title: [Cartography as an instrument in epidemiology: methodologic considerations for the new Swiss cancer atlas].
abstract: Maps not following the syntactical rules of the graphical language entail the risk of being misunderstood. Maps aim at demonstrating spatial patterns and visualizing dividing lines. Representation of tabular values is not a principal goal. Maps should be "seen" as a whole, not be "read" element by element. Some technical aspects of cartography are discussed (distortion of information, grouping of data, adequacy and use of colour). The guidelines for the new Swiss cancer atlas are based on these general principles. A continuous-shading technique avoiding class intervals is being used. It allows the combination of maps and diagrams of different aggregations of the same data using a common shading scale. Indications of significance are integrated into all figures. Geographical maps are enriched by diagrams showing data for 9 cities, 5 language regions, for a grouping by size of community and for a socioeconomical classification of regions. The universal shading scale enables to compare the figures separately and crossways. Relationships not apparent in a traditional map might be revealed.
authors.affiliation: Geographisches Institut, Universität Zürich.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bopp
mesh_terms: D001271:Atlases as Topic; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008377:Maps as Topic; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013557:Switzerland
vernacular_title: Kartographie als Instrument in der Epidemiologie: Methodologische Uberlegungen für den neuen Schweizer Krebsatlas.