Approaches and Solutions for Creating Atlases in Geographic Information Systems

Geographic information systems (GIS) are widely used to create various cartographic works, despite the fact that they are inferior in design to publishing systems. When compiling atlases, GIS are currently used to perform individual cartographic processes such as the development of spatial and thematic databases, creation of thematic maps, generalization of objects, creation of typical cartographic foundations and individual thematic maps, construction of various thematic surfaces, etc. It should also be noted that many common GIS have a special functionality that allows one to cut (insert) the map into the pages of an atlas, enabling the creation of multi-page cartographic works such as city atlases, road atlases, etc. Geographic, complex and thematic atlases are characterized by complex structures and diverse relationships between their sections. Therefore, the use of GIS is limited in terms of creating these types of atlases as independent cartographic works with holistic structures and full content. Also, depending on the selected GIS, its technological and functional capabilities, there are different processes for creating atlases. Currently, the most common is the pageby-page approach, where the design of each atlas map is conducted in a separate working set, and the integration of the resulting maps and the atlas is performed at the final stage, after the output of readymade layouts from the software. This report examines the features, advantages and disadvantages of using QGIS, ArcGIS and MapInfo Pro when creating atlases of various types (geographic, complex and thematic). Schemes for the potential organization of such atlases are presented and technological schemes for their automated creation in the considered geographic information systems are proposed. As a result, approaches and solutions for improving geographic information software are formulated. These proposals will ensure the fulfillment of all necessary requirements for the development of atlases, primarily at the regional level of mapping. Acknowledgments: this work was supported by Ministry of science and higher education of the Russian Federation, project 5.8029.2017/8.9


Introduction
Geographic information systems (GIS) are widely used to create various cartographic works, despite the fact that they are inferior in design to publishing systems. When compiling atlases, GIS are currently used to perform individual cartographic processes, such as the development of spatial and thematic databases, creation of thematic maps, generalization of objects, creation of typical cartographic foundations and individual thematic maps, and the construction of various thematic surfaces, etc. Among studies on the use of GIS in the compilation of atlases and atlas information systems, the work of the Swiss cartographic school (Hurni 2017, Vomsattel et al. 2019) should be noted. Many common GIS also have a special functionality that allows a map to be cut (inserted) into the pages of an atlas, enabling the creation of multi-page cartographic works such as city and road atlases. Geographic, complex (integrated) and thematic atlases are characterized by complex structures and diverse relationships between their sections (Vozenilek 2019). Therefore, the use ofGIS is limited in terms ofcreating these types of atlases as independent cartographic works with holistic structures and full content. Also, depending on the selected GIS, its technological and functional capabilities, there are different ways of creating atlases. Currently, the most common is the pageby-page approach, where the design of each atlas map is conducted in a separate working set, and the integration ofthe resulting maps and atlas is performed in the final stage, after the output ofready-made layouts from the software (Field 2018). This approach not provide automation of the process of compiling the atlas as a single, whole cartographic work.
Therefore, it is necessary to consider the features, advantages and disadvantages of using the most common GIS when creating atlases of various types (geographic, complex and thematic), propose schemes for the possible organization of such atlases, and develop technological schemes for their automated creation.
2. Načela organizacije strukture atlasa U istraživanju smo izabrali potpuno opremljene geografske informacijske sustave QGIS, ArcGIS i MapInfo Pro koji imaju različite alate za oblikovanje strukture the formation of the atlas in GIS, depending on the purpose and content ofthe atlas, may vary. This is primarily due to the different atlas structures. We will consider each type ofatlas in more detail.
General geographical atlases have the same type of content and their structure is well-established (Svatkova 2002). Hierarchical ordering allows the atlas to be divided into its component parts. For example, for the 1999 Atlas of the World, the following sections and subsections can be distinguished: 1. The world as a whole -an introductory section. 2. Russia, continents, oceans -overview maps. 2.1. Regional maps: 2.1.1. Level 1 subsections -regional overview maps. 2.1.2. Level 2 subsections -Detailed regional maps (Makarenko et al. 2017).
Thematic atlases consist mainly ofmaps ofa single subject, showing the spatial distribution of certain processes or phenomena. The structure of thematic atlases is very individual (Svatkova 2002). The ordering ofthe mapping territory is organized according to the hierarchy of territorial coverage, and within each territory (section) there is a set ofmaps.
Complex (integrated) atlases provide systematic information on the full, comprehensive (polythematic) characteristics of the mapped territory. In these atlases, the constituent parts (sections) ofa complex atlas traditionally form groups of physical maps and socioeconomic maps, which in turn are divided into subsections or themes. "The number of maps in the atlas and their contents depend on the geographical features of atlasa i izradu atlasnih karata. Povrh toga, ovisno o svrsi i sadržaju atlasa, postoje različiti pristupi izradi atlasa u GIS-u. To je prvenstveno tako zbog različitih struktura atlasa. Razmotrimo svaki tip atlasa detaljnije.
3 Creating Atlases in GIS: Analysis and Solutions Figure 1 presents the main stages and features of the creation of geographic information systems and integrated regional atlases.
The main data source for creating an atlas of any type in GIS is a cartographic database -a set oforganized arrays of digital cartographic information and software tools that provide access to data and their maintenance, storage and issuance (Khalugin et al. 1992). The initial composition of the cartographic database information (hydrography, settlements, traffic routes and borders) provides the typical bases of the atlas. The developed system of classification and coding of geographic objects and a single fixed format for recording digital cartographic information allow automization of the basic technological processes for creating atlases, for example, the cartographic generalization ofobjects.
It should be noted that when designing a geographic atlas, the cartographic database should be created at the most precise territorial level represented in the atlas. This is due to the presence ofmaps of the same content in geographic atlases, made for different levels of territorial coverage.
When creating thematic or complex regional atlases, besides the cartographic database, it is necessary to form the thematic database containing quantitative and qualitative indicators of the mapped object or phenomenon. To create socio-economic maps, the main source data are statistics.
When creating a thematic database for atlas mapping, it is necessary to develop tables that take into account all the indicators on all the created thematic maps. At the same time, depending on the cartographic imaging method used, and therefore the placement of the mapped phenomenon, it is possible to group the indicators in one table. So, for objects and phenomena placed in administrative units, it is advisable to create a single table containing indicators for different methods of cartographic image as well (for example, for cartograms and cartodiagrams). A separate table is created for objects localized in settlements. Communication of statistical information with metric information oflayers in the cartographic database is carried out via the unique codes ofadministrative units and settlements (for example, for the Russian Federation, the OCTMO code is used).
For our study, we considered the features of creating geographical, thematic and integrated atlases in the QGIS, ArcGIS and MapInfo Pro geographic information systems. This choice ofsoftware was due to their wide functionality and prevalence in the Russian and foreign geographic information services markets.

