilities, without reporting completed work.
Founded in 1956, the Commission reviewed its 1969–72 work: research and bibliographic publications, the 1970 Madrid plenary, and atlas exhibitions in Madrid and Budapest. It surveyed expanding national and regional atlas production and identified a trend toward atlases for planning and development areas beyond administrative boundaries. For its next term, it proposed biennial reports and exhibitions, targeted studies of atlas design, users, updating and costs, bibliographies, and cooperation with the International Cartographic Association.
By Константин Алексеевич Салищев· Известия Академии наук СССР. Серия географическая(3): 155–159
This article reviews the establishment, activities, achievements, and future priorities of the International Geographical Union’s Commission on National Atlases. Founded in 1956 to promote the preparation, improvement, and possible standardization of national atlases, the Commission expanded its remit to comprehensive regional atlases in 1960 and became permanent in 1964. Drawing on institutional records, publications, plenary meetings, exhibitions, bibliographies, and examples of atlas production worldwide, the article focuses particularly on the Commission’s work during 1969–1972. Its principal mechanisms for international knowledge exchange included synthetic monographs, thematic working-group studies, analyses of individual atlases, biennial reports and exhibitions, and regularly updated bibliographic compilations. Major outputs addressed small-scale evaluation maps of natural conditions, methods for constructing physical-environment sections of Soviet regional atlases, synthetic population and economic mapping, and the standardization of agricultural maps. The Madrid plenary meeting of 1970 and international atlas exhibitions in Madrid and Budapest provided opportunities to assess fourteen years of work and define subsequent objectives. A survey of atlas production demonstrates rapid worldwide growth in national and regional atlases, including substantial activity in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and developing countries. A notable trend was the emergence of atlases for functional regions extending beyond administrative boundaries, especially areas targeted for initial development, accelerated growth, resource exploitation, restoration, or regional planning. The article argues that the scientific and technological revolution increased both the volume of spatial information and the practical significance of comprehensive atlases. Such atlases were no longer merely repositories of geographical knowledge; they had become instruments for resource management, environmental protection, territorial organization, economic planning, and regional development. This transformation created demand for evaluative, predictive, and other application-oriented map types. For its next term, the Commission should retain the improvement of national and regional atlases as its central mission while strengthening written documentation at biennial meetings, researching atlas purposes and users, reducing production and revision costs, developing new thematic and synthetic maps, continuing bibliographic work, and coordinating with the International Cartographic Association and relevant IGU commissions. Its recommendations should be treated not as fixed doctrine but as internationally synthesized experience and a flexible foundation for innovation.
At its seventh plenary meeting in Madrid, 26–30 April 1970, the IGU Commission reviewed national and regional atlas projects, working-group studies, and developments including automated mapping, synthetic maps, and satellite imagery. It reaffirmed support for producing and improving national, regional, and urban atlases, proposed eventual preparation of a Thematic Atlas of the World, and sought to hold its eighth meeting alongside the 1972 International Geographical Congress in Montreal.
The Commission on National Atlases announced that its seventh plenary meeting would be held in Madrid on 27–29 April 1970, organized by commission member Prof. F. Vasquez Maure. A three-item preliminary programme was noted, but its contents are not preserved in this extract.
By Jacqueline Beaujeu-Garnier· Annales de Géographie 432: 152-154
At the 21st International Geographical Congress (New Delhi, 1968), the Commission on National Atlases reported satisfactory progress. Members showed sheets in press for the Spanish and United States national atlases and described the 1967 Soviet and Japanese atlases, India's national atlas, French regional atlases and the Ukrainian volume. Rado argued that national and regional atlases complement each other and cannot substitute for one another. The Commission urged standardizing representation of similar phenomena between countries, assigned Beaujeu-Garnier commercial phenomena, and planned an inter-Congress meeting in Madrid, 1970.
By Maurice E. Dumont· Bulletins de l'Académie Royale de Belgique 56: 633-635
Maurice E. Dumont reports on the International Geographical Union’s national and regional atlas commission meeting in Madrid, 27–30 April 1970. Members reviewed atlas projects, satellite-based and computer-produced maps, urban atlases, statistical modelling and regional atlas comparability. The meeting drafted a final report and guidelines proposing a world thematic atlas and guidance for urban atlas production. It requested continued compilation of the Polish atlas bibliography and planned faster circulation of bibliographic information on new individual map sheets through Rado, with future work to be reviewed in Montreal in 1972.
