National Geographic has recently completed the Ninth Edition of the Atlas of the World, set to ship in mid-October. This latest edition adds new maps of conflict areas such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq. There are also spreads dealing with trends such as water scarcity, global warming and energy resources.
The eight-edition Atlas, released in 2005, used GIS extensively for the creation of maps and for the book’s index. GIS was first used for the seventh edition, and the use has grown steadily since. In fact, the use of geospatial tools is now part of the marketing for this volume:
“National Geographic cartographers bring nearly a century of mapmaking experience and cutting-edge technology to every atlas product. Today, satellite and digital imaging, GPS, and GIS technologies provide cartographers with new tools to map the Earth and its myriad regions—from far above and up close—across all seven continents and the interconnected oceans. Leveraging these emerging technologies to build smart, well-designed, functional, informative atlases is one of National Geographic’s great strengths.”
