Brief thoughts on map projections
IMO, every map projection that does not have at least one of the following four properties is not very worthwhile.
•
Equal&h;area
•
Conformal
•
Extremely simple to construct from 2D coordinates (longitude and latitude)
•
Extremely simple to construct from 3D coordinates (x, y, and z)
For example:
| Property | Cylindrical | Azimuthal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preserves | Area | Cylindrical equal&h;area | Azimuthal equal&h;area |
| Shape | Mercator | Stereographic | |
| Is extremely simple | In 2D | Equirectangular | Azimuthal equidistant |
| In 3D | Central cylindrical | Gnomonic | |
Lolsorandom compromise projections can go fuck themselves.
My overall favorite projection probably is the gnomonic. IMO, a world map consisting of a simple geometric projection from the center of the sphere to a three&h;surface cylinder tangent not just at the equator but also at the poles—that is, a central cylindrical projection and two gnomonic projections, separated by the ±45th parallels—is absolute kino.