Design and Production of the Himachal Pradesh Topographic Overview Map, 1:500,000

This article describes the design of a map of the Indian state Himachal Pradesh at the scale of 1:500,000. The aim of this foldable map with topography is to support an interdisciplinary research network focusing on the cultural history of the western Himalayas starting in the eighth century. In this research network, cartography and geography fulfill a mediating role between the disciplines of art history, numismatics, Buddhist philosophy, and Tibetan and Sanskrit philology. The map’s goal is to facilitate scientific work and interdisciplinary collaboration both in the office and out in the field. In addition to the printed version, the map is available for download to the general public through a Web-based cartographic information system. Topographic data was compiled from a variety of sources—starting with maps originally surveyed by the colonial British and ending with satellite imagery. Production involved ArcGIS and Natural Scene Designer for initial data preparation and Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator for final map compilation.