The national atlas: its problem solving utility

Summary

This article examines the problem-solving utility of national atlases, with a particular focus on the creation, design, and application of the National Atlas of the United States. It highlights that national atlases, as official government publications, integrate diverse data across physical, historical, economic, and socio-cultural domains, offering intuitive spatial distribution references for government agencies, commercial firms, research institutions, and planning organizations. The paper details the atlas's content structure, including general reference maps, thematic maps, administrative division maps, and map coverage indexes, and illustrates its practical applications in education, urban planning, resource management, and market analysis. It also addresses technical challenges encountered during compilation, such as data reliability, cartographic generalization, paper selection, binding methods, and index design. The author concludes by envisioning the impact of remote sensing and computer technology on future atlas production, underscoring the significance of national atlases in fostering national development and international cooperation.