Representing a spherical object into a bi-dimensional surface is not an easy task. So much so are hundreds of map projections that choose to prioritize or shape, distance, area, etc. This interactive data visualization compares the Mercator and Gall-Peters projections.

To focus on the distortions of the projections rather than the maps themselves, I adopted an intentional no-map as background. And so, there are three primary geometric forms besides three representative territories. With such well-known shapes, observing how each projection distorts them is easy.

Because of the shape’s particularities, the user can learn some of the projection’s behaviors. For instance, the base of the equilateral triangle is unaltered in the equatorial line, or better said, the only line with no distortion at all.



To build this interactive comparison, I started with the Google Maps documentation as my base and manipulated the code from there. In addition, interactiveness was developed on the Webflow platform. The result is a clear, helpful, and easy-to-use tool.

To check it out:
undr.construction/map-comparisons