The potential of a national atlas as integral part of the spatial data infrastructure as exemplified by the new Dutch national atlas

Summary

The recent developments around national spatial data infrastructures have stimulated interest to review and renew the national atlas concept. In a recent project a feasibility study and prototype implementation of an automatic visualisation of spatial data available through the spatial data infrastructure (SDI) have been executed in a systematic and cartographically accountable way to guarantee an up-to-date national atlas. The objective was to investigate how the national atlas could be organised as an integral part of the spatial data infrastructure. The atlas would benefit from an up-to-date data flow, and the SDI would benefit from integrated visual summaries of available spatial data and geoservices in well-designed comparable maps using the narrative characteristics of the atlas. As such the national atlas provides alternative interactive and dynamic access to the SDI.