Proceedings of the Seminar on Mapping the World in 2000 and after held at the Geoinformatica 2000 - Informatica 2000 Congress at the Havana Convention Centre, Cuba 22-27 May 2000

Summary

These proceedings document the seminar on “Mapping the World in 2000 and After,” held during the GEOMATICA 2000–INFORMATICA 2000 Congress in Havana, Cuba, in May 2000. Bringing together approximately 150 specialists from 19 countries, the congress examined the transformation of cartography and geomatics at the beginning of the digital era. Its central theme—global integration of geospatial data and services—connected discussions of digital cartography, geographic information systems, spatial-data standards, electronic navigational charts, GPS, photogrammetry, remote sensing, and national geospatial-data infrastructures. A major argument is that cartography has evolved from map production, through spatial communication and visualization, into the design of decision-support environments. Although digital tools have democratized mapmaking and automated routine production, professional cartographers remain essential for evaluating data quality, integrating heterogeneous sources, selecting information appropriate to particular purposes, and designing effective visual representations. They increasingly act as brokers who connect spatial data, technologies, and users. The collected presentations combine conceptual analysis with practical instruction. They address the foundations of topographic mapping; Cuban experience in producing digital topographic maps; structural and user-oriented requirements for school, census, and national atlases; the current condition and future development of atlas cartography in Cuba; and the application of maps to planning and sustainable development. Considerable attention is given to production management, including project definition, workflow design, scheduling, direction, quality control, resource allocation, and cost calculation. The proceedings also situate map production within an international standardization framework encompassing OpenGIS specifications, ISO/TC 211, the S-57 hydrographic standard, and strategies for worldwide electronic navigational-chart databases. These initiatives demonstrate the need for interoperable data, shared specifications, coordinated institutions, and reliable mechanisms for disseminating spatial information. Practical appendices extend the seminar’s educational purpose through exercises in school-atlas planning, production-flow modelling, layout design for printed and screen maps, and basic HTML techniques. Examples involving hyperlinks, images, tables, frames, image exchange, and cascading style sheets show how cartographic communication was expanding from paper into interactive, monitor-based environments. The congress additionally supported technical visits, institutional networking, commercial exchange, and the launch of a Cuban initiative for a National Geospatial Data Infrastructure linked to the country’s informatization programme. Overall, the volume presents cartography as an interdisciplinary and rapidly changing field in which technological innovation must be balanced by sound design, quality assessment, standardization, economic planning, professional education, and attention to user needs. It records both international trends and Cuban achievements while offering a practical foundation for strengthening cartographic capacity and geospatial cooperation in Cuba, Central America, and the wider international community.