Map Projections, Research Paper Example

Part I

What part of the world does the “Platte Carree” projection show most accurately? Where would you guess that the projection’s standard line is located?

The part of the world that Platte Carree projects most accurately is between 30 degrees North and 30 degrees South latitude.  I would have to assume the projection’s standard line is at the equator.

What parts of the world look least accurate? In these locations, how are shapes distorted?

How is area distorted?

The part of the world that looks least accurate is the North and South Poles. Shapes are distorted because they are stretched east to west.  The area is greatly increased, which cause the area to be distorted as well.

On this projection, do you think the distance from the equator due north to the North Pole

is free of distortion?

The distance does not appear to be accurate the stretching has clearly distorted the distance between the equator and the North Pole.

Give an example of two locations whose distance from each other is clearly incorrect on this map.

The distance between Iceland and Norway appears to be incorrect.  So is the distance between New Zealand and Australia.

Part II

Map project 1 – Choose a map projection which can show both Brazil and Libya: it need not preserve areas or angles, nor does it need to show all of the earth at once, but should look just like a little globe, and show both Recife and Tripoli.

The best projection is the Azimuthal Orthographic.  Because it is not necessary to preserve angles or areas, it would be a great map for a purpose to purchase a plane ticket.

Map project 2 – Gassy wants a map to plot out distances from the South Pole to any other location on the earth accurately (thus he needs a distance preserving map projection) centered on his future headquarters at the South Pole.

The best projection is the Azimuthal Equidistant.  The Azimuthal Equidistant preserve distance to center it on the South Pole, the distance will be accurate from there on.

Map project 3 – To assess the viability of this plan, Gassy needs a map of the United

States (including Alaska) which shows and allows accurate comparisons of the size of

different areas of untouched forests (which he will map out later).

The best projection is the Albers equal-area conic.  This is because it preserves area and it fits the entire US.  This includes Hawaii and Alaska with minimal shape distortion.

Map project 4 – For the tattoo, your boss needs a map projection of the entire earth that looks the best and most “normal” to people but it need not preserve areas or shapes

(angles) or distances. Remember, tattoos are forever, and if you choose the wrong one you will be dispatched forthwith to the new South Pole headquarters.

The best projection would the Robinson projection.  This is because it is a quintessential world map.  This would also make a great tattoo.

In map project 1, your map does not show the great circle route from Recife to Tripoli as a straight line.  If Gassy needed a map for his private pilot, showing the great circle route, where should the map be centered?

For this it would be ideal that the map would be centered somewhere in route from Recife to Tripoli.  This route must pass through the center of the projection to be a great circle route.

Part III

What projection property is this map lacking, that’s relevant considering the map’s topic?

The map is projected by unemployment rate instead of projection distance, area and shape.

What specific projection would be better for this US map?

the earth’s shapes and vertical datums, geographic coordinate system, and maps projections defined.

Determine compass bearing for a sailing trip from Portugal to Miami

The compass bearing for a sailing trip from Portugal to Miami is heading westward.  The exact calculations are:

Determine the great circle route and the precise distance from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia

The great circle route from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia is a straight line bearing NW.  The precise distance is 7497.06 miles or 12065.02 kilometers.

Determine the great circle routes between all major US cities

The great circle route follows an arc of great circles covering the earth’s surface.  These circles are used to determine the shortest route between two destinations.  The equator acts as a line of latitude which a great circle.  Every line of longitude consists of great circles.  The great circle route can be found from utilizing a string between two locations.  That will determine the route between all major US cities.