PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF THE COMPLEX ECOLOGICAL-GEOGRAPHIC MAPPING OF SIBERIA

A review of basic theoretical principles of “ecological” mapping and types of maps of the environment sets the stage for a more detailed treatment of ecological-geographic maps—maps portraying a wide range of nature-society and nature-nature relationships—as they are used in support of economic development and environmental monitoring in Siberia. Particular attention is devoted to the compilation of map series, which include ecological-geographical maps, for the Lake Baykal area, BAM service zone, West Siberia, and specific territorial production complexes (e.g., Kansk-Achinsk TPC). Translated from: Geografiya i prirodnyye resursy, 1987, No. 3, pp. 10-18.     

ATLAS OF THE LATVIAN SSR

The contents of a recently published regional atlas for secondary schools in the Latvian SSR are described and critiqued. The atlas, consisting of 63 maps with explanatory text, supplemental diagrams, and photographs, was compiled by the Main Administration of Geodesy and Cartography in cooperation with the Latvian State University and the Latvian SSR Ministry of Education. Thematic coverage is divided roughly equally between physical and human/economic topics and the reviewers point out a number of shortcomings as well as innovative approaches. Translated by Elliott B. Urdang, Providence, RI 02906 from: Geodeziya i kartografiya, 1989, No. 10, pp. 42–43.     

Atlas Mapping in the 21st Century

Atlases are changing. The paper paradigm of maps and atlases has pervaded recent cartographic history. By nature that paradigm serves, as well as defines, a specific audience in terms of use and presentation. In the lab and at the printing press, the paper paradigm demands certain design and production flows that will drastically change through evolutions in data structures, mapmaking techniques, and presentation methods. Technological transformations in mapping influence much of this change. The implications for the creation and distribution of atlases are significant. With that in mind, this paper addresses a number of issues that relate to the technological evolution of atlases from paper to digital products: the distinction between paper and digital products and services and the implications of that distinction for atlas design—particularly for web-based services; facilitating data and its application to the evolution of map/atlas products; and a redefinition of "atlas" and the "audience" for an atlas.     

REMOTE SENSING AND THE STUDY OF SIBERIAN MINERAL RESOURCES

The authors outline the general policy governing the use of remote sensing in Siberian mineral exploration—as a tool in the structural-geomorphologic mapping of potential mineral-bearing locations. Such maps are used to infer geologic structure (and endogenous conditions for mineral formation) and the character of contemporary exogenous processes (and conditions of transport and concentration of mineral residues) from geoindicators in surface terrain visible from space. Uses of space imagery in the study of seismic activity and engineering geomorphology are also described. Translated from: Kompleksnyye aerokosmicheskiye Issledovaniya Sibiri, A. L. Yanshin and L. K. Zyat'kova, eds. Novosibirsk: Nauka, 1984, pp. 5-14.     

PRECIPITATION MAPS FOR THE WORLD'S OCEAN SURFACE

Procedures for the compilation of new maps showing the quantity and intensity of precipitation, which take into account its frequency, are outlined. The maps were prepared for the atlas The Natural Environment and Natural Resources of the World. A comparison is made with earlier published maps compiled by other methods. Translated by Jay K. Mitchell, PlanEcon, Inc., Washington, DC from: Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, seriya geograficheskaya, 1990, No. 2, pp. 5–16.     

LAND-USE MAPPING FROM REMOTE SENSING DATA: A WORLD SUMMARY

A brief history of land-use mapping sets the stage for a survey of contemporary land-use mapping across the world, and more specifically, the applications of remote sensing methods in such mapping. Other issues addressed include the need to refine the definition of land use to encompass the totality of geographic space, to formally recognize the difference between large-scale maps of agricultural land-use and smaller-scale general land-use maps, and to investigate more closely the wisdom and desirability of a standardized world land-use classification. Four types of land-use maps are identified: diagnostic/informational, historical, dynamic, and predictive. Translated from: Vestnik Leningradskogo Universiteta, 1983, No. 24, pp. 52-61.     

国家经济地图集基础地理框架的建立

以新世纪版《中华人民共和国国家经济地图集》的编研为背景,探讨了新世纪地学研究和测绘地理信息技术条件下经济地图集基础地理框架建立的若干问题。针对地图集的多尺度、多分辨率、多时态及内容的多样性等特点,通过对比与需求分析,重点探讨了地图集的地图投影、比例尺与分幅、地图定向及地理底图的设计与应用,并最终确定了地图集基础地理框架方案。     

MAPPING ANIMAL HABITATS

The authors propose a series of general methodological guidelines for animal habitat mapping. These include the use of “summary” indicators (of aggregate effects of environmental conditions on animal populations) as indices for mapping, the combination of laboratory and field work at all but the smallest scales of mapping, and explicit recognition (based on extensive studies of ecological characteristics and life cycles of species being mapped) that habitat boundaries in many cases vary dramatically from vegetation and landscape-geological boundaries. Habitat maps of two study areas are compared with vegetation and landscape maps at identical scales to demonstrate these differences. Translated from: Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta, geografiya, 1985, No. 3, pp. 95-101.     