By Константин Алексеевич Салищев· Известия Академии наук СССР. Серия географическая(6): 158–161
This article reviews the principal discussions and resolutions of the Seventh Plenary Meeting of the International Geographical Union’s Commission on National Atlases, held in Madrid from 26 to 30 April 1970 and accompanied by an international exhibition of national and regional atlases. The meeting assessed the Commission’s mandate in light of major changes in geography and cartography. Comprehensive atlases, formerly valued mainly as systematic syntheses of scientific knowledge, had increasingly become practical instruments for the rational use and restoration of natural resources, environmental protection, territorial organization of productive forces, government planning, and regional development. The Commission therefore reaffirmed that its central purpose should remain the promotion and qualitative improvement of national, regional, and metropolitan comprehensive atlases. Proposed means included biennial exchanges and exhibitions, research on atlas types, content, users, production, revision, and republication, bibliographic services, expert consultation, and closer cooperation with the International Cartographic Association. Reports surveyed extensive atlas programs in France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Canada, India, the United States, Spain, Sweden, Poland, Bulgaria, Belgium, and several newly independent or cartographically developing countries. These cases demonstrated the growing use of regional atlases for resource development and planning, the diversity produced by local natural, economic, and administrative conditions, and the practical utility of small-scale thematic maps. Methodological contributions examined automated thematic mapping based on spatial grids and electronic computers, rapid map updating, synthetic socioeconomic maps, trade mapping, modeling in regional atlases, and the standardization of transport symbols. The meeting particularly emphasized research on maps evaluating natural conditions for specific practical purposes, predictive mapping, metropolitan atlas design, efficient revision procedures, and the adoption of computerized and automated production methods. It further argued that continued development of national and regional atlases should ultimately prepare the conceptual and empirical foundation for a future “Thematic Atlas of the World.” The Commission requested that its eighth plenary meeting be held during the 1972 International Geographical Congress in Montreal to facilitate participation, reduce costs, and use the congress atlas exhibition.
By Константин Алексеевич Салищев· Известия Академии наук СССР. Серия географическая(4): 160–162
This article reviews the sixth plenary meeting of the International Geographical Union’s Commission on National Atlases, held during the 21st International Geographical Congress in New Delhi in December 1968. The meeting approved the Commission’s 1965–1968 activity report, examined completed studies, compared national experiences in comprehensive atlas production, and formulated its programme for 1969–1972. Major outputs included methodological works on socioeconomic maps in regional atlases, the organization and production of atlases of natural conditions and resources—especially for developing countries—and an updated bibliography of national and regional atlases. Proposals were also discussed for standardizing agricultural and transport maps and automatically produced geographical-name indexes. Reports from Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas demonstrated diverse approaches to atlas design, practical use, revision, and publication. The Australian experience highlighted continuous updating and map-specific revision cycles, while early sales of United States atlas sheets revealed strong governmental and commercial demand and stimulated regional and thematic mapping. Joint sessions clarified the greater flexibility and practical orientation of regional atlases and emphasized the value of simplified world-region atlases for developing countries. However, an overloaded congress schedule restricted substantive discussion, suggesting that inter-congress plenary meetings were more productive. The adopted programme prioritized evaluative maps of natural resources, metropolitan atlases, atlas updating and republication, and systematic study of atlas use in research and practice.
By K. A. Salichtchev· Bulletin de nouvelles de l'UGI 19(2): 41-45
K. Salichtchev’s report reviews the IGU commission’s 1964–68 work after its remit expanded from national atlases to complex regional and major-city atlases. It records publication of the 1964 regional-atlas monograph and the 1968 volume on social and economic maps; a practical natural-resources atlas guide was submitted to UNESCO in December 1967, approved, and awaiting publication. Thematic map groups made uneven progress, while recommendations, research, atlas exhibits, bibliography, reviews, indexes, and legend standardization were continuing or planned for New Delhi.
By A. B. Baghdassarian; V. A. Avetissian; Z. A. Valessian; A. S. Pogossian; A. A. Tamazian· Abstracts of Papers: 21th International Geographical Congress: 379
Following presentation of a preliminary programme in Paris in 1966, the IGU working group analysed more than 100 national atlases and recommended a standardized water-resources section comprising five maps: surface water, groundwater, water use and consumption, present economic water balance, and future economic water balance. It allowed supplementary country-specific maps and reported that standard legends had been developed from materials on mountainous Armenia.
By E. Haack· Petermanns geographische Mitteilungen 111(2): 159-160
Meeting in Paris and Lyon, 26–30 April 1966, the IGU Commission on National Atlases reviewed 16 national progress reports covering atlas organization, production, content, scales, and sample maps. It also examined draft recommendations for standardizing major map themes and legends, noted growing production of regional planning atlases, and revised its 1964–68 work plan. Members were asked to promote atlas production, continue analyses and bibliography, expand international cooperation, and deepen unfinished studies before the 1968 meeting in India.
