this post was submitted on 28 Jul 2023
17 points (100.0% liked)

MapPorn

3175 readers
1 users here now

Discover Cartographic Marvels and Navigate New Worlds!

Rules

  1. Be respectful and inclusive.
  2. No harassment, hate speech, or trolling.
  3. Engage in constructive discussions.
  4. Share relevant content.
  5. Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.
  6. Use appropriate language and tone.
  7. Report violations.
  8. Foster a continuous learning environment.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
ManamaKhan@lemmy.world
LW_NewModWanted@lemmy.world
17
Can we produce a true size map that can also be used as a navigation map? (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 year ago by waythewaythe@lemmy.world to c/mapporn@lemmy.world
28 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Total commoner here that does not understand projection and such on maps, but I know that the popular map and commercial globe somehow does not show the true size of a country/area.

My first question is, how could a globe (which supposed to be a representation of earth from space) does not represent true size of an area?

Second one, can we produce a map that shows the true size of an area but can also be used for navigation?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] evasive_chimpanzee@lemmy.world 21 points 1 year ago

Globes are correct, or close enough to it. What's not correct is any 2D representation. You have to distort the shape to make a 3d globe into a 2d map. How they choose to do that distortion is what's referred to as the projection. There's pros and cons to each projection type, but you basically have to choose between keeping the shape right and the size right. Check out the weird looking maps on here. You could technically still navigate with them, but it would be weird. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-area_projection