History and Potential of National and Regional Atlas Issues in East Africa

Summary

National atlases synthesize a country's spatial knowledge through maps and textual descriptions. The three East African countries—Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania—gained independence around the same period and, with support from the British Directorate of Overseas Surveys, produced their first national atlases within a similar timeframe. However, these atlases have not been revised for decades. This paper reviews the historical development of national atlases in the three countries, examines the reasons for their stagnation, and discusses the implications of paradigm shifts including web mapping, Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI), and Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI). The analysis shows that delayed updates of topographic base maps, the ability of individual government departments to publish their own thematic atlases, and the growing availability of geospatial data through SDI and VGI have diminished the perceived relevance of official national atlases. Nevertheless, despite the still-low level of SDI development in East Africa, SDI and VGI offer a promising opportunity to revive the national atlas. The authors recommend that these countries move from printed products to online dynamic electronic atlases and conduct user-centered studies on interface and content design, thereby repositioning the national atlas within the modern geospatial ecosystem.