Canada's National Atlas Program in the computer era

Richard Groot explains the user-oriented redesign of Canada’s National Atlas program and its planned adoption of digital technology. The National Atlas of Canada, fourth edition, supplied maps for research, planning, education, publishing and public inquiries. An EMR evaluation could document such uses and estimate time savings, yielding a benefit/cost ratio above 2:1 under stated assumptions, but could not quantify improvements in decisions or research. The redesigned program prioritizes administration and research while serving education and the public directly and through publishers. It combines a Canada Gazetteer Atlas, planned for early 1980 using the 1976 census, with thematic mapping: standardized large-scale data-base sheets, source-data references and overview sheets explaining subjects in relation to Canadian life. Groot links the fifth edition to an ongoing revision program, with updates according to each subject’s changing information. Loose-leaf sheets and flexible purchasing and reproduction options support this approach, though their size creates handling and storage difficulties. Groot argues that digital data supply and user practices will make computer adoption increasingly necessary. He anticipates the greatest return from database management linking geographical and socioeconomic information for customized maps and analyses. Faster research and map production alone may not justify the substantial investment; the additional user benefits remain unquantified. A national task force recommended substantial computer use by 1983. The article presents this digital development as a plan for improving access and utility, not an accomplished system.