The first new National Atlas in nearly 30 years is a popular online destination Americans visit to explore their natural and sociocultural landscapes. The National Atlas is designed to serve the interests and needs of a diverse populace in many ways: as a flexible desktop mapping system, as an essential reference, as a framework for information discovery, as an instrument of education, and as an aid in research. Federal producers of geospatial information are actively engaged in assembling integrated geographic products and developing World Wide Web services that reliably, accurately, and quickly convey national conditions. Americans interact with the National Atlas through an easy-to-use desktop geographic information system developed with Map Objects Internet Map Server software. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. government.