Migrating the print atlas 'Le Valais: Cartoscopie d'un espace régional' into an updatable thematic web atlas
Keywords:
interactive atlas, web atlas, Switzerland - Valais, thematic mapping
Type:
Poster
Abstract:
As the information age has progressed, atlases have been migrating from print media to the web. Benefits of web based atlases over traditional print atlases include the ability to reach wider audiences, to link text in multiple languages, and to reduce per-map production costs. In 1994, the University of Lausanne published a comprehensive atlas of the State of Valais, Switzerland. Titled 'Le Valais: Cartoscopie d'un espace régional', and written in French, themes covered include: 'L'espace valaisan' (Valasian Space), 'Population et société' (Population and Society), and 'Activités et resources' (Activities and Resources). 'L'espace valaisan' covers history, politics, and physical geography. 'Population et société' explores demographics and socio-economic indicators. 'Activités et resources' examines employment sectors and rates. Despite the static nature of the atlas, the authors introduced interactivity by placing labels and a supplementary base layer on a removable transparency that could be overlaid onto most of the maps.
Last year's MFSA Supplemental Research Fellowship, that was resultant to the AAG Marble-Boyle Undergraduate Achievement Award in Geographic Science, was awarded for the completion a four month project aimed at Migrating the antiquated print atlas of Valais into an updatable thematic web atlas. The goal of this project is to create a functional web-based prototype for an updated version of the atlas. The sample data will address each theme and a range of cartographic techniques. This poster describes the progression of this project, explains considerations that were made regarding user expectations and technical limitations, and displays samples of the prototype atlas.
Authors:
Joanna Merson, B.Sc., MicroGIS Foundation for Spatial Analysis
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