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59 cartographic perspectives Number 43, Fall 2002 Atlas of Oregon CD-ROM James E. Meacham‚ Erik B. Steiner‚ Editors 2-CD set‚ PC and Mac Compatible, $49.95 Reviewed by Joseph Stoll Syracuse University Some time after receiving the Atlas of Oregon, Second Edition, this reviewer also received a copy of the Atlas of Oregon CD-ROM (two compact disk set). While a consid- erable amount had been previ- ously heard regarding the printed version of the atlas, less had been heard about the CD-atlas so it was approached with fewer preconcep- tions. The CD-atlas authors address the purpose of its creation in the introductory material on the first disk. They note that the CD-atlas was created to use the thousands of maps developed during the Oregon Atlas book project and to "develop new and compelling ways to present the same infor- mation using multimedia design tools". They also note that the CD-atlas is not intended to com- pete with or be a replacement for the printed atlas, but it is rather intended to be a "complementary reference and learning tool". The CD-atlas operated without difficulty on both a Macintosh G4 computer (OS 9.2) and an older Dell Optiplex computer (Windows NT). The Macintosh required the installation of the CarbonLib extension that is included on the first atlas disk. Once the extension was installed, the CD version worked well. It initially seemed the CD response time was slower than most read- ers would prefer. This impression changed when the CD-atlas was used in a new Dell Optiplex com- puter (Windows XP) that also con- tained a current and considerably speedier CD reader. The CD-atlas response times were noticeably quicker on this computer making the CD-atlas considerably more enjoyable to use. In its appearance, the Atlas of Oregon CD-ROM is visually har- monious with the printed version of the atlas. Choice of colors, fonts, and design elements is attractive. While the CD design contains more visual elements than the cover design of the book, it is taste- fully packaged. The contents of the first disk are analogous to the contents in the thematic portion of the printed atlas. The second disk contains reference maps and aerial photos. Once the CD-atlas is initiated, a title page appears. Along with the title, this page displays a colored globe centered on Oregon, and four "clickable" options. The "Introduction" option leads to a single-page display that gives a general description of the CD-at- las and goals behind its creation. The "About the Atlas" option leads to another page of options where one can learn about the CD-atlas authors and designers, read ac- knowledgements, publication and copyright information, etc. The remaining options allow the CD- atlas reader to "Begin" or "Quit". When the CD-atlas reader se- lects the "Begin" option, a display appears that is equivalent to the Table of Contents in the printed ver- sion of the atlas. A general descrip- tion of the CD-atlas, disk 1 display is as follows. Three main sections of informa- tion: Human Geography, Economy, and Physical Geography are indicat- ed by large buttons at the bottom left half of the screen. When the cursor pauses on these buttons, a fly-up menu of topics within that section appears. Once a topic is se- lected, it changes color to assist the user in remembering which topics have or have not been selected. It should be noted that while the top- ics are often the same as those in the book version of the atlas, they are not always identical. Because of this, readers wishing to examine the treatment of the same topic in both versions of the atlas might occasionally experience minor confusion. Four buttons appear at the bot- tom right side of the screen. These buttons are assigned the functions of printing the screen on a page of paper, showing a state map of Oregon, providing user help, and returning the user to the opening screen of the CD-atlas. The button assigned to show the state map of Oregon is particularly noteworthy. This option displays a full-screen state map with main layers to show Counties, County Seats, Rivers and Lakes, and Relief. Each of these four layers also contains a sub-layer that shows labels of the layer's features. The layers can be toggled on or off so it is possible to make separate maps containing any combination of these layer features. It is espe- cially useful that this state map of Oregon can be accessed quickly, at any time, and it is printable. The CD-atlas reader can easily print useful and attractive base maps of Oregon either with or without labels. Readers should heed the advice in the "Quick Tips" section of the User's Guide informing that best printing results when "land- scape" is selected in the printer settings. Each map contains its own interactive settings. These set- tings aid in navigation and in many cases allow the reader to interact with the map data, see additional graphics, or read ad- ditional information. The level and type of interactivity varies from one page to the next. In ad- dition to their value in navigation, viewing, and interaction, these actions become educational. The act of panning around the state to see what is being shown at a particular location or zooming in for closer examination allows the reader to repeatedly interact with the counties, locations, and physi- cal features of the state. Readers

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