An Atlas for the future National Park: Las Cumbres de la Sierra de Guadarrama

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.

This research aims to create a digital atlas for the future National Park of ‘Las Cumbres de la Sierra de Guadarrama’ as a driving tool for knowledge and study of the territory, using a methodology that integrates Information Technologies (IT) such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Internet and the Web technologies, and providing access to geospatial information to the researchers, students and general public interested in the study of this protected area. The greatest challenge is to develop a database, implemented in a GIS, which enables the integration and processing of large amount of geospatial data that cover the area of interest, allowing for the description of its features, defined by a series of core datasets: administrative boundaries, demography, topography, hydrography, climate, vegetation, geology, land uses, protected areas, urban areas and transport network. However, the heart of the creation of the Atlas is the design and production of the digital cartography, which is essential for the communication and for an effective perception of information. The visualization of high quality maps, accompanied by text and photographs, through the creation of a digital Atlas embedded in a Web Site, is fundamental to ensure an optimum usability of available geographic information and plays an important role in the process of its dissemination, allowing the user to acquire a wide knowledge of the physical and human environment that characterize the National Park and its surroundings. In addition, the creation of the atlas and the generated geospatial information intended to be a support for natural environment management and conservation of the National Park, as well as for an efficient planning tool of new activities, favouring the sustainable development in the area.