National atlases of foreign countries

This article reviews the structure, content, technologies, and user services of the national atlases of South Australia, the United States, Sweden, and Canada, with the aim of identifying useful principles for the development of a modern National Atlas of Russia. Using comparative descriptive analysis, the authors examine how these projects transform traditional printed atlases into integrated online geographic information resources. The comparison covers interactive mapping, thematic organization, search and navigation, layer management, gazetteers, metadata standards, statistical and descriptive materials, downloadable datasets, map archives, commercial catalogues, and educational services. The South Australian atlas combines raster-based interactive maps with thematic archives, object search, measurement, printing, bookmarks, layer controls, and an extensive gazetteer supported by ANZLIC-compliant metadata. The U.S. atlas emphasizes authoritative thematic and governmental information, enables users to construct maps from downloadable vector layers, and employs FGDC metadata as part of the national spatial data infrastructure. Sweden’s project maintains especially close links among its printed, CD-ROM, and web editions; although its online thematic maps offer limited manipulation, the system provides regional statistics and a gazetteer containing approximately 87,000 place names. Canada offers the most functionally comprehensive model, with more than 200 interactive maps, detailed reference materials, standardized metadata, nearly 500,000 geographical-name records, downloadable vector products in multiple scales and formats, digitized historical atlas editions, map-sales services, and a substantial educational section. The study concludes that contemporary online national atlases should not merely reproduce printed publications but substantially extend them through regularly updated information, interoperable data services, standardized metadata, robust search facilities, geographic-name databases, and open access to cartographic and remote-sensing resources. No single technical platform or data format is universally applicable; implementation choices should reflect the objectives and intended users of each project. Nevertheless, integration, accessibility, thematic richness, and multifunctionality emerge as common requirements. These international practices provide a practical framework for designing a Russian national atlas that meets current expectations for spatial-data access, public information, research, and education.