Reflections on Mapping Census 2000

Mapping Census 2000: The Geography of U.S. Diversity is an atlas containing 75 maps and presenting county- and state-level data for Census 2000. Cynthia Brewer and Trudy Suchan rapidly produced the atlas in the Population Division of the U.S. Census Bureau using ArcInfo 8.1 prerelease software. Redistricting data, on which the atlas was based, were released in March 2001 and the full-color atlas went to press in July 2001. It is the first decennial atlas produced by the Census Bureau in 80 years. Race maps in the atlas are designed to present the new Census 2000 data that include counts of people who indicated more than one race. Choropleth classifications are constructed to facilitate comparison among maps in series for all race/ethnicity groups, both large and small. Map series share breaks that are adjusted to include meaningful breaks based on overall U.S. percentages for individual groups. Additional shared meaningful breaks, such as "no change" and "50 percent of the population" also anchor classifications. Maps of prevalent groups and diversity provide syntheses of race/ethnicity data. Maps were evaluated at numerous levels in the Census Bureau, with issues from topic selection to page layout to title wording debated by many people. The essay describes the production processes, agency standards, and cartographic principles that come together to present these new data in an atlas that is a colorful showpiece.     

CURRENT PROBLEMS IN OCEAN MAPPING

The author, in a review of papers presented at the First All-Union Conference on the Geography and Mapping of the Oceans, outlines the present status and current trends of marine cartography in the USSR. Issues warranting increased attention include development of a systems approach for the mapping of marine ecosystems; improvement of methods and principles for the mapping of coastal zones, bottom relief, and shelf topography; and accelerated production of economic/resource maps of the oceans. Work now underway on a comprehensive, multi-volume A tlas of the Oceans reflects a Soviet concern with these issues. Translated from: Geodeziya i kartografiya, 1984, No. 12, pp. 38-42.     

USE OF THE CARTOGRAPHIC METHOD IN THE STUDY OF CHANNEL PROCESSES

A second paper on floodplain and channel mapping describes how the “cartographic method” (the use of maps to derive information about the world not readily available through other means of investigation) is applied through the use of special maps depicting the sizes and types of river channels, the character of floodplains and of channel deformation, and the general conditions responsible for channel evolution. The uses, strengths, and limitations of channel maps at small, intermediate, and large scales are discussed, as well as methods of cartographic presentation that have proven most effective. Translated from: Geografiya i prirodnyye resursy, 1986, No. 3, pp. 99-108.     

System Design Considerations for the Development of an Electronic Statistical Atlas

In the recent history of cartography, atlases deserve a prominent status among cartographic products due to the variety of their thematic content, the rather friendly appearance and their utilization by a wide spectrum of users. Advances in information technology, and more specifically in geographic information systems and digital mapping, have altered the fundamental way of using maps, and thus they have a major impact on every aspect of electronic atlas design and development. Although considerable effort has been made towards the production of electronic atlases, and successful systems are available, there are still a number of factors that must be considered towards the improvement of their design and functional characteristics. This paper elaborates on those factors and suggests a specific approach toward the design and development of electronic atlases, particularly electronic statistical atlases. This approach has been used for the development of the Statistical Atlas of the European Union (STATLAS_EU), which is intended to provide a user-friendly resource for statistical analysis.     

PROBLEMS OF THE COMPLEX AUTOMATED MAPPING OF THE MOSCOW REGION

The paper describes a program for the complex (comprehensive) automated mapping of Moscow Oblast, performed jointly by various departments within the Moscow University Geography Faculty. The program was instituted during the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (1981-1985) and includes among its objectives: (1) support for local economic management and planning; (2) promotion of basic research in automated cartographic and geographic information systems; and (3) the improvement of methods of complex mapping. A number of maps compiled to date are described, and sample maps produced by the Moscow University Automated Mapping System are presented. Translated from: Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta, geografiya, 1988, No. 1, pp. 54-59 by Jay K. Mitchell; PlanEcon, Inc.; Washington, DC 20005.     

Design and Implementation of a Model,Web-based,GIS-Enabled Cancer Atlas

Abstract

The design and development of a highly interactive web-based, GIS-enabled atlas is reported. The atlas is a prototype, designed as a model for implementation of atlases to support government cancer-control activities. This model integrates symbolisation and design principles from print cartography, interaction strategies from exploratory geovisualisation, and web-map/web-feature service advances from GIS. The atlas has been implemented using a client-server architecture. It makes use of two open-source GIS tools, PostGIS (as the system database) and GeoServer (to connect the database to the client mapping application). The client mapping application has been built in Macromedia Flash. The entire client-server architecture is described, then direct primary emphasis is focused on the client mapping application. For this component of the system, the interface design strategy is detailed, the approach taken to implement this strategy in Flash is documented, and the mechanisms developed to build dynamic links from the client to the underlying database through the server are outlined. Features of the atlas are presented through a prototypical use scenario for a target user.     