QGIS
QGIS is a free, full-featured, open-source geographic information system. It is used to create, edit, visualize, analyze and publish geospatial information.
The formation and configuration of the atlas in QGIS based on the layers opened in the project takes place in the process of creating a layout, which is a separate window with tools for the creation, design and layout of cartographic works. To do this, the layout window provides a separate tab Atlas (Atlas-Atlas Settings) with a set of the following functions enable atlas generation option select a layer and objects in it, on the basis of which the map will be divided into sheets (Coverage layer, Filter with) define a table field or specify an expression by which the atlas pages will be sorted specify a file name when exporting the atlas to external data formats. Navigating through the pages of the atlas is done using the menu command Atlas -Preview Atlas, and this function must be activated every time you change the content ofthe layout. The menu also contains tools to print the atlas, export the atlas pages as a bitmap, and save the atlas pages in SVG and PDF format.
The display settings for the selected elements of the layout pages (maps, legends, etc.) are set using the functions of the standard tab Item Properties. For maps, you can set the coordinate system, the rotation angle of the map, or create a map grid, etc. At the same time, it is possible to establish a single coordinate system and, accordingly, a single cartographic projection for atlas maps, which means QGIS cannot create some geographical and thematic atlases which use several different projections for different territories (for example, world atlases).
For geographical atlases of the Russian Federation, it is possible to use a single cartographic projection on the entire mapping territory. So it is possible to use a class of conical projections, while the change of the axial meridian for each subject is not carried out in the parameters of the coordinate system, but by simply rotating the map at an angle calculated as the difference between the axial meridian of the entire određivanje imena datoteke pri izvozu atlasa u vanjske formate podataka. Za omogućivanje prijelaza između stranice atlasa služi naredba Atlas -Preview Atlas i tu je funkciju potrebno aktivirati svaki put kad promijenimo sadržaj rasporeda. U izborniku Atlas nalaze se i alati za ispis atlasa, izvoz stranica atlasa kao bitmapa, pohrana stranica atlasa u formatima SVG i PDF.
Item Properties also specifically enables atlas creation under the option Controlled by atlas, which allows the user to select one of the following options to define the scale for the pages ofthe atlas: generating a scale taking into account the space used in division of atlas objects (Margin around feature); automatic calculation of scale range (Predefined scale (best fit)); and setting a fixed single scale (Fixed scale). Experiments have shown that it is impossible to use this QGIS functionality when creating geographic and complex atlases. So, in the first case, the scale for each page ofthe atlas is unique and not rounded off, and this does not automatically generate the correct scale series of the atlas. In the second variant, there is a strong degree of rounding off. The use of a fixed scale does not meet the design requirements ofan atlas as a map system.
Thus, we can draw the following conclusion. QGIS has advanced functionality to customize the layouts ofcartographic works, allowing the quick creation of maps on each page of the atlas. Thus for geographical atlases, the identical contents for different mapped territories are formed, while for complex regional atlases, the different thematic contents for the same territory are formed. QGIS also allows the creation of a single style of atlas page.
However, the creation of geographic, thematic, and complex atlases in QGIS is limited by the following software flaws: inability to calculate and correctly round off the scale of maps for different sizes of territories the absence of a choice of a coordinate system for each individual map the need to calculate the rotation angle for each map of the atlas the time-consuming process of creating floating layout maps. Therefore, the authors propose solutions to improve the process of creating general geographic and complex regional atlases in QGIS (Figure 2). Primarily, these solutions are aimed at formalizing the structure of the projected atlas and automating the design process ofits mathematical basis, including the definition of a large-scale series of atlas maps (Zagrebin et al. 2019). A separate block of developments is devoted to the automated creation of additional elements of the atlas page design -map headers, footers and additional text information about the mapped territory. It should be noted that the proposed list of solutions is not final and may be supplemented as modules and algorithms are developed.

