| Abstract: | 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. |
