Et tilbakeblikk på det norske nasjonalatlaset

Summary

This retrospective and critical evaluation, written by the former chairman of the Norwegian National Atlas Council, recounts the rise and fall of the Norwegian National Atlas from its conception in the early 1960s to its effective termination in 1996. The idea first emerged in the Norwegian National Committee for Geography, inspired by Finnish and Swedish atlases. Tore Ouren prepared initial plans in the late 1960s, and the project gained institutional backing through the Norwegian Map Plan approved in 1976. A pre-project report appeared in 1977, and a steering committee was established in 1979, followed by eleven programme committees during 1980–1982. Despite enthusiasm, progress was slow. The author identifies organizational weaknesses: over-optimistic capacity estimates, inadequate prioritization, long production times, and a lack of sanctions against unpaid contributors. Between 1980 and 1987, NOK 4.3 million was allocated, but after nine years only about a quarter of the planned atlas was completed, spread thinly across all 21 themes. No theme was finished, and the incomplete product had low market value. A new steering committee in 1988 tried to accelerate work, but reorganizations were costly. A proposed budget of 5.6 million for restructuring was followed by cuts; in 1992 the National Atlas Council received only 2 million, later 3 million, yet spent only 2 million in 1993. External financing expectations proved unrealistic. The product concept shifted from folders with loose maps and text booklets to books. Main themes such as Environment, Population/Settlement/Labour Market, and Living Conditions were prioritized for completion by 1995, but this goal was missed; only parts appeared, and some booklets were archived. A book on Health was published in 1996, Sports in 1997, and Vegetation Regions in 1998, but the flagship Living Conditions theme remained unfinished. The stagnation phase revealed a deteriorating budget situation, low production capacity, unrealistic market ambitions, weakened organizational position, and loss of credibility among academic contributors. The ministry’s letter of March 1996 announced that the Norwegian Mapping Authority would no longer continue a unified National Atlas within the state assignment; it would produce thematic map products mainly on market terms. The council saw two options: a market-oriented book series with the national-atlas logo as a symbol, or a focused, time-limited effort to complete and update the whole atlas. The ministry chose the former, effectively abandoning the unified project. The author argues that commercial publishing alone could not sustain such an atlas, noting that even the Swedish National Atlas required heavy state subsidies. Since 1996, three atlas volumes have appeared in the new book format, but no new co-financed products were developed, and experienced staff left. A future revival, if any, would likely take the form of searchable map databases.