Google Maps Finally Ditches Mercator Projection Mapping! - Glass Almanac
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Launched nearly fifteen years ago, Google Maps’ online mapping service is getting a major update by finally ditching the Mercator projection, which did not accurately represent distances and thus the size of countries.
The long-awaited day has come! Google Maps has replaced the Mercator projection with the traditional globe! Now, users can visit the platform and zoom out to see the globe instead of the usual flat map. However, it’s worth noting that purists have long since switched from Google Maps to Google Earth to avoid this issue.
Representing a globe on a flat surface while maintaining exact angles is quite a complex task. Indeed, most existing map projections significantly distort actual distances and areas. Although the Peters projection (1855) is one of the least distorting, our schools continue to use the Mercator projection (1569), which has been employed by Google Maps for the past fifteen years.
It is important to understand that this 16th-century projection was originally designed to make the Northern Hemisphere appear larger than it actually is. This was intended to reflect the dominance of Europe on maps, serving an ideological purpose. Additionally, on the 10th anniversary of Google Maps, we highlighted the actual size of Africa, which is nearly equivalent to the combined areas of Europe, the United States, and China!
Unrivaled in terms of accuracy, the globe is ideal. However, if we need to represent the world on a flat surface, there are several interesting map projections available. Recently, we discussed the true size of Antarctica, best observed using the Lambert azimuthal equidistant projection, which maintains accurate distances relative to a center. If Google Maps has made an effort to improve, schools could follow suit. In 2017, public schools in Boston, USA, decided to replace old maps with new ones featuring the Peters projection.
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Sources: Siècle Digital – Clubic
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Sarah Johnson<br>With a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, Sarah delves into the complexities of scientific breakthroughs and explains their significance in an accessible way.
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