By Unknown· Bulletin de nouvelles de l'UGI 17(2): 53-56
The National Atlases Commission’s fifth plenary met in Paris on 25–27 April and Lyon on 28–30 April. It heard 17 reports on national and regional atlases; the account highlights the completed Czechoslovak atlas and completed first part of Spain’s national atlas, both awaiting release. Nine research presentations addressed thematic map selection, harmonization of legends, relationships among physical-environment maps, and the balance between maps and text; most concerned unfinished work and sought comments for further international discussion. The agenda also included refining the commission’s work plan through the December 1968 geographical congress in New Delhi.
By Unknown· Bulletin de nouvelles de l'UGI 16(2): 73-76
Following its London meetings of 22–24 July 1964, the International Geographical Union’s National Atlases Commission drafted a work plan for 1965–1968. It assigned assistance to atlas projects and proposed working-group recommendations to standardize map subjects, indicators and legends across seven thematic fields, informed by existing atlases and international consultation. Planned activities included systematic reviews, a bibliography supplement covering 1964–1968, exchanges and exhibitions in 1966 and 1968, and a plenary meeting in France in 1966. Further assignments concerned atlas readership and sales, seeking UNESCO and FAO assistance, and developing a minimum programme for national atlases in developing countries.
By Константин Алексеевич Салищев· Известия Академии наук СССР. Серия географическая(2): 136–143
This report describes the plenary meeting of the International Geographical Union’s Commission on National Atlases, held in London on 22–24 July 1964. The available opening and closing sections cover the review of work in 1960–1964, exchanges on atlas production, and future tasks; the commission became a permanent commission in 1964. Publications discussed include Soviet research on regional atlases, an expanded Polish bibliography of national and regional atlases, and the proceedings of the 1962 Budapest meeting. Technical discussions address standardization and comparability of map content and legends: scale-dependent, comparable geomorphological legends; partial standardization of soil legends; a decimal classification of industry; and population-map recommendations informed by international consultation. The closing section examines the socioeconomic emphasis of a recommended programme for French regional atlases. Population and economic maps account for over two-thirds of its sheets, and coverage of services expands, while maps of external economic relations and regional roles within the country remain absent. The planned 84-sheet Atlas of Paris would include Paris’s role in France. An atlas exhibition involved 39 countries. Adopted resolutions call for continued atlas analysis, bibliography, and international cooperation; propose working groups on agriculture, transport, and water resources; encourage synthetic maps; authorize a survey of atlas prices, sales, and users; and request funding arrangements with organizations such as UNESCO and FAO to support working groups and atlas production for developing regions.
By K. Salichtchev· Bulletin de nouvelles de l'UGI 15(1-2): 20-27
This report reviews the Commission’s 1960–64 programme, refined at Budapest in 1962. It extended support from national to regional atlases, formed working groups on population and industrial maps, commentaries, and critical reviews, and organized bibliographic and advisory work. For the 20th International Geographical Congress it prepared proposals on standardized map legends and a regional-atlas fascicle; the report also credits its earlier monograph with aiding atlas development.
By O. Tulippe· Abstracts of Papers: 20th International Geographical Congress: 46
At the UGI Commission on National Atlases plenary meeting in Budapest, 7–11 September 1962, O. Tulippe presented a survey intended to standardize legends for major population maps. Using materials exchanged through Belgium’s National Geography Committee, it classified 19 types of demographic and workforce maps and compared their titles, dates, representation methods, categories, scales, territorial bases, statistical sources, and authorship. A broader international survey was then launched, receiving responses from fifteen countries.
By K. Salichtchev· Bulletin de nouvelles de l'UGI 14(1): 23-27
At its Budapest plenary meeting, 7–11 September 1962, the Commission reviewed national and regional atlas work from numerous countries, six commissioned studies, and an exhibition covering nearly 50 countries. It approved its activity report and proposed common atlas plans, legends, statistical treatment, explanatory notes, international exchanges, periodic updating, and support for regional atlases and developing countries. Working groups were established for population maps, critical atlas reviews, commentaries, industrial statistics and maps, and a minimum programme for developing countries.
