The paper is devoted to V. V. Sveshnikov, a professional cartographer with the encyclopedic range of vision, who would have turned 70 years old on May 14, 2016. His major academic input is in the research and development of conceptual methods for generating integrated, national, regional and thematic atlases.Deep theoretical knowledge and extensive tourist experience let him to develop and participate in the production of “Encyclopedia of the Tourist”, “The USSR Travel Atlas” and a variety of tourist maps.During his work at the Heritage Institute V. V. Sveshnikov had been at the forefront of the new trends in the specialized mapping of cultural and natural heritage, in this area he had considerable achievements both in theory and practice, and direct involvement into research and practical activities. With his honorable mediation Integrated «Atlas of Cultural and Natural Heritage in Russia» and «The National Atlas of Russia» have been conceptualized and produced. Since 2001 year until his tragic death he served as the Editor-in-Chief of The National Atlas of Russia.