ArcGIS
ESRI's ArcGIS geographic information system is used to build GIS at any level. ArcGIS enables geographic information to be used, analyzed and understood, leading to better decision-making and the creation and publication of maps as print versions, desktop applications, portals, and maps for mobile devices.
In general, QGIS and ArcGIS are similar in functionality and ideology of modules, but ArcGIS has a more developed toolkit for creating atlases and multi-page maps. The following features of ArcGIS (ArcGIS 2019) can be noted, automating the process of creating geographic and complex atlases: using the Python Arcpy script module.mapping. This module extends the functionality of multi-page layout and is necessary to create atlas pages that do not contain maps. When a multipage layout is created on a coverage layer (index grid), a separate page is created for each grid cell that corresponds to a separate map, but pages without maps will not be created. At the same time, the development of atlas mapping and the principles of creating atlases is moving towards the supply of cartographic material with additional information, such as cartographic illustrations (Fokin et al. 2016), graphs and diagrams, explanatory text and multimedia files setting the coordinate system for each window or frame in the map. This allows t a separate coordinate system to be set for each window of the map, which is prescribed in a separate field of the index table. The coordinate system is defined as a text string with three possible entries: a description in WKT format, a link to an external WKT file, or an EPSG code. This feature allows atlases to be created with several classes of map projections using defining queries for pages in the atlas. A defining query allows the SQL query to be used to limit the display of objects in a separate map window, which allows the content of each individual map of the Atlas being created to be controlled.

MapInfo Pro
GIS MapInfo Pro (developed by Pitney Bowes Software Inc.) is a powerful tool for working with spatial data and creating maps. The program allows the most complex problems of geographical analysis to be solved, such as zoning, communication with remote databases, the inclusion of graphical objects in other applications, the creation ofthematic maps, identifying  trends and patterns in the distribution of data and much more. Data in MapInfo Pro can be presented in the form ofmaps, lists, legends, graphs and reports.
The main advantage ofMapInfo Pro for use in atlas mapping is the ability to create multiple maps and reports within a single working set (project). This allows the creation of a multi-page document using maps with different source data, mathematical basis and content, which makes MapInfo Pro suitable for creating general geographic, complex regional and thematic atlases. However, in this case, a large number of maps and reports are created in one working set, which makes it difficult to navigate internally in the atlas. This organization ofthe atlas structure is shown in Figure 3. At the same time, thematic maps are created for complex atlases.
Another approach can be used to create a comprehensive atlas in MapInfo Pro GIS, as shown in Figure 4. In this case, the structure of the atlas is presented by the typical geographical bases used in the atlas, containing the main elements: boundaries, hydrography, settlements and traffic routes. Next, the layers that make up the thematic content of the maps are superimposed on the typical bases. The number of typical bases depends on the scale and content of the maps (physical maps and socio-economic maps). For example, when creating a comprehensive atlas of the Lipetsk region of the Russian Federation, the following typical bases are formed: "Physical maps 1:1 250 000"; "Physical maps 1:1 750 000", "Socio-economic maps 1:1 250 000", "Socio-economic maps 1:1 750 000". The creation of separate typical bases for physical maps and socio-economic maps is due to the different composition ofthe geographical information displayed.
The proposed approach will reduce the number of maps in the program. However, it will be necessary to turn on and offthe thematic layers manually to display and print different maps made on the same typical basis. Thus, it will not be possible to view multiple thematic maps created on the same basis at the same time.
Implementation of the proposed organization of a complex regional atlas in GIS MapInfo Pro is only made possible by writing additional modules in the Map-Basic programming language. To date, the authors have developed a software complex meant for automated creation of the structure of the atlas and submitting the obtained structure in the form of an additional menu, which corresponds to the projected table of contents of the atlas. Clicking on each menu item opens a report containing the corresponding map or maps, depending on the layout selected ( Figure 5).

