Map Projections

Planar (Azimuthal) Projection

Use: A duel Map projection used to show each hemisphere with a primary central focus on the North and South Poles

Planar (Azimuthal) Projection

Advantage: Direction from any given central point to any other point on the map is shown accurately

Planar (Azimuthal) Projection

Disadvantage: Size and Shapes become stretched and exaggerated the further from the poles landmasses are located

Planar (Azimuthal) Projection

Disadvantage: Requires two maps as one projection only represents a single hemisphere.

Planar (Azimuthal) Projection

Advantage: Very accurate at its center with no distortion of relative size, shape or direction at either pole

Conic Projection

Use: Aeronautical navigation depicting accurate point to point Great Circle Routes distances.

Conic Projection

Advantage: Shows areas elongated in an east-west direction very well

Conic projection

Advantages: Shows distance along the mid-latitude parallels accurately

Conic Projection

Disadvantage: scale becomes distorted at the Poles, further from a reference parallel

Conic Projection

relatively small zone of accuracy

Robinson Projection

Use: A general reference map designed to be appealing to the viewer

Robinson Projection

Advantage: reduces distortion of area, shape, distance, and direction by balancing these projection error.

Robinson Projection

Advantage: Accurate sizes & shapes on east & west ovular edges of map

Robinson Projection

Disadvantages: Parallels depicted as straight lines at the poles rather than intersecting

Robinson Projection

Disadvantage: North and South Poles appear flat and landmasses are heavily distorted at the poles though not as much as Mercator's Projection.

Goode's Projection

Use: An equal area map designed to accurately display thematic spatial data (densities, resources, ethnicities, religion etc.) by minimizing size and shapes distortion.

Goode's Projection

Advantage: Reduces distortion in shape of landmasses

Goode's Projection

Advantage: the size of an area on the map is in true proportion to its size on the Earth

Goode's Projection

Disadvantage: Many polar landmasses such as Antarctica and Greenland are divided/interrupted on this projection

Goode's Projection

Disadvantage: The interruptions in oceans distorts our perception of direction and distance.

Gall-Peters Projection

Use: Equal area map created to show the relative sizes of the earth's continents accurately (equal area).

Gall-Peters Projection

Advantage: Accurate sizes of landmasses

Gall-Peters Projection

Disadvantage: Elongated shapes stands out as an obvious factor of distortion.

Gall-Peters Projection

Disadvantage: Aside from accurate relative sizes Projection errors are found in all facets of this projection including, shape, direction, and distance

Mercator Projection

Use: A Map designed for maritime navigation (sea travel)

Mercator Projection

Advantage: Displays accurate shapes of landmasses

Mercator Projection

Advantage: Displays True Direction

Mercator Projection

Disadvantage: Extreme distortion of shape at the poles to minimize distortion in the mid and low latitudes

Mercator Projection

Disadvantage: Distance between landmasses are heavily distorted