Design and compilation of agricultural electronic atlas at county-level

With the rapid development and application of new techniques, cartography has entered the 21st century's digital period from computer-assist mapping in the 1970s, traditional map representation has transformed from 2-D, mono-medium, static into 3-D, multi-media, dynamic and network (including internet), and gradually is developing towards 4-D (time, space). There appeared digital map, electronic map, soft map, hard map, interactive map, mingle map etc. Agricultural map needs to include much more contents in 3-D, multi-media than other types of map. Only electronic map can represent completely these contents. Compiling agricultural electronic atlas at county-level aims to reflect scientifically China's modernization agriculture development level, the new achievements of agricultural science and technology. Agricultural electronic atlas at county-level should take sustainable development " as the theme; systematically reflect the natural resources and natural environment in a county; the spatial and temporal distribution and changing law of agricultural resources (including climate, ' soil and water). In the paper the authors introduce the concrete contents of agricultural electronic atlas, their compilation process, and corresponding software and hardware as well as an example. In agricultural electronic atlas design the most advanced multi-media techniques must be used. The procedure of agricultural electronic atlas includes the study on compilation aim, content selection analysis, overall framework and data organization, determining compilation program. Agriculture includes many contents; each county has its own emphasis. In designing we set up a county's theme according to its concrete situation, the atlas contents are selected around the theme. For example, the main problems faced by the agriculture of Da'an City in Jilin Province is land desertification, so land desertification and its control are the theme of agricultural electronic atlas of Da'an City. When we compile other county's agricultural electronic atlas, only changing theme contents, can we get another county's agricultural electronic atlas.