Cartographic representation of data in the National Atlas of India

Summary

After completing the Hindi volume of the National Atlas of India in 1957, the English edition was planned as fascicules with about 300 plates. This paper examines the cartographic methods used for the 1:6 million socio-economic maps, covering agriculture, livestock, industry, commerce, finance, economy and social conditions. Because published statistics were often too generalized or unsuitable for mapping, the Atlas made special requisitions to state agencies, used co-ordinating officers, and processed data in a statistical section. For crops and livestock, dot maps were adopted, with dots placed on arable land and values averaged over five years. Proportional circles were found unsuitable at 1:6 million and were replaced by proportional squares for urban population and hospital beds, with insets for congested areas. A combination of circles and squares distinguished livestock markets from fairs. Sector diagrams proved effective for showing several activities at one location, while semi-circles represented production and capacity in cement, water supply and port maps. The chemical and pharmaceutical map had to combine sectors, squares and circles for data measured in tonnes, litres and units. For handicrafts and house types, realistic pictorial symbols and photographically reduced pictures were more effective. The study concludes that the choice of graphic method must depend on map scale, data characteristics and congestion; when carefully selected and combined, these methods can present a clear, accurate and integrated picture of the country's socio-economic conditions.