El Atlas Nacional de Cuba «LX Aniversario»: hacia un atlas vivo

Summary

This article presents the background, development process, technical approach, and final outcomes of the National Atlas of Cuba "LX Anniversary". Led by the Institute of Tropical Geography and in collaboration with several institutions, this multi-year project represents Cuba's first national geographic cartographic work entirely produced by national institutions and experts, presented in a digital multimedia format. The article begins by reviewing the history of Cuban national atlas production, analyzing the characteristics and contributions of three previous editions from 1970, 1979, and 1989, and noting that the new atlas builds upon this legacy while innovating for contemporary needs. Conceived as a "living atlas", its core principle is to enable rapid, systematic, and economical content updates. The atlas is structured into six thematic sections covering nature, population, economy, strategic issues, and history, drawing on results from various national and international research projects. The article details the six technical stages, from data collection and map design to multimedia production and the final development of a web geoportal and mobile application (APK). The Version 1.0 multimedia, released in 2019, contained 230 maps, while the subsequent Version 1.1 added more maps, photos, and interactive features. The team is currently finalizing the online service platform and mobile app to ensure broad access. The article concludes that this atlas not only reflects Cuba's current scientific knowledge and geographic reality, serving as a vital tool for territorial planning, environmental management, and education, but its digital format and "living atlas" philosophy mark a new era in Cuban atlas production, laying the groundwork for future updates and enhanced inter-institutional collaboration.