Projecting global datasets to achieve equal areas
Cartography and Geographic Information Science
By: E.L. Usery, M.P. Finn, J.D. Cox, T. Beard, S. Ruhl, and M. Bearden
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Abstract
Scientists routinely accomplish global modeling in the raster domain, but recent research has indicated that the transformation of large areas through map projection equations leads to errors. This research attempts to gauge the extent of map projection and resampling effects on the tabulation of categorical areas by comparing the results of three datasets for seven common projections. The datasets, Global Land Cover, Holdridge Life Zones, and Global Vegetation, were compiled at resolutions of 30 arc-second, 1/2 degree, and 1 degree, respectively. These datasets were projected globally from spherical coordinates to plane representations. Results indicate significant problems in the implementation of global projection transformations in commercial software, as well as differences in areal accuracy across projections. The level of raster resolution directly affects the accuracy of areal tabulations, with higher resolution yielding higher accuracy. If the raster resolution is high enough for individual pixels to approximate points, the areal error tends to zero. The 30-arc-second cells appear to approximate this condition.
Suggested Citation
Usery, E., Finn, M., Cox, J., Beard, T., Ruhl, S., and Bearden, M., 2003, Projecting global datasets to achieve equal areas: Cartography and Geographic Information Science, v. 30, no. 1, p. 69-79, https://doi.org/10.1559/152304003100010956.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Projecting global datasets to achieve equal areas |
| Series title | Cartography and Geographic Information Science |
| DOI | 10.1559/152304003100010956 |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 2003 |
| Language | English |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Cartography and Geographic Information Science |
| First page | 69 |
| Last page | 79 |