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> Or maybe there are no appropriate map projections. We have webgl now. Project a globe as google maps does when you zoom out.
by the8472 7y ago
> Or maybe there are no appropriate map projections.
We have webgl now. Project a globe as google maps does when you zoom out.
- timthorn 7y agoThat's what the BBC weather forecasts did a few years ago when they upgraded their technology. However, the virtual camera orientation shrank Scotland and resulted in complaints. https://geoawesomeness.com/bbc-changes-controversial-weather-map-stirs-up-even-more-controversy/ https://geoawesomeness.com/bbc-changes-controversial-weather...
- rrss 7y ago"map projection" refers to a transformation from the globe to a plane. If you give up and just use a globe, that supports mcv's point that there are no appropriate map projections.
- the8472 7y agoAn orthographic projection onto a screen is still a projection, it is not area-preserving, so it is not perfect just like other maps. But unlike other maps you have the option to rotate any place on the map into the center where the distortions are minimal. Plus humans have intuitive awareness of how looking at a sphere distorts things, which is something other maps obscure.
- mcv 7y agoWell, that's new to me. I was going to reply that Google Maps simply used Mercator when you zoomed out, exactly because Mercator works so well when you zoom in on the local scale, which is 99.9% of the use of Google Maps. But I figured I'd check first. No idea when they changed this, but it's pretty awesome. I wanted to say it'll probably be a while before classrooms can have those kind of maps, but all classrooms I'm aware of already have an electronic screen as board, so they already have it. I guess that makes the whole discussion pretty much moot now.