• NeilNuggetstrong@lemmy.world
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    19 days ago

    I’m so sick of this shit. You want an accurate map? Buy a globe. There is no accurate flat map projections. All are wrong. Different projections have different flaws and serve different purposes.

    • merc@sh.itjust.works
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      19 days ago

      Also, unless you’re using a paper map, you should never have to see a flat map projection.

      We all carry around supercomputers in our pockets that can easily do the math to render a globe. If we want to use a bigger screen, they have even more powerful processors.

      Does anybody actually use paper maps at all anymore? I guess sometimes people mount them on the wall and point at them, but I mean using a map to calculate distance, find a path, etc.

      What’s ridiculous is that even though computers should be rendering the world as a globe, some websites (even Google Maps) still sometimes use Mercator. It’s especially ridiculous when it’s something like a flight-tracking website where the flight is going in a straight line on the globe, but is rendered as a curved path on a stupid map projection.

      • michaelmrose@lemmy.world
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        18 days ago

        For most navigation people are going less than 50 miles projecting it onto a virtual globe would be pointless and not in any way shape or form beneficial.

          • michaelmrose@lemmy.world
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            16 days ago

            You said

            “that even though computers should be rendering the world as a globe,”

            They shouldn’t a projection is actually useful for most people in most instances. Your screen is flat and rendering a 3D image within it would actually mean you can use less of it and see less information in a more confusing view which would ultimately be weird and pointless to the people viewing mostly what is in fact stylized data like which roads cross.

            • merc@sh.itjust.works
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              16 days ago

              Your screen is flat, and the surface of the planet is essentially flat. If a program starts with a mercator projection and zooms in on a particular area it’s always going to be a distorted view.

              rendering a 3D image within it would actually mean you can use less of it and see less information in a more confusing view

              Whaat? That’s nonsense.