By Sándor Radó· Geodézia és Kartográfia 15(2): 124–127
This article reports on the plenary session of the International Geographical Union’s Commission on National Atlases, held in Budapest on 7–11 September 1962. As the first major international geographical meeting hosted in Hungary, the conference was significant both scientifically and institutionally. It brought together twenty-four representatives from fifteen foreign countries, including commission members, corresponding members, invited experts, and observers from diverse political and geographical regions. Organized by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences with support from the State Office of Surveying and Cartography, the meeting reviewed progress since the commission’s 1960 Stockholm session and assessed national-atlas projects in Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, and Australia. The discussions focused on five principal tasks: harmonizing the content and legends of key atlas maps; analyzing complex regional atlases and their relationship to national atlases; facilitating the use of national-atlas data in international cartographic works; ensuring systematic updating; and supporting the preparation of new national atlases. Country reports demonstrated substantial progress, including ongoing or redesigned atlas programs in Belgium, India, Morocco, Austria, Britain, the United States, Poland, Spain, Hungary, France, Sweden, the Soviet Union, Switzerland, Australia, and several socialist and West African states. For the first time, the commission also examined regional atlases as a distinct field, emphasizing their value for economic planning, administrative management, and territorial development. Specialized presentations addressed the standardization of demographic symbols, the cartographic representation of industry, computer-assisted atlas compilation, and the bibliography of national atlases. The adopted resolutions refined the commission’s program by recommending a flexible common atlas structure, standardized symbols and color scales, coordinated statistical documentation, norms for explanatory texts, wider international exchange, regular revision mechanisms, and support for complex regional atlases. Particular attention was given to minimum atlas programs for developing countries, cooperation with other international cartographic bodies, the establishment of national documentation centers, and the formation of thematic working groups. An accompanying exhibition displayed atlases and related publications from seventy countries. The Budapest session thus advanced methodological coordination and international exchange in atlas cartography, strengthened Hungary’s role in global geographical scholarship, and illustrated how scientific cooperation across political divisions could contribute to professional development, mutual understanding, and peaceful international relations.
By Константин Алексеевич Салищев· Известия Академии наук СССР. Серия географическая(1): 130–134
This article reports on the plenary meeting of the International Geographical Union’s Commission on National Atlases, held in Budapest from 7 to 11 September 1962. Geographers and cartographers representing sixteen countries reviewed the Commission’s current activities, national and regional atlas projects, commissioned research, and the work programme leading to the 1964 International Geographical Congress in London. The discussions focused on harmonizing atlas contents, legends, symbols, and colour schemes; maintaining atlases through systematic revision; improving the international comparability of statistical data; and enabling national atlas materials to support broader international cartographic initiatives. Reports documented the complete reorganization of the United States national atlas project, preparations for Britain’s first modern national atlas, progress on India’s extensive atlas programme, and the revision of the Atlas of Australian Resources. New programmes from Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, and Switzerland were also presented. Comparative analysis demonstrated that regional atlases vary primarily because of differences in intended audiences and practical purposes rather than merely in format or graphic design. West German planning atlases emphasized economic statistics, Austrian atlases historical and ethnographic regional studies, French atlases regional economic analysis, Canadian atlases resource inventory and evaluation, and American atlases business reference. Soviet regional atlases were designed for multiple uses, particularly economic and cultural development, planning, and the rational location of production in accordance with natural and economic conditions. The meeting concluded that standardization should rest on scientifically grounded classifications while remaining adaptable to national circumstances, and that this work required cooperation among research institutions, specialized IGU commissions, international organizations, and leading subject experts. Its resolution called for stronger support for new atlas production and regular updating, a recommended common list of maps, a minimum atlas programme suitable for less-developed countries, standardized explanatory texts and commentaries, expanded exchanges of atlases and information, and further development of comprehensive regional atlases. Working groups were consequently established for population maps, critical reviews, explanatory materials, statistical sources and industrial mapping, and the minimum national-atlas programme. By assigning specific responsibilities and strengthening international coordination, the Budapest meeting created a clearer institutional framework for making national atlases more comparable, current, accessible, and useful in international cartography.
The report records the International Geographical Union’s National Atlas Commission meeting in Budapest, 7–12 September 1962, which reviewed national and regional atlas projects and mapping techniques. Karel Kuchař advocated periodic updating and deeper thematic treatment to improve comparability across countries. The commission refined plans to harmonize atlas contents, legends, statistical documentation and map commentaries, promote exchanges and develop comprehensive regional atlases; it recommended national cartographic documentation centres. Working groups were established for population maps, continuing critical reporting on national atlases, map notes and commentaries, and statistics and industrial maps.
By Omer Tulippe· Bulletins de l'Académie Royale de Belgique 48: 985-986
Held in Budapest on 3–13 September 1962, the UGI National Atlases symposium reviewed national and regional atlas work and five research reports commissioned by the National Atlases Commission. It finalized the Commission’s work plan through the 1964 International Geographical Congress in London, mounted a national-atlas exhibition, and conducted field studies around Budapest, the Danube, and the Hungarian puszta. O. Tulippe presented two Belgian papers and helped prepare the final report.