Results
Based on the results ofthe analysis ofgeographic information systems, a summary table (Table 1) was compiled which presents the main functionality required to create atlases in GIS and their implementation in the Slika 4. Organizacija strukture složenog regionalnog atlasa i izrada tipične osnove u programu MapInfo Pro. Fig. 4 Organization of the complex regional atlas structure in MapInfo Pro with the creation of typical bases.
Glavna je prednost programa MapInfo Pro za izradu atlasa mogućnost izrade više karata i izvještaja unutar jednog radnog skupa (projekta). To omogućuje izradu višestraničnog dokumenta različitih izvornih podataka, matematičke osnove i sadržaja, što čini MapInfo Pro prikladnim za izradu općih geografskih, složenih regionalnih i tematskih atlasa. Međutim, u tom se slučaju izrađuje velik broj karata i izvještaja, što otežava snalaženje unutar atlasa. Ta je organizacija strukture atlasa prikazana na slici 3. Pri tome se tematske karte izrađuju za složene atlase.  Fig. 5 Example of creating atlas reports in different layouts using a software package. Slika 5. Primjer izrade atlasnih izvještaja različitih rasporeda s pomoću softverskog paketa. Tablica 1 . Glavna funkcionalnost GIS-ova i predložena rješenja za automatsku izradu atlasa. Table 1 Main functionality of GIS and proposed solutions to automate atlas creation. considered software. If the function for each atlas is different, it is indicated by abbreviations: C -complex atlas, G -geographical atlas. In the absence ofstandard functionality in a particular GIS, the cell of the corresponding function is prescribed as it can be solved with the help of other standard tools or indicated by the authors of the software module. Thus, the table gives the solutions and tools to be used to solve the problems of atlas design in GIS at each stage.

Conclusion
Despite the fairly well developed means of creating atlases in all the geographic information systems considered, their functionality is not sufficient for the full creation of geographical, thematic and complex regional atlases. In the article, the authors considered the features, advantages and disadvantages of using QGIS, ArcGIS and MapInfo Pro when creating atlases of various types, developed the basic principles of designing the structure of the atlases in each geographic information system, and carried out practical implementation.
As a result, two approaches to the creation of atlases in these geographic information systems were identified: MapInfo Pro implements a flexible map reporting system that allows each report to be customized individually, but to combine them into a single Atlas structure, additional functionality must be written into the MapBasic language; in ArcGIS and QGIS, creating multipage documents involves a rigid coverage layer (index grid) structure, which leads to a more systematic approach when designing an atlas structure. But the rigid structure of the coverage layer leads to less flexible design of separate atlas pages, and the imperfections of the toolkit (especially in QGIS) require the writing of additional modules in the Python programming language. The approaches and solutions formulated for improving the considered GIS allow the basic processes for creating atlases to be automated. These proposals are of particular practical importance in the creation ofintegrated regional atlases showing the situation in the region in many areas of knowledge and used in decision-making at the regional and municipal levels to ensure the sustainable development of territories. This is due to the availability ofa large set ofavailable spatial and statistical data (including population censuses and data from statistical services), allowing for the creation ofa variety ofthematic maps.
For the creation of fundamental cartographic works, such as national atlases or atlases of the world and parts of the world, a very detailed and comprehensive study involving a large number of specialists is needed, which would entail considerable financial, human and time resources.