3 replies to this topic

[carto_apprentice]

Which map projection would you use to map the Aleutain Islands? Why?
What about a region that would include the following : Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, Bering Sea, and the Gulf of Alaska?

[Charles Syrett]

Your question is best answered with another question: What kind of map are you planning, and what will be its use?

A selection of world atlases shows Alaska mapped on a number of different projections:

Azimuthal Equidistant (centred on Fairbanks)
Albers Equal Area Conic
Polyconic
....etc

These are all general reference maps. Your specific map -- whatever it is -- may require that you consider the following:

- are north-south comparisons important? If so, a cylindrical projection showing latitude lines as straight lines may be appropriate

- is navigation a factor? In this case, Mercator would work well, despite its infamous distortion of northern latitudes.

- is equivalence important? (This means any small area within the overall map has a similar deformation to other small areas.) If so, you would do better with a conic projection than a cylindrical.

There are other factors to consider, but this is a start. have you studied any texts about this? Or any internet resources?

Charles Syrett
Map Graphics
http://www.mapgraphics.com

[carto_apprentice]

Your question is best answered with another question: What kind of map are you planning, and what will be its use?

A selection of world atlases shows Alaska mapped on a number of different projections:

Azimuthal Equidistant (centred on Fairbanks)
Albers Equal Area Conic
Polyconic
....etc

These are all general reference maps. Your specific map -- whatever it is -- may require that you consider the following:

- are north-south comparisons important? If so, a cylindrical projection showing latitude lines as straight lines may be appropriate

- is navigation a factor? In this case, Mercator would work well, despite its infamous distortion of northern latitudes.

- is equivalence important? (This means any small area within the overall map has a similar deformation to other small areas.) If so, you would do better with a conic projection than a cylindrical.

There are other factors to consider, but this is a start. have you studied any texts about this? Or any internet resources?

Charles Syrett
Map Graphics
http://www.mapgraphics.com

Thank you for your response. I have been reading about projections. I got a little overwhelmed so I decided to ask the forum. Is there one particular source that you would recommend?

Navigation is not a factor for the series of maps. The maps will be used to illustrate different enviromental features of the Aleutian Islands. I am going to investigate further into conic projections.

[Charles Syrett]

If your map coverage is limited to the Aleutians, then you may want to look at Lambert Conformal Conic. This is a projection that works well on maps that have a predominantly east-west extent, because it's conformal (good for comparison of features from one area to another) and it has two standard parallels (you may want to try something like 50N and 55N).

Charles Syrett
Map Graphics
http://www.mapgraphics.com