Implications of Web Mercator and Its Use in Online Mapping
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 14701051 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sarah E Battersby (0000-0003-2716-4382, University of South Carolina, corresponding author), Michael P Finn (0000-0003-0415-2194, Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science / United States Geological Survey (USGS) / Denver / CO / USA), E Lynn Usery (0000-0002-2766-2173, Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science / United States Geological Survey (USGS) / Rolla / MO / USA), Kristina H Yamamoto (National Geospatial Technical Operations Center / United States Geological Survey USGS / Denver / CO / USA) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 85-101 |
| Publication date | 2014-06-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Cartographica The International Journal for Geographic Information and Geovisualization (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0317-7173 • E-ISSN: 1911-9925 |
| Publisher | University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.3138/carto.49.2.2313 |
| OpenAlex | W2167423485 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 14 |
| References cited | 17 |
Online interactive maps have become a popular means of communicating with spatial data. In most online mapping systems, Web Mercator has become the dominant projection. While the Mercator projection has a long history of discussion about its inappropriateness for general-purpose mapping, particularly at the global scale, and seems to have been virtually phased out for general-purpose global-scale print maps, it has seen a resurgence in popularity in Web Mercator form. This article theorizes on how Web Mercator came to be widely used for online maps and what this might mean in terms of data display, technical aspects of map generation and distribution, design, and cognition of spatial patterns. The authors emphasize details of where the projection excels and where it does not, as well as some of its advantages and disadvantages for cartographic communication, and conclude with some research directions that may help to develop better solutions to the problem of projections for general-purpose, multi-scale Web mapping
Algorithm · Cartography · Cognition · Cognitive map · Data science · Geography · Information retrieval · Map projection · Mercator projection · Popularity · Projection (relational algebra · Scale (ratio · Web 2.0 · Web mapping · Web page · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Geographic Information Systems Studies · Historical Geography and Cartography · Historical Geography and Geographical Thought
The Influence of Map Projections on People’s Global-Scale Cognitive Map
Automatic geo-referencing of BIM in GIS environments using building footprints
Everyday Reorientation
A bevy of area-preserving transforms for map projection designers
Enhancing adaptive composite map projections
Recent literature in cartography and geographic information science
Recent literature in cartography and geographic information science
User preferences for world map projections
Conveying map finesse
Contemporary American cartographic research
The Spread of the Mercator Projection in Western European and United States Cartography
Maps on the Web
Polar projections
Another Look at the "Mercator Effect" on Global-Scale Cognitive Maps
The Effect of Global-Scale Map-Projection Knowledge on Perceived Land Area
Relative Size of Continents on World Sketch Maps
Whatever Happened to the 'New Cartography
The history of geographical map projections until 1600
Thematic Cartography and Geovisualization
Area Estimation of World Regions and the Projection of the Global-Scale Cognitive Map
| Citations per year | 1.08 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2013 - 2026 (14) |
| Highly cited | No |