lab 6

A map projection is defined as a 3-dimensional representation of the Earth on a 2-dimensional surface. In order to construct a map projection, developable surfaces are necessary. There are three types of developable surfaces that you can use; planes, cylinders, and cones. Selecting a certain type of developable surface, impacts the way the map image is distorted. Map projections are often classified by the map elements they preserve. The three types of map projections we created in this lab were the equidistant map projection which preserves distance, equal area map projections preserves area, and conformal map projection preserves projection.

            Map projections are important in providing accuracy of a map. In viewing the six different maps, I noticed the disparity of distances between the two cities of Washington D.C. and Kabul. It was interesting how each map, even the original map we created, showed different distances between the two cities. As a result, choosing the right map is significant when attempting to display desired features. Map projections are also significant because they allow people to see what is actually on a map. For example, the conformal map projection I used, the Hotline Oblique Mercator and Mercator, do not accurately reflect the sizes of each country. This is important information for people who are traveling.

            One of the perils of map projections is that it is almost impossible to preserve all properties of the Earth. Since the Earth is not physically smooth it cannot be perfectly projected onto a 2-Dimensional surface. In turn, the accuracy of one map element must be sacrificed in order to present an accuracy of a different map element. Although the equidistant map projections such as the Two-Point and Conic preserve area between designated points, they distort area size which impacts the representation of distance between areas. Additionally, equal area maps such as Behrmann and Craster Parabolic, accurately represents the area of each continent. However, discontinuities in the map skew the actual distance and distance cannot be measured accurately.

            There are a few overall potentials of map projections. The fact that we are able to easily access and obtain information through maps is an example of a potential of map projections. Another aspect to map projections is that it is user-centric and people have the ability to specialize their maps according to their preferences. Map projections are a very useful tool when trying to explore different aspects of society. Similar to any program, there are always potential drawbacks that should certainly be taken into account when creating or exploring maps.