-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Re: The first-ever computer generated atlas?]
Date:   Tue, 30 Mar 2004 23:00:01 -0600
From:   James R. Carter <[log in to unmask]>



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
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