Topic Selection and Structure in the National Atlas of Switzerland

The establishment of a National Atlas requires a broad view on the thematic content. Traditionally, maps in atlases are accessed by selecting topics from a thematically structured menu. Many important and complex decisions have to be made by map authors regarding the selection and structure of topics which are considered as the essence of an atlas. In the following lines, we will describe how and why the selected topics have been realized in the Atlas of Switzerland (AoS) and on which concepts they are based on.