By К. А. Салищев· Вестник Московского университета. Серия 5. География(1): 3-12
Meeting in Stockholm on 8–9 August 1960, the Commission on National Atlases reviewed its completed four-year program. Its outputs included the French-language monograph National Atlases, a Polish bibliography, commissioned articles, consultations, and a 26-country atlas exhibition. For 1961–1964 it proposed standardizing key map programs and legends, analyzing regional atlases, supporting international reuse, and keeping atlases current; the IGU renewed the commission under K. A. Salishchev.
By К. А. Салищев; И. П. Заруцкая; А. М. Комков· Известия Академии наук СССР. Серия географическая(1): 138–146
This report reviews the exhibitions of national atlases, thematic maps, and contemporary Swedish maps at the Nineteenth International Geographical Congress. The national atlas exhibition brought together 26 countries and presented atlases completed or revised since the preceding congress, alongside works still in preparation. K. A. Salishchev assesses their thematic coverage, data gaps, scales, and cartographic presentation. He commends the systematic updating of the Finnish atlas while noting excessive generalization or overcrowding on some maps following scale reductions. The Canadian provincial atlases, he observes, do not constitute a unified series. The thematic map exhibition comprised more than 400 exhibits from 22 countries. The review identifies improvements in topographic mapping associated with aerial photogrammetry and publishing techniques; different approaches to relief representation through hypsometric colouring, shaded relief, and relief models; and increasing convergence among legends for soil, geomorphological, and land-use maps, supporting discussion of international standardization. Complementary thematic map series demonstrate the growing use of comprehensive mapping. The Swedish exhibition includes aerial imagery, topographic and geological maps, economic maps, and tourist and educational maps. Its exhibits illustrate differences between older and newer surveys and the production of large-scale maps combining photographic imagery, land-use information, and topographic detail.
By К. А. Салищев· XIX международный географический конгресс в Стокгольме: 299-316
The visible opening and closing passages review cartographic activities at the International Geographical Congress, focusing on the establishment of the International Cartographic Association (ICA) and its relationship with the International Geographical Union (IGU). The account traces preparatory meetings held in 1956–1959 and explains the Soviet delegation’s objections to allowing the ICA to constitute and direct an IGU cartographic commission. These concerned restricted participation in the association’s founding, statutory issues, insufficiently defined tasks, and the possible fragmentation of existing efforts. Soviet amendments proposed explicit coordination responsibilities and a revised commission membership. Although the amendments were not put to a vote, the final proposal removed the provision assigning formation and leadership of the commission to the ICA. The commission was nevertheless approved, with ICA president Eduard Imhof elected as its chair. The closing passages assess relief representation in Israel’s national atlas, historical cartographic studies, and French practices for updating topographic maps through aerial photography and field verification. The author praises Soviet contributions to the Commission on National Atlases and to work on cartographic generalization and hypsometric relief representation, while noting shortcomings in preparations: Soviet achievements were not fully presented, and insufficient new research problems were brought forward for international discussion. He advocates stronger work on regional atlases and closer contacts with, and assistance to, geographers in newly independent countries.
By Unknown· Bulletin de nouvelles de l'UGI 12(1): 42-43
This statement sets out the Commission on National Atlases’ remit: supporting atlas preparation, improving scientific standards, and fostering international collaboration on complex cartography. Its proposed tasks include standardizing the layout and legends of principal maps, reviewing published regional atlases and national coordination measures, exploring international use of atlas documentation, and studying systematic updating, especially for rapidly changing features.
By Edgar Lehmann· Petermanns geographische Mitteilungen 105(1): 33-35
This article reviews the deliberations of the Commission on National Atlases at its Stockholm meeting and examines the conceptual, methodological, and technical development of national atlas projects in Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia. Against the background of widely differing geographical and social conditions, the Commission sought not to impose uniformity, but to improve international comparability through common recommendations concerning scale, projection, generalization, color symbolism, indexing, and the organization of major thematic groups. The author’s central analytical framework distinguishes between encyclopedic-analytical atlases, which emphasize the mapped distribution of individual physical, economic, or social phenomena, and geographically synthetic atlases, which organize such phenomena to reveal spatial structures, interactions, and regional individuality. This distinction is heuristic rather than absolute, since most projects combine both tendencies. Canada, Australia, and the United States are presented as predominantly analytical cases: their atlases provide extensive and often technically sophisticated information, but their heterogeneous indicators and thematic approaches restrict cross-map synthesis. The Swedish, Finnish, French, Belgian, Ukrainian, and Byelorussian projects occupy intermediate positions, enabling varying degrees of synthesis through coordinated design, institutional direction, or consistent thematic treatment. By contrast, the Polish, Indian, and Hungarian projects display stronger synthetic ambitions. Poland organizes its atlas around the geographical environment, population and settlement, and the national economy; India combines a synthetic national atlas with specialized analytical atlases designed for economic and planning purposes; and Hungary arranges its sheets to facilitate recognition of spatial relationships. Turkish land-use mapping, Spain’s planned combination of general and thematic maps, and Czechoslovak work on industrial cartography further illustrate how national circumstances require flexible solutions while retaining internationally comparable symbols and methods. The article also stresses that standardization should make the distinctive character of each country more visible rather than erase it: similar phenomena should be represented by comparable cartographic conventions so that unique regional mixtures and dominant features can be identified. Finally, the Swedish experience demonstrates that modern reproduction methods and improved organization can increase output while reducing overall expenditure. The Commission’s preparatory publication, coordinated by K. A. Salishchev, symbolizes the growing international momentum behind national atlas production. The study concludes that effective cooperation must balance methodological coordination with national specificity and combine analytical information, geographical synthesis, practical utility, and technical efficiency.
