Hello Darius:
Jim is quite right about the SYMAP atlases. I can remember going
to the University's one and only computer center, feeding in my cards,
and getting my first SYMAP map sometime in the middle 60's. Bill Loy
did several SYMAP atlases in his work-up to the Atlas of Oregon. These
were done for planning and teaching purposes, not for publication. I do
not think any of Dr. Loy's SYMAP alone atlases were published. I do
remember, and have a copy of: William G. Loy. “A Preliminary Atlas of
Oregon.” It was published by the Geography Department, University of
Oregon, in 1972. It is a 11 by 8 ˝ inch, around 162-page, plastic
spiral bound paperback book. In the rear pocket it has a county boundary
overlay sheet, titled ‘computer generalized map.’ BUT this atlas has
both computer and student-drafted maps, so it does not fall within the
critera.
Several other Geographers were working with line-printer programs
and produced maps at about that time. I have seen published line-printer
map atlases from the University of Alabama and another University, maybe
Oklahoma or Nebraska. In the University of Georgia Map Collection's
holdings, after a quick search, I find Neal Lineback's "The Map Abstract
of Criminal-Justice Information: Alabama." University of Alabama Press,
1976. All the maps are SYMAP computer maps.
Most of the SYMAP based atlases I have seen have at least one
drafted map which is to be used as a base map.
Johnnie Sutherland
Map Collection
University of Georgia Libraries
James R. Carter wrote:
> Darius, et.al.: I remember a number of atlases that were done with
> SYMAP or similar line-printer programs. Now which of these if any were
> published is another question, but I think a few such atlases were. I
> seem to remember that some such atlases were based on a State of the
> U.S., probably published by a geographer working at a state university.
> Can anyone lay their hands on one of these? They would have been done
> in the late 60's or more likely in the 70's.
>
> And, I remember Fred Broome of the U.S. Census Bureau showing me a
> computer generated atlas of Census data. I am guessing that would be in
> the late 1970's. The graphics were generated in COM - computer on
> microfilm. The thing I remember about this atlas is that the colors did
> not come out as they wanted for in one case the graded colors could not
> be distinguished. But, this was published in color and in that regard
> it was first for me.
>
> I find it hard to believe that 1984 was the date of the first computer
> generated atlas. Tobler produced a computer generated movie in the
> 70's, or earlier, and then Moellering produced his movie of traffic
> accidents in I think the early 1970's. Both of these were done by
> filming off Tektronics vector displays. Of course, these were done in
> black and white--well, really in light gray and dark gray.
>
> I draw my recollections from North America, but I know some Europeans
> were doing good work in those early years.
>
> I would not wager that the first computer-based atlas was as late as
> 1984. I would think that first atlas might have been published in the
> late 1960s. It would not have been very elegant, but it would have been
> unique.
>
> Jim Carter
>
> At 3/30/2004, you wrote:
>
>> -------- Original Message --------
>> Subject: The first-ever computer generated atlas?
>> Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 21:56:50 +0100
>> From: Bartlett, Darius <[log in to unmask]>
>>
>>
>> ------------------
>> Dear friends,
>>
>> Please can anyone help settle a (friendly) argument I am having with a
>> colleague? We are trying to identify what was the world's first-ever
>> published atlas, where the maps were created entirely by means of
>> computerised methods?
>>
>> I remember being told, many, many years ago, that "Agriculture in
>> Ireland :
>> a census atlas" by A.A. Horner, J.A. Walsh and J.A. Williams
>> (Univesity College Dublin, Department of Geography, 1984), ISBN/ISSN
>> 0901120812, was a prime candidate for the title. My colleague thinks there
>> were almost certainly earlier ones, but which and where?
>>
>> Note we are talking here about ENTIRELY computer-generated mapping. So, by
>> this definition, Perring and Waters' "Atlas of the British Flora"
>> would not
>> count, innovative and notable as it was, because this used computers to
>> overprint crosses (X) corresponding to the thematic data (grid points
>> where
>> relevant vegetation occurred) on top of outline maps of Britain and
>> Ireland
>> that had been created and printed by more traditional means.
>>
>> I look forward to your suggestions and ideas!
>>
>> Best regards
>>
>> Darius Bartlett
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Dr. James R. "Jim" Carter, Professor, Geography/Geology Department
> and Graduate Coordinator, Hydrogeology Masters Program
> Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4400 USA
> -- http://www.ilstu.edu/~jrcarter --
> tel: (309) 438-2833 fax: (309) 438-5310
> [log in to unmask]
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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