Web maps and atlases

Atlases are probably seen as the best known and ultimate cartographic products. At home and school everyone has had to familiarise themselves with atlases. Their use is primarily to locate geographic phenomena such as places, rivers and regions, or to understand geospatial patterns related to the physical or socio-economic environment. Many armchair journeys have been made guided by an atlas. An atlas is defined as an intentional combination of maps, structured in such a way that given objectives are reached (Kraak and Ormeling, 1996). Ortelius’ Theatrum Orbis Terrarum published in 1570 is recognised to be the first atlas according to this definition. In this context the word “atlas” was first used in 1585 by Mercator in his publication Atlas sive Cosmographicae Meditationes de Fabrica Mundi et Fabricati Figura. Over the years different types of atlases have developed.