Regional, national and international atlases - towards an integrated system

Summary

This paper examines the theoretical and practical issues of integrating regional, national, and international atlas cartography. The author argues that modern thematic cartography overemphasizes technical processing while neglecting data quality, result validity, and integration problems, leading to an overly narrow scope. Drawing on the experience of compiling the Atlas of Finland (especially the fifth edition), the paper analyzes challenges of integrating maps at different scales, addressing both technical aspects (e.g., adapting choropleths and symbols) and scholarly consistency (truthful content, logic, comparable structures). The KALSKE computer-assisted system developed in Finland for cataloging and retrieving thematic maps is introduced. The paper also discusses integration at national and international levels, noting problems such as lack of cooperation among cartographic bodies and inconsistent data interpretation. Finally, the author advocates a shift toward problem-oriented thematic cartography, emphasizing integration at both local and international extremes, and calls for enhanced cooperation among cartographers to improve the quality and efficiency of thematic information dissemination.