Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 4 Level of detail for
regional data on
administrative bases
a
Level of detail according to NUTS
b
Share
NUTS 0
1.4 %
NUTS 1
12.1 %
NUTS 2
10.0 %
NUTS 3
34.9 %
LAU 1 + 2
37.8 %
No administrative basis
3.8 %
a
Based on the analysis of 20 atlases and 6,500 maps (Schulz
2013
)
b
N
omenclature des
U
nit´s
T
erritoriales
S
tatistiques: still based on
administrative units from individual countries, this nomenclature
was developed by Eurostat since the 1980s in order to identify
units that are approximately equal in size and homogeneous for
the comparison of data from all EU member states, candidate
states and EFTA countries (Eurostat
2007
)
Statistical Atlases
General Development Trends
Statistical atlases are the most comprehensive, integral and of course attractive way
to disseminate regional statistical data. Like the Statistical Yearbook for data on the
national level, they tell vivid “stories” about our society and important regional
structures and developments of socio-economic phenomena and thus go far beyond
what mere collections of individual maps can show. Atlases have been widely used
already in the nineteenth century by statistical offices. Works of this “classical
period” comprise the
Census Atlas
and the
Graphical-statistical Atlas
(Central
Europe). After a long break and decline in map production, mainly caused by
WWI and WWII, statistical atlases have re-emerged in large numbers during the
latter part of the twentieth century. The increasing number of surveys and the
availability of electronically stored data on ever more detailed regional levels
have subsequently led to a new boom, and many NSIs have again seen their
potential. Statistical atlases can commonly be grouped into three main sub-groups
(Schulz
2013
): (a) polythematic atlases (general statistical atlases showing all
topics), (b) monothematic or special-topic atlases (showing only topics like demog-
raphy, agriculture or economy in one atlas) (c) provisional editions (early atlases,
which still show physical topics in their content and are strongly linked to other
editions) (Fig.
4
).
Statistical Atlases of Switzerland
The Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO) published its first atlas, the
Graphical-
statistical Atlas of Switzerland
, in 1897, followed by a larger and even more
