Lab 5

Map projections come in a variety of styles and shapes, with each one highlighting different geographical parameters.  The reason for such differences comes from the multitude of ways one can take the three-dimensional surface of the earth and lay them out on a two-dimensional surface.  Depending on which type of distortion has occurred, a specific map projection can show one or more—but never all—of the following: true distances, true directions, true areas, or true shapes.  By understanding the type of distortion that occurs within each projection, one can specifically choose to view a particular projection for the most accurate information on one of these four parameters.  

            Conformal maps are an example of a projection that preserves shapes and angles locally.  This means that on a large-scale, broad shapes and angles will not be accurately represented, thus altering the exact distances between points on the map.  When looking at a 7.5 minute quadrangle map, conformal projections are normally the best option due to the smaller scale.  The common Mercator map is a popular conformal map that is frequently used in today’s society.

            Equal area projections preserve general areas of geographic parameters.  This type of projection helps to fight against maps that contain gargantuan-sized Greenland land-masses, and provides the viewer with a more accurate description of relative area.  Comparison of size between two continents, or even two cities will be much easier and straight-forward.  The drawback to using equal area projections though is the fact that distances are distorted.  If one wants to find a projection that illustrates the clearest distances between objects, an equal area map would not be the best one to choose.

            One final type of map projection is the equidistant model.  These are unique in that distances from the center of the projection to any other place on the map are uniform in all directions.  For someone concerned with exact and precise distance measurements, equidistant projections will provide the most accurate data compared to real-world numbers.  The one draw back though is the fact that area and shape may be distorted in order to account for the equidistance.  

Technical difficulties occurred while re-formatting maps to jpeg form.  I will email the pdf version to Cameran and then try to re-post them as soon as possible on the blog.  Sorry for the inconvenience.