Established by the IGU in 1956, the Commission on National Atlases promoted atlas publication, quality, and comparability. At Stockholm in August 1960 it reviewed a four-year program that had produced the French monograph Atlas nationaux, a bibliography, analytical articles, consultations, and an exhibition representing 26 countries; recommendations for unifying principal maps remained unfinished. Renewed for 1961–64, the commission proposed standardizing map programs and legends, examining regional atlases, expanding international cartographic use, and studying how to keep atlases current.
By K. A. Salichtchev· Bulletin de nouvelles de l'UGI 11(1/2): 27-33
Founded in 1956, the commission supported the preparation and scientific improvement of national atlases. Its Moscow–Leningrad plenary meeting of 11–20 August 1958 adopted a two-year programme that produced a Soviet-led monograph, Polish bibliographies, a Swedish publication report and atlas exhibition, and advice on several national atlas programmes. The report states that this programme was completed, but map harmonization was deferred; it proposed renewing the commission for four years to address standardization, regional atlases, international physical-environment maps, and atlas revision.
By Aldo Sestini· Rivista Geografica Italiana 67(4): 437–450
Aldo Sestini reviews the population-map, thematic-map and national-atlas exhibitions at the 1960 International Geographical Congress in Stockholm. Nearly 30 countries supplied over 40 atlases, including completed works and samples of ongoing publications. He finds no fundamentally new population-mapping methods and stresses appropriate symbols, colours and geographical base detail. Comparing atlas coverage, execution and publication status, he recommends shared core maps with comparable subjects and representation, noting that the International Geographical Union’s National Atlases Commission appears to be working in this direction.
By Sándor Radó· Geodézia és Kartográfia 11(2): 140–141
The article reports on the August 1958 Moscow meeting of the International Geographical Union’s Commission on National Atlases. Delegates reviewed national atlas projects and commissioned studies, including Hungary’s preliminary atlas plan, and debated the purposes, contents, and improvement of such works. The Commission identified harmonization of atlas content as its principal objective, thereby facilitating international comparative research and laying foundations for a future world atlas. It also initiated an analytical monograph, a specialized bibliography, an atlas exhibition, research on production technology, and a permanent secretariat at Moscow University. Hungary’s representative was subsequently elected as the Commission’s tenth member. Beyond these institutional outcomes, the meeting strengthened Hungary’s geographical and cartographic relations, particularly with Soviet scholars, and led to a Budapest working group that would provide systematic coverage of Hungarian scholarship. The conference thus significantly advanced international cooperation and atlas standardization.
Meeting in Moscow on 11–21 August 1958, the IGU Commission on National Atlases reviewed atlases in preparation and discussed completed map sheets. Its resolution advocated greater consistency to support geographical comparisons and possible use in future international maps. It identified monographic studies, a national-atlas bibliographic centre, advisory work and a permanent secretariat as urgent tasks. The report credits the discussions with bringing some editorial and map-compilation views into closer agreement.
By K. A. Salichtchev· Bulletin de nouvelles de l'UGI 10(1): 26-29
Meeting in Moscow and Leningrad, 11–20 August 1958, the IGU Commission on National Atlases reviewed twelve national-atlas reports and nine research presentations. It adopted goals of supporting and standardizing atlases, and planned a survey monograph, bibliography centre, advisory missions, and a Moscow University secretariat. Soviet, Polish, and Swedish geographers offered to prepare publications and a Stockholm exhibition; atlas bodies were asked to submit progress reports by 30 June 1959 for the 1960 Congress.
