Commission on Planetary Cartography

Call for Information

On the threshold of the third millennium, it seems appropriate to assess the existing data of the Solar System derived from both terrestrial and extraterrestrial observations. There are many maps, globes and atlases of various celestial bodies, which form an important component of what can be termed Planetary Cartography. It is now possible to teach courses on the "Geography of Solar System bodies" in schools at several grade levels. This body of knowledge must be accessible to the people of the 21st century.

We are confident that much of this information is already used widely in the educational process throughout the world. In order to expedite the continued use of products describing various objects in the Solar System, we would like to collect, categorize, and analyze information about planetary cartographic materials available throughout the world. Our goal in this effort is to develop recommendations related to future publication of planetary information, in order to fill any significant gaps and to avoid duplication of effort.

The Commission on Planetary Cartography of the ICA will serve as a repository for this information. Specifically, we are interested in documenting how various countries are supplied with existing planetary cartographic products, taking into account any recent publications, and how these materials are being used within the countries.

We would be very grateful if you would provide us with answers to the following questions:

1. In your country, for what celestial bodies is it currently possible to purchase maps, globes, atlases or other compilations of map-related information?

2. What kind of access is there to planetary cartographic materials in National or city libraries? in University or college libraries?

3. What national organization is responsible for the publication of products such as maps, globes, and atlases of celestial objects? How is this material made available to those who are interested in obtaining it?

4. Are there existing programs or courses of the subject of Planetary Cartography at universities, colleges, or schools in your country?

5. Are there any scientific, public, or national organizations that currently include the field of Planetary Cartography within your country?

You can answer at first briefly, but hopefully eventually in greater detail. Thank you very much for your responses to this inquiry. Please send your answers to Kira Shingareva at Kira.Shingareva@caravan.ru

Check out the ICA Multilingual Glossary for explanations of scientific terms found in ICA documents.