Frame set by the user. But what coordinate system should by set? The choice of the coordinate system affects the appearance and use of a map. Figure 3.10 shows the United States using two alternative coordinate systems. Why do they look so different?
The map in Figure 3.10 is based on the familiar latitude-longitude coordinate system, often called a geographic coordinate system, or GCS. This system is three-dimensional coordinate system based on a sphere ,and the latitude-longitude degrees represent angular measures,notdistance.Every GCS uses a datum ,which adjusts the spherical GCS to fit better on the not-perfectly-spherical earth.Coordinate system labels include the datum being used, With North American Datum 1983 (NAD 1983) or World Geodetic System(WGS 1984) being two of the most common ones.
When degrees of latitude and longitude are displayed by a GIS ,they are treated as if they were planar coordinates instead of spherical coordinates. This practice introduces a distortion to the features and elongates them in the east-west direction (Fig.3.10a). Thus,although most people are familiar with the latitude-longitude values and they may be a convenient way to store coordinates,they are a poor choice formaps.
The map in Figure 3.10 utilizes a projection, which takes the 3-D angular coordinates of a GCS and uses mathematical equations to displace them to a cylindrical, conic, or planar surface and then unwraps them to a plane( Fig.3.11.).During this process,the angular units in degrees are converted to planar units of feet or meters .
Four properties of map features may be distorted by projections .area, distance, shape,and direction. Usually map projections reduce or eliminate certain distortions at the expense of the other.Maps based on cylindrical projection (Fig. 3.11a) typically preserve direction and shape at the expense of distance and area. Notice that the longitude lines point north-south, indication the direction correctly, but Alaska and Greenland are enlarged. Maps based on conic projection typically preserve area and distance at the expense of direction at the expense of direction and shape (Fig. 3.11b). The longitude line on longer point north-south, but the areas are batter preserved. The map in Figure 3.10b is in a conic projection. Maps based on azimuthal projections typically preserve areas and distances also (Fig.3.11c)
Choosing a suitable coordinate system is part of developing a good map. National-scale and world-scale maps are impossible to portray without distortion, so the maps purpose drives the choice. If the project includes measuring distances and areas, it is important to choose equidistant or equal-area map projection. If the maps are used for navigating by compass, maps that