By Omer Tulippe· Bulletin de la Société belge d'études géographiques 28(1): 109–125
From the presentation given to the National Committee of Geography
on March 14, 1959
by O. TULIPPE
At the last International Geographical Congress, held in Rio de Janeiro in 1956, the International Geographical Union (I.G.U.), in accordance with tradition, proceeded to create—or renew—a certain number of commissions. These, as is known, have their activity in principle limited to the period between two successive congresses; they are tasked with studying specific problems and preparing on these matters a general report to be presented at the next International Congress, that of Stockholm, in 1960.
Among the new creations made by the I.G.U. in Rio de Janeiro in 1956 was that of the Commission on National Atlases. This decision by the I.G.U. followed the impact produced at the Rio de Janeiro Congress by a number of presentations—including that of the undersigned—on the problem of National Atlases, emphasizing on the one hand their importance and value as a scientific tool first and foremost, but also as a basic document for the rational planning and development of national territories; on the other hand, the necessity and urgency of international coordination in terms of the technical methods for producing national atlases.
In accordance with custom, five full members were designated to serve on the said commission, namely: Dr. C.P. Barnes, Chairman of the "Commission on a National Atlas of the United States" (U.S.A.); Professor S.P. Chatterjee, Director of the "National Atlas Organization of India" (India); Professor C. Leszczycki, Director of the Geographical Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Poland); Professor K.A. Salichtchev, Director of the Cartography Section of the Faculty of Geography at the University of Moscow (U.S.S.R.); and Dr. E.C. Willats, Senior Research Officer at the Ministry of Housing (England).
The chairmanship of this Commission was entrusted to Professor K.A. Salichtchev.
In addition, four corresponding members were attached to the Commission, namely: Mr. I. du Jonchay, Director of the Atlas Larousse (France), Professor A. Libault, Director of the National Atlas (France), Dr. N.L. Nicholson, Director of the Geographical Department of the Ministry of Mines and Survey (Canada), and the undersigned, in his dual capacity as Secretary of the National Committee of Geography—which publishes the Atlas of Belgium—and as Special Commissioner to the National Survey Service—which publishes the Atlas of the National Survey.
In order to take stock of the information and suggestions requested from the various members, the Commission held its first plenary meeting in Moscow and Leningrad from August 11 to 20, 1958, under the direction of its Chairman, Professor K.A. Salichtchev.
Present were all the full members and corresponding members. Also participating in this meeting were: the President of the I.G.U., Professor H. Ahlmann, as well as a number of geographers and cartographers, invited by the Chairman of the Commission and coming from Sweden, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, East Germany, North Korea, Mongolia, and Hungary, and an imposing Soviet delegation composed of members of the Faculty of Geography at the University of Moscow, the Institute of Geodesy and Cartography, the National Committee of Geography, and the Institute of Geography of the Academy of Sciences, a delegation led by Professor-Academician I.
By Г. Н. Башлавина· Геодезия и картография(1): 61-66
Bashlavina reports on the first plenary meeting of the International Geographical Union’s Commission on National Atlases, held in Moscow on 11–20 August 1958. Reports covered atlas production in several countries and methods for mapping natural conditions, population and economic activity. Participants proposed coordinated scales, projections, symbols and core map lists to improve comparability. The commission endorsed Salishchev’s definition of national atlases and planned a monograph reviewing published and forthcoming atlases with production recommendations, alongside bibliographic work and consultations for atlas-producing institutions.
Meeting in Moscow in August 1958, the International Geographical Union’s Commission on National Atlases examined how differences in map selection, mathematical frameworks, indicators, and representation hindered comparison among national atlases. Participants heard methodological reports and accounts of completed or planned atlases from several countries, moved toward common views on atlas purpose, content, and improvement, and approved Professor K. A. Salishchev’s plan for the commission’s future work.
By Срећко Николић· Гласник Српског географског друштва 39(1): 61–64
This report reviews national atlas publishing and records the commission’s plenary meeting in Moscow and Leningrad, 10–20 August 1958. The commission reaffirmed its aims of supporting atlas production, improving quality and standardizing comparable maps. It identified atlas analysis, recommendations, a bibliographic centre and consultations as urgent tasks, and proposed a secretariat at Moscow State University. Polish geographers undertook bibliographic work; Swedish geographers and cartographers undertook preparations for an atlas exhibition and a publication on reproduction. The commission requested national reports by 30 June 1959 for its report to the Stockholm congress.
Olof Hedbom reports on the IGU national atlas commission's Moscow conference of 10–20 August, chaired by K. Salichtchev, which surveyed national atlases in progress, sought cartographic ways to ease new atlas work, and prepared the 1960 Stockholm congress exhibition. Speakers described atlases of Belgium, India, Canada, the United States, the USSR and Britain; participants set minimum requirements on source references, accompanying text and English/French/German headings, and asked Sweden to supply the 1960 report's résumé on cartographic technique.
