Distortions in Map Projections
Distortions in Map Projections
All map projections give rise to certain distortions. This Demonstration shows these distortions for different projections by applying three sequential rotations to the globe: the first is about the axis, the second is about the axis, and the third is about the North Pole after the first two rotations.
y
z
To better evaluate map distortion, N. A. Tissot imagined an (infinitesimally) small circle (indicatrix) centered on some point on the surface of the Earth and considered its shape after transformation by a given map projection. This Demonstration also shows Tissot's indicatrix for selected locations, for different projections and for different rotations of the globe.