Journal Article

Topic Selection and Structure in the National Atlas of Switzerland

By Raphael Vomsattel; René Sieber; Lorenz Hurni· 2019

Publication: Abstracts of the International Cartographic Association
Volume: 1
Pages: 384

Switzerland · Version 2

2000–2010

In their account of topic selection for the Atlas of Switzerland, the atlas team traces the expansion of its three earlier digital editions. The 2000 edition covered 250 topics in society, economy, state and politics. The 2004 edition increased this to approximately 1,000 topics, adding nature and environment; the 2010 edition contained approximately 2,000 topics, with transport, energy and communication added as further categories.

← Back to Switzerland

View whole-article summary

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.