The national mapping agency in Luxembourg the Administration du Cadastre et de la Topographie (ACT) is responsible for geodetic, topographic and cadastral surveying of the country. Some maps published in Belgium, France and Germany also cover Luxembourg. Official mapping started in 1954, in collaboration with French IGN and until recently the basic scale topographic series were issued at 1:20,000 scale on the Gauss─Krϋger projection (Luxembourg system) with a similar specification to French topographic mapping. The third edition of these four-color maps, revised to 1987, was completed in 1993 and gives complete coverage in 30 sheets, with an additional map for the area of Luxembourg City. The series is published with French, English and German legend, is derived from aerial coverage and shows relief with 5 m contours. The latest edition of the Carte topographique is also published as an atlas, and the larger format six-color Carte régionale using the same base, but with overprinted tourist information, has been compiled for certain tourist areas. A 1:10,000 scale diazo enlargement of the 1:20,000 scale base material is issued by ACT for cadastral purposes.
Other smaller scale derived maps are also issued by ACT. A two-sheet 1:50,000 scale map, also with a trilingual legend and showing relief with 10 m contours is published as a five-color standard edition, and as a six-color map with cycle routes, footpaths and other tourist information. The single-sheet 1:100,000 scale map, revised to 1993, is published in six colors, with a 20 m contour interval and shaded relief and is accompanied by a list of place names. This map is available in a number of different versions.
Soviet military topographic mapping of Luxembourg is available at the following scales: 1:1,000,000 (2 sheets, complete coverage, published 1986-1990); 1:500,000 (4 sheets, complete coverage, published 1989-1995); 1:200,000 (4 sheets, complete coverage, published 1988-1989); 1:100,000 (7 sheets, complete coverage, published in 1988); 1:50,000 (19 sheets, complete coverage, published 1986-1987) and a city (1:10,000) topographic map of Luxembourg published in 1975. These products are available in print, digital raster and digital vector GIS formats from East View Geospatial.
The next graphic edition of the 1:20,000 map is being derived from 1994 aerial coverage and is compiled as a digital map from data held in the new national geographic information system Banque de Données Nationales (BDN-SIT). Work on the digital map started in 1997 and sheets were reduced in number from 30 to 21. Digital 1:20,000 scale topographic data may also be acquired.
From 1996 larger scale digital mapping has been compiled. A 1:5,000 scale digital map was completed, and covers the whole of Luxembourg in 261 sheets.
Geological mapping of Luxembourg is carried out by the Service Géologique de Luxembourg in the Administration des Pont et Chaussées (APC). The current series at 1:25,000 scale in 13 sheets has been in progress since 1971; sheets are to be accompanied by separately published explanations, and southern and eastern sheets have so far been published. An earlier larger format series is still available. Single-sheet geological, hydrogeological and geomorphological mapping has been published.
A soil mapping program has been carried out by the Service de Pédologie including 1:25,000 scale series and a smaller scale general map of soil associations. New environmental mapping programs were started in the early 1990s by Ministère de l’Amenagement du Territoire et de l’Environnement (now Ministère de l’Environnement (MEV)). A biophysical map of land cover types has been published in association with the EC CORINE Project, and a 1:25,000 scale biophysical series has also been started. MEV also published a false color image map of Luxembourg.
The national atlas from Ministère de l’Education Nationale was published in 1971 in three volumes. Luxembourg in Karte und Luftbild is the most useful print atlas of the country. It includes sample maps, air photographs and satellite imagery with parallel texts in French and German to describe the geographical regions of Luxembourg.
Town mapping of Luxembourg is issued by Belgian commercial publisher Geocart, by RV, and by Bollmann Bildkarten Verlag, Braunschweig.
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