By Unknown· Bulletin de nouvelles de l'UGI 9(2): 62-63
The Commission on National Atlases planned to meet in Moscow from 1 to 20 August 1958. The excerpt identifies one of four agenda items: reports on national-atlas compilation in different countries, covering each atlas’s intended purpose, programme, and the current state of research.
By Benoît Brouillette· The Canadian Geographer 3(12): 48
This notice records N. L. Nicholson’s visit to the Soviet Union to attend a meeting of the IGU Commission on National Atlases, of which he was one of nine members. Hosted by the Soviet Academy of Sciences, he also visited geographers and geographical research institutions in Moscow and Leningrad. The notice gives no account of the commission’s discussions or decisions.
By Константин Алексеевич Салищев· Вестник Академии наук СССР(12): 80–81
This report describes the plenary meeting of the International Geographical Union’s Commission on National Atlases, held in Moscow on 11–20 August with geographers and cartographers from 16 countries. Participants reviewed national atlas production and compilation methods, discussed atlas purposes, content, and improvements, and planned work for completion before the 1960 International Geographical Congress in Stockholm. Participants considered the meeting a valuable step in strengthening scholarly contacts, exchanging scientific information, and coordinating research on national atlas production.
By Константин Алексеевич Салищев· Известия Академии наук СССР. Серия географическая(6): 120–133
This report describes the first plenary meeting of the International Geographical Union’s Commission on National Atlases, held in Moscow on 11–20 August 1958. The available opening and closing sections outline the commission’s establishment in 1956 under K. A. Salishchev and its aims of promoting national atlas production, improving quality, and making corresponding maps internationally comparable. Approximately 150 geographers and cartographers attended. The programme covered national production reports, atlas purposes and contents, preliminary research results, and the commission’s work plan. The Belgian presentation distinguished a national atlas systematically compiling geographical knowledge from a national survey atlas supporting territorial planning, with details of their organization, contents, and publication progress. The closing resolutions proposed bibliographical work, consultation, a secretariat at Moscow University’s Faculty of Geography, and preparations for exhibitions, publications, and a commission report for the 1960 Stockholm International Geographical Congress. Polish and Swedish representatives offered to undertake bibliographical work and, respectively, an exhibition and a study of atlas production technology. Atlas-producing institutions were asked to submit progress reports by 30 June 1959. The account also records institutional visits and cartographic exhibitions in Moscow and Leningrad. Participants considered the meeting valuable for developing scholarly contacts and strengthening international cooperation in national atlas production.
By О. А. Евтеев· Геодезия и картография(10): 77-79
The International Geographical Union’s National Atlases Commission met in Moscow on 11–20 August 1958, hearing twelve country reports and discussing atlas content and cartographic techniques. It supported K. A. Salishchev’s research programme and adopted G. A. Ginzburg’s recommendations on mathematical elements of atlas maps. Its approved work plan called for a comparative monograph, a bibliographic centre, consultations on national atlas preparation, and a secretariat at Moscow University; Soviet specialists undertook the monograph, and Polish geographers the bibliographic centre.
By Stanisław Leszczycki· Przegląd Geograficzny 30(4): 784-785
Meeting in Moscow and Leningrad on 11–20 August 1958, the IGU Commission on National Atlases reviewed national-atlas projects in Belgium, India, Canada, Poland, the United States, France, Sweden and Britain, alongside Soviet atlas plans and comparative studies of map content and design. Its resolution called for intensified work and publication, a permanent Moscow secretariat to track progress, comparative, bibliographic and technological studies, an atlas exhibition at the 1960 Stockholm congress, and a four-year extension of the Commission.
By K. A. Salichtchev· Bulletin de nouvelles de l'UGI 8(2): 41-42
Established within the International Geographical Union on 18 August 1956 in Rio de Janeiro, the commission planned to improve national atlases through systematic review, recommended map programmes, attention to projections and scales, standardized legends, and scientifically based preparation methods. It hoped this work would support international comparison and atlas unification. Soviet institutions were already participating; proposals were to be reviewed in 1959, with a research report planned for the 1960 International Geographical Congress in Stockholm.
By Unknown· Bulletin de nouvelles de l'UGI 8(1): 7
This bilingual notice lists the composition of the Commission on National Atlases, chaired by Moscow University cartography professor Konstantin A. Salichtchev, with members based in the United States, India, Poland, Sweden, and England. It reports no activities, decisions, or publications.
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