Sto lat kartografii geologicznej w Państwowym Instytucie Geologicznym

Geological mapping is the principal and primary task of every state geological survey. This provides extensive graphic information (recently collected also in databases) on geological structure and mineral resources, supporting a sustainable approach to country development. Establishment of the Polish Geological Institute in 1919 laid the foundations for intensive geological studies in Poland and was basically reflected by systematic elaboration of general, detailed and thematic geological maps in different scales, being in line with the global state-of-the art. The Detailed Geological Map of Poland 1:50 000, initiated in the 1950s and composed of 1085 sheets, is undoubtedly a leading achievement of the Polish Geological Institute. Production of this map was accompanied and followed not only by several other map sets but also by several hundred geological maps and atlases in different scales, being a substantial input to regional and European geological maps that were prepared in international multilateral cooperation. Future geological mapping in the Polish Geological Institute is to be combined with novel global trends, including construction of geological databases and their continuous enrichment with new information, supported by wide cooperation with adjacent countries and within the European Community.