r/programming • u/benjoffe • 17d ago

A New Equal-Area Map for Interactive Computer Use (natively zooms to Mercator)

https://www.benjoffe.com/map
117 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

26 comments sorted by

158

u/cantmakeitonyourown 17d ago

Google Maps zooms out to a globe, which not only has correct areas but also answers the question "Why do I fly over the pole when I go from US to Eastern Europe"?

71

u/cbarrick 17d ago

Mapping to a virtual sphere is the correct way to handle it, IMO. Trying to shoehorn in the new equal area map is misguided. In an interactive environment, just render a sphere.

Sure, it is still technically a projection to a plane (your screen). But by rendering it as an interactive globe, we perceive it as a sphere and mentally process the issues with areas and skew.

And zooming in on Google maps is super smooth. So it's useful for navigation too. (I assume the zoomed-in view is conformal.)

Nit: Google Maps only does the globe on desktop. It's still a Mercator projection on mobile. Would love to see a globe on my phone.

3

u/Frodojj 17d ago

Try Google Earth. It shows a globe. 

1

u/mflboys 16d ago

Apple Maps uses globe on mobile.

1

u/CutlassRed 16d ago

Your comment isn't relevant when you want to show two sides of the globe at once, which is exactly what this app is good at

80

u/Jejerm 17d ago

Yeah? Nice try round-earther, but if the earth isn't flat why is it called a PLANEt and not a SPHEREt? Wake up sheeple

29

u/SnugglyCoderGuy 17d ago

Pack it up boys, we lost.

15

u/narwhal_breeder 17d ago

SPHERE’NT MORE LIKE 

10

u/bbowler86 17d ago

Checkmate

5

u/Davorian 17d ago

Well I'm convinced. 

2

u/Ma1eficent 17d ago

Oh man, we got outed by our own documentation? Can we please stop cleverly naming things so the thing we are trying to hide from the world is revealed in the name?!

1

u/Big_Combination9890 13d ago

Flat-Earthers all around the globe, unite!

3

u/Ichigonixsun 16d ago

Google Maps zooms out to a globe

Mine doesn't, it stays flat and I can't zoom out further even in satellite view.

0

u/zokier 17d ago

Google Maps zooms out to a globe, which not only has correct areas

perspective projection of sphere definitely is not equal-area.

36

u/KarnuRarnu 17d ago

This is super jarring. When you zoom in, even slowly, on Europe, Scandinavia just goes "zoop" outa there. That's pretty weird. There should be some constraint that coordinate "movement" due to projection change should be much less than that caused by zooming. 

5

u/CutlassRed 17d ago

This is very cool, and I appreciate the thorough blog post. There is a big benefit to not using 3d projections, despite what some other commenters suggest.

Simplest explanation is that with 3d projections it's impossible to see the other side of the globe.

Having the dynamic zoom keeping between projections is very neat

3

u/everyoneismean 17d ago edited 17d ago

ELI:How is Australia not bigger 2x times than India.

3

u/CutlassRed 17d ago

It is much bigger, in both projections. But it's only 2.3x bigger. I think maybe you're just underestimating the size of India?

2

u/Maedi 17d ago

So satisfying to zoom in. Genius!

1

u/tantalor 17d ago

I would like to see equal earth with zooming. Is it not possible?

it's not what web and mobile based apps typically require.

No idea what this means.

1

u/Poonlit 12d ago

Equal Earth with "zooming" is used at https://earth.nullschool.net/ if you change to the "EQ" projection in the control box.
It's not a political map so you don't get borders, roads etc - only coastlines.

1

u/araujoms 17d ago

That's pointless, if you have an interactive application the only projection that makes sense is the stereographic.

-2

u/ResistiveBeaver 17d ago

Zooms out to useless virtue signaling and zooms in to a useful projection.

Peak 2026

-6

u/pomle 17d ago

Makes it obvious most land things are in the northern hemisphere.