For the 625th anniversary of its foundation, the University of Heidelberg has drawn up a "Science Atlas" jointly with the IfL. In terms of its use by a university as a medium of self-description it represents a novelty  (with the sole exception of a pilot study for the 550th anniversary of the University of Freiburg). The enquiry which the University of Heidelberg submitted to the IfL for jointly developing such a publication provided the opportunity to further develop the cartographic and editorial competences gained in producing the National Atlas of the Federal Republic of Germany.

In the context of the project, the IfL also examined other issues, such as the possibilities that a scientific and educational institution has for presenting itself in spatial dimensions, or respectively by means of visualisation relating to geographical areas; other issues developed included appropriate forms for using an atlas to  present information about the historical and  current developments of a university, its external relations and its implications for the region. Drawing on the cartography work and the methods of visual presentation used for the National Atlas, the project also tested out the implementation of multi-lingual cartographic products; also, existing atlas maps were updated in terms of content and electronic data processing, as well as new possibilities developed for presenting material, particularly for showing chronological progressions on a given topic.

Results/Publications

Wissenschaftsatlas der Universität Heidelberg (Science Atlas of the University of Heidelberg)
Published by Peter Meusburger and Thomas Schuch, as commissioned by Rector Prof. Dr. Bernhard Eitel
Verlag Bibliotheca Palatina (publishers), Knittlingen, 2011
388 pages, ISBN: 978-3-9811463-3-2, 129 euros