Merged Mercator projection to be phased out?

[catsmate]

After more than four centuries this map projection and it's erroneous sizing may finally be on the way out.

UN votes to adopt new world map that shows Africa’s true scale

Togo-sponsored resolution called to phase out traditional map that depicts continent as similar size to Greenland

www.theguardian.com

 

[Helen]

Seems like a good idea.

 

[TragicMonkey]

Makes sense, but it will take getting used to for those who've lived their entire lives picturing the world as the maps they're accustomed to.

 

[Steve]

Size always matters!

 

[Steve]

Makes sense, but it will take getting used to for those who've lived their entire lives picturing the world as the maps they're accustomed to.

Maybe. I have managed to live quite a long life without concern about which areas appear larger or smaller on a map. That said, a more accurate representation is likely a good thing.

 

[JayUtah]

Maybe the flat-earthers can give us the real map.

 

[TragicMonkey]

Maybe. I have managed to live quite a long life without concern about which areas appear larger or smaller on a map. That said, a more accurate representation is likely a good thing.

It's not the size that looks strange, it's the shapes. There's more elongation along the north-south axis than we're accustomed to seeing. It's like a bunch of countries lost weight and grew taller!

 

[theprestige]

After more than four centuries this map projection and it's erroneous sizing may finally be on the way out.

UN votes to adopt new world map that shows Africa’s true scale

Togo-sponsored resolution called to phase out traditional map that depicts continent as similar size to Greenland

www.theguardian.com

"Erroneous"

 

[Steve]

It's not the size that looks strange, it's the shapes. There's more elongation along the north-south axis than we're accustomed to seeing. It's like a bunch of countries lost weight and grew taller!

Having looked at it again, I now think it is not actually an improvement on accuracy, just more distorted in different places.

 

[Skeptical Greg]

Erroneous"

I'll bite.

 

[The Great Zaganza]

Looks like it's going to take longer to reach Australia from Europe.
All to make the transatlantic journey shorter....

 

[theprestige]

I'll bite.

There are no errors in the Mercator projection.

The map is not the territory.

Reading the map tells you about the territory.

Just looking at the map does not.

There is nothing erroneous about Greenland's relative size in the Mercator projection.

If there were, a proper reading of the map would lead you to navigational mistakes, same as if you just looked at the map like a picture book, without bothering to read it.

---

Corollary: Togo et al. are looking at the map like a picture book, and making "on a big continent in the picture books" too much of their national identity. If they can get the UN to agree to settle on a picture book more to their liking, good for them. That's kind of what the UN is for. But I won't tolerate baseless slander of a perfectly cromulent projection map.

 

[GlennB]

...

There is nothing erroneous about Greenland's relative size in the Mercator projection.

Relative to what?

 

[theprestige]

Relative to what?

Every other defined area in the projection.

No, wait. That would be too easy and obvious.

Relative to the Code of Hammurabi.

Relative to the taste of artificial banana flavoring.

Relative to the SuperWhoLock fandom.

Relative to The Lion King on Broadway.

Relative to the death of Lady Di.

Relative to the color purple.

Relative to the movie, The Color Purple.

Relative to Jake Gyllenhaal's career.

Relative to your A-levels.

Relative to why Rice plays Texas.

Relative to the evolutionary success of trilobites.

Relative to the Cambrian explosion.

Relative to the motion of the Andromeda galaxy relative to the Milky Way galaxy.

Relative to the temperature of space.

Relative to what, my ass.

 

[TragicMonkey]

A map showing global temperatures would surely register this hot take.

 

[alfaniner]

Makes sense, but it will take getting used to for those who've lived their entire lives picturing the world as the maps they're accustomed to.

Is "someone" going to lobby for a new version to be called the "American Projection"?
(Sorry, that thing that gripes me infests every thought nowadays.)

 

[Steve]

Is "someone" going to lobby for a new version to be called the "American Projection"?
(Sorry, that thing that gripes me infests every thought nowadays.)

That will show the USA as the biggest country on the planet.

 

[Ryan O'Dine]

I'm glad they didn't change it while I was at work, I would've gotten lost on the way home.

 

[Dave Rogers]

There is nothing erroneous about Greenland's relative size in the Mercator projection.

"Error" is, I would agree, an unnecessarily strong word to single out the Mercator projection with;  any map projection is inevitably erroneous. However, the entire objection to the Mercator projection is that its  choice of error is in the apparent relative areas of land masses at different latitudes, which exaggerates those further from the equator, in order to preserve the accuracy of directions. Greenland's apparent size is a classic example of the exact issue that is under discussion here.

If there were, a proper reading of the map would lead you to navigational mistakes, same as if you just looked at the map like a picture book, without bothering to read it.

If you think this is a discussion about the best projection to use for navigation, then I think you may be mistaking what century this is; other than for historical re-enactment, I would be surprised if anyone uses a flat Mercator projection map for serious navigation in the age of GPS. It is actually a discussion about more or less misleading visual aids for presentation of geographical and geopolitical data. As such, it's purely a political issue.

Dave

 

[EHocking]

"Error" is, I would agree, an unnecessarily strong word to single out the Mercator projection with;  any map projection is inevitably erroneous. However, the entire objection to the Mercator projection is that its  choice of error is in the apparent relative areas of land masses at different latitudes, which exaggerates those further from the equator, in order to preserve the accuracy of directions. Greenland's apparent size is a classic example of the exact issue that is under discussion here.

If you think this is a discussion about the best projection to use for navigation, then I think you may be mistaking what century this is; other than for historical re-enactment, I would be surprised if anyone uses a flat Mercator projection map for serious navigation in the age of GPS. It is actually a discussion about more or less misleading visual aids for presentation of geographical and geopolitical data. As such, it's purely a political issue.

Dave

Too true, and that’s why the US voted against it. Some uppity ◊◊◊◊ hole countries in Africa are not equal to whitebread USA apparently.

The US, which voted against the resolution, slammed the text as an ideological exercise that it said undermined the UN’s credibility.

“This initiative is presented as an anodyne effort to update cartographic proportions,” said Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN. “The United States clearly sees it cannot be separated from the much larger and more radical ideological project it belongs to.”

Washington criticised the General Assembly for debating “map projects from the 16th century and their role in promoting reparations and cognitive justice” rather than challenges to international peace.

“Resolutions like this one and the ideological agenda they promote are barnacles on our work here and the reason this institution is losing its credibility,” Mr Waltz said. “When the United Nations questions why it is losing legitimacy in the world and is not taken seriously time and again, we point to resolutions such as this.”

Ukraine abstained because the example used reflected borders defined by Russian temporarily occupied territories.