Cylindrical Projections


I. What is a cylindrical projection?

  • A cylindrical projection can be imagined in its simplest form as a cylinder that has been wrapped around a globe at the equator. If the graticule of latitude and longitude are projected onto the cylinder and the cylinder unwrapped, then a grid-like pattern of straight lines of latitude and longitude would result. The meridians of longitude would be equally spaced and the parallels of latitude would remain parallel but may not appear equally spaced anymore. In reality cylindrical map projections are not so simply constructed.
    The three aspects of the cylindrical projections:
  • Sources

    Text: Originally prepared for the Seminar in Map Projections and is currently being adjusted to a common format with the other Map Projection Pages.

    Graphics: Come from two sources: 1. Paul S. Anderson, these are graphics containing the graticule shorelines and 2. Shaded maps by Peter H. Dana, The Geographers Craft Project. Department of Geography, The University of Texas at Austin. http://www.utexas.edu/depts/grg/gcraft/notes /mapproj/mapproj.html

    II. Regular cylindrical projections

    Characteristics

    Equirectangular Projection

    Mercator Projection

    Lambert's Cylindrical Equal Area

    Gall's Sterographic Cylindrical

    Miller Cylindrical Projection

    III. Transverse Cylindrical Projections

    Cassini Projection

    Transverse Mercator

    Transverse Cylindrical Equal Area Projection

    Modified Transverse Mercator

    IV. Oblique Cylindrical Projections

    Oblique Mercator


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    Last modified 5/9/97 by Karen Mulcahy kam@everest.hunter.cuny.edu