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Place-naming processes for the features on other planetary bodies are controlled by the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) Working Group on Planetary Nomenclature. This article examines the development of the nomenclature of the surroundings of the Mars Society's Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), located in Utah, USA, a simulation facility for future Mars stations. The development of this nomenclature system is also representative of the system of local place names in terrestrial remote research and military stations and may foreshow how names will be “born” in a future permanent Mars or Lunar Base.

Planetary maps are powerful tools for the visualization of the formerly unknown planetary surfaces. The appropriate use of visualization and nomenclature is essential for making planetary maps that can be used by both professionals and the general public. This article describes an international mapping project that has produced several maps of the terrestrial planets and the Moon. The maps were published separately, as educational wall maps, and also appeared together in a world atlas. To select the most effective visual tools and nomenclature, we conducted a map reader perception study at the Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary, which is discussed in detail. The second part of the article describes the current system of planetary nomenclature, highlighting some of its problems, with special attention to its localization for bi- or multilingual planetary maps.

The International Cartographic Association (ICA) Commission on Planetary Cartography was officially established on the basis of the ICA Planetary Cartography Working Group at the ICA Congress in Ottawa in August 1999. Its goal is to develop materials and information intended to aid in the global dissemination of planetary cartographic information. The overall theme of this effort is the harmonization of international planetary cartographic activities. The commission's activities can help especially in those countries not actively involved in ongoing spacecraft missions, bringing together scientists from diverse backgrounds (planetary science, earth science, cartography) who have not interacted previously, along with map and atlas publishers. The Planetary Cartography Database, the Multilingual Planetary Maps, and the Multilingual Glossary can serve as a reliable resource for cartographers who wish to produce and study planetary maps.