1. Map Projections

2. The Challenge of Map Projections
Imagine this:
Peel an orange, keeping the peel as one piece
Now, imagine that you have to explain to someone who has never seen an orange before, the detailed characteristics of an orange, only using simply this flat peel
How accurate a representation of the whole orange is that flat peel?

4. The Challenge of Map Projections
The inherent challenge with any map projection is that it is a flat, 2 dimensional representation of a 3 dimensional sphere
There is no map projection that does not become distorted in some way
That being said, here are some common map projections you will see throughout you life

5. Mercator Positives: Negatives:
It is easy to enlarge the maps (Google Maps)
It is easy to read and understand
Precise towards the equator
Good to use for navigation purposes
Negatives:
Very distorted. For example: Greenland looks to be as large as Africa, when in reality Africa is about 13 times larger.
Poles aren’t precise

6. How? Example of it’s use: Google Maps
It is difficult to make something round into something flat…note the distortions
Example of it’s use: Google Maps

7. Peters Positive: Negatives: The continents are more precise (to scale)
A lot of distortion north and south of the equator, and east and west at the poles
Ex:Africa looks to be 2 times longer than it does wide. In reality, it is about the same.

8. Mollweide Positives: Negatives:
-Good for making smaller maps (less distortion)
Negatives:
-forms and angles aren’t precise

9. Robinson Positive: Negatives:
Nice to look at (very clear and looks precise)
Very little distortion
Negatives:
-Severe distortion at the poles

10. Robinson cont… All the parallels are straight lines
Prime Meridian is a Straight line
All others are curved which makes it nice to look at and seems precise.

11. Interesting Fact
Mercator and Peters used mathematical equations to make their maps, Robinson simply just made maps that were easy and nice to look at….

12. Van Der Grinten Positive: Negatives:
Good representation of the size of continents
Negatives:
Hard to use (Zoom?)
Hard to use for navigation (distance?)

13. Why Not?