Computerization of cartographic publishing activity – an outline of the problem exemplified by the former monopolist in Poland

Abstract

Abstract The post-1989 transition from a centrally planned economy to a free-market economy generated new investment opportunities in Poland, heavily impacted by computerization. The article analyses the genesis, course and effects of implementation of computerization in a cartographic publishing house which spent several decades operating on a typical Central and Eastern European market. It also highlights the multi-dimensional nature of this process, presenting it in the context of political and socio-economic changes. The author indicates that the factors hindering efficient implementation of computerization were the very qualities which in the past determined the enterprise’s market potential: a great reserve of source and technical materials for publishing maps, efficient technological facilities, experienced employees and the management who sought modernization, but underestimated the potential of computerization and had to deal with its own psychological barriers related to the issue.