National resource mapping in Thailand

Larry Sternstein reviews the Thai–English National Resources Atlas published by the Royal Thai Survey Department in August 1972, examining its thematic maps, supporting texts and tables, and suitability for development planning. He regards it as a creditable effort but criticizes its organization, omission of agricultural maps, uneven and sometimes outdated data, crowded layouts, poor colour differentiation and limited analysis of resource exploitation and potential. His map-by-map assessment credits the geological map's fieldwork basis and the informative presentation of water-resources development, while identifying specific weaknesses in climate classification, population symbols, industrial statistics and transport mapping. He recommends more coherent thematic organization, fuller resource analysis and replaceable sheets instead of the bulky, permanently bound format. Compared with the 1969 edition, he values several updates but finds the 1972 maps generally harder to read and questions the omission of electricity and telecommunications maps.