Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
designed and communicate their messages accurately. In fact, the increase in tools
and the quantity of maps has lead to often poor designs and an increase in errors
occurring in statistical maps in many institutions.
Statistical atlas platforms: When NSIs generate statistical atlases or produce
large quantities of maps every year that are continuously, all of the above men-
tioned software solutions show severe shortcomings, as they are usually aimed at
the non-sustainable production of individual maps or smaller series. In this context,
a number of offices begin to use cartographic Content Management Systems (CMS)
in the form of atlas platforms—just as they use other CMS to create standard
publications and statistical websites. To enhance its in-house production of the-
matic maps and make new multimedia atlases available faster, the Swiss FSO
started with the development of a new atlas platform in 2006 (platform Statatlas).
Its Web Content Management System today helps to integrate a very large number
of (non-cartographic) editorial staff with different tasks and backgrounds into one
easy-to-understand production environment through a generic web interface. It also
delivers various services for customers and colleagues alike, allows the exchange of
dissemination data with partners in other institutions or the fast production of new
and other language editions.
The system is currently employed by around 80 internal and external users and
has raised the map production at FSO to a new level—in quantity and quality.
Besides the efficient handling of large spatial data and the hybrid output for all
different kinds of media at the same time, every production step—and possible
error—is now being logged in the spatial data base and can later be identified,
traced back and corrected. Furthermore, all cartographic metadata is stored for the
first time in one data base, e.g. map titles, legends, descriptions, classes, colour
schemes and of course translations, so that they can be reused for any new products
and co-operations coming up on the horizon. The platform is described in detail by
Schulz and Ullrich (
2009
) and Schulz (
2012
).
The (New) Role of the Cartographer
With changing technologies, also the role of cartographers within statistical insti-
tutions has altered dramatically. While only 20 or 30 years ago cartographers still
manually designed a few dozen thematic maps per annum, state-of-the-art sys-
tems—as described before—allow for a map output of thousands of maps a year. At
the Swiss FSO the same three cartographers have been responsible for the 514 maps
generated in 2001 as well as the 11,744 maps in 2011. It is obvious, that cartogra-
phers—if they are still employed in statistical offices—do not “touch” or verify any
individual map any more. Instead of the former craftsmen and the artist the
cartographers in NSIs today have adopted the role of translators, visual consultants
and software engineers. As translators, they transfer statistical numbers and textual
information into the graphic language which is unknown to statisticians. As con-
sultants, they advise colleagues to certain representation methods or their bosses to