GEOGRAPHIC FORECASTING AND MAPPING

The author outlines general principles and methods of predictive or forecast mapping in the USSR, more specifically the use of maps in support of geographic forecasting, i.e., prediction of relationships involved in matter, energy, and other flows of ecosystem components. Maps are employed in all stages of geographic forecasting, particularly to identify spatial patterns which can be extrapolated in space or time and used to predict distributions that are difficult or impossible to determine directly, as well as to graphically portray these expected distributions. A scheme for classifying forecast maps in terms of their orientation in time and space is presented. Translated from: Prognoznoye blogeograficheskoye kartografirovaniye: regional'nyy aspekt, Moscow: Nauka, 1985, pp. 6-24.     

A CARTOGRAPHIC SIMULATION MODEL OF THE EFFECTS OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITY ON THE ENVIRONMENT

The principles of systems mapping are employed in a model simulating the effects of human activity on the environment. The model takes the form of series of maps which are organized within three basic units or “blocks.” Block I contains general preliminary maps of land use and environmental change within an area which can serve as a basis for subsequent forecasting and proposals for improving land use. Block II contains maps that take stock of, evaluate, and predict human impacts on specific environmental components, and show the spatial distribution of measures proposed to ameliorate these impacts. Block III consists of maps synthesizing the component-related information of the preceding block for the purpose of providing summary assessments about the condition of the environment and land use conflicts in an area and targeting areas deserving the most comprehensive reclamation efforts. Methods of compiling the various maps are described in detail. Translated from: Izvestiya AN SSSR, seriya geograficheskaya, 1986, No. 2, pp. 114–127.     

Re-cartographies of Landscape: New Narratives in Architectural Atlases

Abstract

This paper explores the potential of a different kind of counter-mapping. It focuses upon a critical reading of five different architectural atlases and argues that their construction and design reveals how ‘re-cartographies’ can narrate novel stories about places. The narrative power of these atlases is traced back to a focus upon relations between phenomena, and a careful consideration of how to map the mutability and dynamism of the built and natural environment. They offer new kinds of selection, classification and symbolisation; deploy hybrid forms to destabilize taken for granted binary distinctions between nature and culture; use montage and juxtaposition to reveal scalar linkages; re-imagine figure–ground relationships to reveal functional city forms and processes; and explore the potential of meta-structures in the relations between different maps in an atlas layout. Taken together, they show how the cartographic imagination can escape from standard and accepted orthodoxies. They also reveal the importance of a situated and historicized narrative approach to all mapping, and offer a kind of counter-mapping from an academic field, which might allow more creative professional engagement with the making of places.     

Establishing Classification and Hierarchy in Populated Place Labeling for Multiscale Mapping for The National Map

Current standards for federal mapping call for use of the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) point layer for placement of United States populated place labels. However, this point layer contains limited classification information and hierarchy information, resulting in problems of map quality for database-driven, multi-scale, reference mapping, such as maps served by The National Map Viewer from USGS. Database-driven mapping often relies simply on what labels fit best in the map frame. Our research investigates alternative sources for labeling populated places, including polygons defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, such as incorporated place, census designated place (CDP), and economic place. Within each of these polygon layers we investigate relevant attributes from the decennial and economic censuses, such as population for incorporated places and CDPs, and the number of employees for economic places. The data selected are available for the entire country to serve national mapping requirements. This combination of data allows a more refined classification of populated places on maps that better represents relative importance. Visual importance on maps through scale should derive from more than simply residential population, but also economic importance, though comparison is made to this simpler case. We differentiate a fourth category of GNIS populated place points, essentially “neighborhoods” and related features—which are not incorporated places, CDPs, nor economic places. Populated places in this fourth class do not have federally defined boundaries, necessitating an alternative method for determining hierarchy in label presentation through scale.     

Procedures for woody vegetation surveys in the Kazgail rural council area,Kordofan, Sudan

Efforts to reforest parts of the Kordofan Province of Sudan are receiving support from international development agencies. These efforts include planning and implementing reforestation activities that require the collection of natural resources and socioeconomic data, and the preparation of base maps. A combination of remote sensing, geographic information system and global positioning systems procedures are used in this study to meet these requirements.

Remote sensing techniques were used to provide base maps and to guide the compilation of vegetation resources maps. These techniques provided a rapid and efficient method for documenting available resources. Pocket‐sized global positioning system units were used to establish the location of field data collected for mapping and resource analysis. A microcomputer data management system tabulated and displayed the field data. The resulting system for data analysis, management, and planning has been adopted for the mapping and inventory of the Gum Belt of Sudan.     

COMPILING LAND USE MAPS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES

The author outlines a series of recommendations for the compilation of land-use maps used for regional economic planning, based on experience gained in a portion of southwestern Siberia. These recommendations include: (a) selection of an intermediate scale for mapping, suitable for the portrayal of both moderate detail and broad regional patterns, (b) compilation of a series of related environmental-economic maps on a common base, to facilitate comparisons, and (c) portraying on a final map not only land use per se, but incorporating natural limitations and resulting land improvement measures into ratings of existing and potential productivity. An example of the latter is provided, with the map legend organized according to a matrix format. Incorporation of productivity ratings is believed to reduce subjectivity involved in the formulation of planning recommendations. Translated from: Geografiya i prirodnyye resursy, 1985, No. 2, pp. 92-97.