Accidental map projections

Oops, this isn’t what an azimuthal equidistant map projection is supposed to look like.
Azimuthal equidistant projection mistake

I’ve been working (occasionally fighting) with map projections a lot recently, pumping latitude and longitude coordinates through equations that mathemagically shape the world. Occasionally a small error in a projection equation results in an incorrect but fascinating map. So why not try deliberately introducing some errors and see what happens? Here are some maps I created by tossing random modifications into ordinary map projection equations.

Take a simple plate carrée projection, and give it a couple of twists.
Twisted plate carrée map projection

Winkel Tripel becomes some sort of beverage vessel.
Winkel Tripel snifter projection

There’s a certain elegance to this one, an Albers equal area conic projection, also with a couple of twists.
Twisted Albers projection

We can also take that a bit further.
More twisted Albers projection

Put some ripples in this (very modified) sinusoidal map projection.
Wavy sinusoidal projection

My favorite, a warped polyconic projection.
Warped polyconic projection

But most of the time, messing with a projection just breaks the world.
Screwed up projection

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5 Comments

  1. Some days I feel like we live in that last one. Also, I propose that you call it the Baphomet Projection.

    Jon McCann
    8 May 2009 @ 1:31am

  2. Andy -

    What a great post for a Friday morning! Thanks.

    Jon Peltier
    8 May 2009 @ 6:27am

  3. That warped polyconic projection would be very useful for maps about climate change – putting the poles centre-stage.

    lorcan
    7 June 2009 @ 3:40pm

  4. hmmm… the last picture looked a lot like a star sign.
    don’t you people think so?

    FREALTA
    5 October 2009 @ 5:44am

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