Socioeconomic Maps in Regional and National Atlases

The visible opening and closing materials describe plans for the National Atlas of the Mongolian People’s Republic and issues in medical-geographical mapping. Jointly prepared by Mongolian and Soviet scholars, the atlas was intended for bilingual publication with approximately 300 maps covering history, natural conditions and resources, the economy, population, education, culture, and health care. The opening emphasizes the use of long-term joint research, coordination of thematic content, scales, generalization methods, and legends, and cartographic techniques suited to Mongolia. Historical change was to be represented through maps for different dates, maps of dynamics, and explanatory texts. The atlas was intended to support planning, forecasting, and resource development, with supplementary information, methodological explanations, and guidance on use accompanying its sections. The closing discusses selecting geographical bases for medical-geographical maps. Disease distributions, environmental assessments, and population health should be mapped using relevant ecological, land-use, industrial, and urbanization information; empirical comparison may be needed to select a suitable base. Examples include using marmot habitats to indicate areas of probable plague-pathogen circulation and cited mapping experience linking anthrax distribution with agricultural land use and livestock numbers. The author advocates collaboration between medical geographers and cartographers in design, compilation, generalization, and editing, and identifies potential uses in setting priorities for medical services and health protection, research, and regional planning.