Maps and geographic information for everyone everywhere

Abstract

A map is an efficient tool for communicating geographic information. Traditionally Maps have been distributed in paper form with the topographic map as the most Common example. Nowadays, geographic data are stored in data bases. National Mapping Agencies handle the topographic information, Geological Surveys the Geological information, Central Statistical Offices the population information, Cadastral Services the land information and so on. When a nation has organized these data, geo-referenced Them and documented them in a standardized way a national geo-spatial data Infrastructure has been obtained. The next problems are to keep the data up to date and to make use of the data in different Geographical Information Services (GIS).