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For those curious, they're using a Dymaxion map, also known as the Fuller projection[1]. It's named for Buckminster Fuller, and the goal is to reduce skew of s

For those curious, they're using a Dymaxion map, also known as the Fuller projection[1]. It's named for Buckminster Fuller, and the goal is to reduce skew of shape and size. Notice, for example, the sizes of Greenland and Africa as compared to their heavily-skewed sizes on the Mercator projection. 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dymaxion_map https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dymaxion_map

martythemaniak 11y ago
2: https://xkcd.com/977/ https://xkcd.com/977/
slazaro 11y ago
I assume they think this is a good choice, but I disagree. It's just confusing. Why add such friction to data display?
- Amorymeltzer 11y ago
  It took me a moment or two as well, but you won't get change without making change. The Mercator was historically good for navigation, but is a poor representation of the globe. You need only look at their last figure, with the more granular data, to see the level and ease of detail would be lost in Africa and Eurasia.
- CaptSpify 11y ago
  It was confusing to me too. Maybe they should list the reason they used that map in the caption
akkartik 11y ago
I wanted to comment on that as well. Very cool to see. I really hope the Fuller projection goes mainstream. "Fuller argued that in the universe there is no "up" and "down", or "north" and "south": only "in" and "out". Gravitational forces of the stars and planets created "in", meaning "towards the gravitational center", and "out", meaning "away from the gravitational center". He attributed the north-up-superior/south-down-inferior presentation of most other world maps to cultural bias. "Fuller intended the map to be unfolded in different ways to emphasize different aspects of the world. Peeling the triangular faces of the icosahedron apart in one way results in an icosahedral net that shows an almost contiguous land mass comprising all of Earth's continents – not groups of continents divided by oceans. Peeling the solid apart in a different way presents a view of the world dominated by connected oceans surrounded by land. "Showing the continents as "one island earth" also helped Fuller explain, in his book Critical Path, the journeys of early seafaring people, who were in effect using prevailing winds to circumnavigate this world island." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dymaxion_map https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dymaxion_map

martythemaniak 11y ago

2: https://xkcd.com/977/ https://xkcd.com/977/

slazaro 11y ago

I assume they think this is a good choice, but I disagree. It's just confusing. Why add such friction to data display?

Amorymeltzer 11y ago
It took me a moment or two as well, but you won't get change without making change. The Mercator was historically good for navigation, but is a poor representation of the globe. You need only look at their last figure, with the more granular data, to see the level and ease of detail would be lost in Africa and Eurasia.
CaptSpify 11y ago
It was confusing to me too. Maybe they should list the reason they used that map in the caption

akkartik 11y ago

I wanted to comment on that as well. Very cool to see. I really hope the Fuller projection goes mainstream. "Fuller argued that in the universe there is no "up" and "down", or "north" and "south": only "in" and "out". Gravitational forces of the stars and planets created "in", meaning "towards the gravitational center", and "out", meaning "away from the gravitational center". He attributed the north-up-superior/south-down-inferior presentation of most other world maps to cultural bias. "Fuller intended the map to be unfolded in different ways to emphasize different aspects of the world. Peeling the triangular faces of the icosahedron apart in one way results in an icosahedral net that shows an almost contiguous land mass comprising all of Earth's continents – not groups of continents divided by oceans. Peeling the solid apart in a different way presents a view of the world dominated by connected oceans surrounded by land. "Showing the continents as "one island earth" also helped Fuller explain, in his book Critical Path, the journeys of early seafaring people, who were in effect using prevailing winds to circumnavigate this world island." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dymaxion_map https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dymaxion_map