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Atlas of Switzerland 1

Atlas of Switzerland 1

An entirely new digital edition of the Atlas of Switzerland was published on CD-ROM in 2000 in four languages: German, French, Italian and English. Conceptually, the atlas used two visualization sections: classic 2D maps and 3D topographic maps. The graphical user interface (GUI) was an integral part of the multimedia atlas experience; the maps were specially adapted to the interactivity of the GUI.
The 2D map section covered the following thematic topics: Society, Economy, State and Politics, and International. Using statistical data and geometries of the administrative units, about 250 maps have been published. The 2D maps were redesigned according to the automatic generation of thematic maps. This permitted access to adaptive, continuously scaled maps with appropriate amounts of generalization, flexible colorization, and queries of all map elements. Dynamic presentations using animations helped the user to visualize, analyze, and compare spatio-temporal processes.
The 3D map section mainly comprised 3D terrain visualization, such as the generation of orthogonal shaded relief presentations, block diagrams, and panoramic views. 3D topographic maps required the integration of digital terrain models in order to achieve a higher degree of realism and to depict complex features. The atlas allowed the user to choose different visualization parameters such as the map extent, viewing direction, shading models, and hypsometric tints. This 3D functionality was brand-new at the time and highly popular, which resulted in the sale of over 14 000 atlas copies.

: Start page with language selection

: Thematic overview and map selection (German)

: Thematic overview and map selection (English)

: Imprint

: Help: Overview

: Help: Explanation of the Graphical User Interface (GUI)

: Help: Animated explanation of the time slider function

: GUI including panels for map theme choice, map visualization, navigation, map analysis, and general functions

: 2D Basemap Switzerland: Relief, rivers and lakes

: 2D Basemap Switzerland: Settlements, transportation lines, and boundaries

: 2D Basemap Switzerland: Combination of all map layers

: 2D Topography with extended basemap (forest, mountains and passes, railway lines)

: 2D Basemap Europe: Relief, rivers and lakes

: 2D Basemap Europe: Relief, rivers and lakes, boundaries and graticule layer

: 2D Map type: Univariate charts (circles) with variable size and color

: 2D Map type: Univariate charts (squares) with variable size and color

: 2D Map type: Choropleths (areas) with variable color

: 3D Map type: Shaded terrain model (orthogonal view)

: 3D Map type: Shaded terrain model with altitude classes

: 3D Map type: Shaded block diagram

: 3D Map type: Shaded block diagram with altitude classes

: 3D Map type: Shaded panorama

: 3D Map type: Shaded panorama with altitude classes

: Pie charts in combination with the basemap of Switzerland

: Choropleth map in combination with the basemap of Switzerland

: Pie charts in combination with the basemap of Europe

: Choropleth map in combination with the basemap of Europe

: Information Panel: Querying individual values (position: down)

: Information Panel: Querying individual values (position: up)

: Time slider: Selection of a point in time or a time period (1900–1910)

: Time slider: Moving a point in time or a time period (1950–1960)

: Time slider: Animation of the time series (Decades from 1850/60 to 1980/90)

: Time slider: Arbitrary selection of the time period (e.g. 1850–1920)

: Administrative units: Communes

: Administrative units: MS regions

: Administrative units: Districts

: Administrative units: Cantons

: Legend: Standard visualization

: Legend: Classing window

: Legend: Changing the number of classes

: Legend: Changing the class distribution

: Legend: Changing the class color

: Legend: Color interpolation over several classes

: Index: Standard display for communes

: Index: Search for locations

: Index: Recentering the map on the location of a place

: Zooming and panning: Maximum extent of the map excerpt

: Zooming and panning: Control by manipulation of the map excerpt

: Zooming and panning: Autonomous adaptation of map elements (adaptive symbol and stroke size)

: Information Panel: Querying individual values (position: down)

: Information Panel: Querying individual values (position: up)

: Illumination of the terrain model: Shading direction NW

: Illumination of the terrain model: Shading direction SW

: Navigation in the block diagram: Definition of inclination, rotation, viewing distance and magnification factor

: Navigation in the block diagram: Rotation with linked light source

: Navigation in the block diagram: Zooming by changing the magnification factor

: Navigation in the panorama map: Changing the viewing height using “panorama elevator” (4000 m)

: Navigation in the panorama map: Changing the viewing height using “panorama elevator” (7200 m)

: Navigation in the panorama map: Change of viewing direction (to the South)

: Navigation in the panorama map: Change of viewing direction (to the East)

: Navigation in the panorama map: Change of aperture angle (small)

: Navigation in the panorama map: Change of aperture angle (large)

: Panorama Index: Prepared views/excerpts of National map sheets

: Panorama Index: Choice of a prepared view (Kettenjura)

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