Lambert Conformal Conic Projection

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Introduction

Lambert Conformal Conic Projection is a conic projection method that projects the earth’s surface onto a cone and then unfolds the cone into a flat map. This projection method was developed by French mathematician Johann Heinrich Lambert and is widely used because it is particularly suitable for map making in mid-latitude areas.

The biggest feature of this projection method is that it is conformal (angle-preserving), that is, the angle on the map is consistent with the actual angle on the earth. Therefore, it is particularly suitable for route design that requires precise azimuth control, such as navigation and aviation.

Projection Basics

When using the Lambert Conformal Conic projection, you need to set the following basic parameters:

**Standard Parallels: **You can set 1 or 2 standard parallels. The scale distortion of the map is minimal near these parallels, and 2 standard parallels are usually used.
**Central Meridian: **The longitude corresponding to the center of the map is the base vertical line of the projection.
**Latitude of Origin: **The latitude of the projection origin.
**False Easting: **The offset in the X direction in the map plane coordinates.
**False Northing: **The offset in the Y direction in the map plane coordinates.
**Ellipsoid parameters (Earth model): **Use ellipsoid models such as WGS84 and GRS80.

Pros

**Maintaining angles (conformity): **The angles on the map are accurate, which is suitable for route design in the fields of navigation and aviation.
Suitable for mid-latitude areas: For areas between 30 and 50 degrees north latitude (such as Japan, the United States, Central Europe, etc.), the deformation of shape, area, and distance is small and the performance is balanced.
**Suitable for wide-area maps: **Especially between two standard parallels, the map has high accuracy and is suitable for representing large areas.

Cons

**Not suitable for polar or equatorial regions: **Maps are significantly deformed near the equator or in high latitudes and are not suitable for mapping.
**Inaccurate area: **Maps cannot maintain the true area and are therefore not suitable for applications that require accurate area analysis (such as land use analysis).
**Complex parameter settings: **It is necessary to select appropriate standard latitudes and perform detailed parameter configuration, which is difficult for beginners.

Application Scenario

Lambert Conformal Conic Projection is particularly suitable for national maps or large regional maps in mid-latitudes, and is widely used in practical business. For example, most of the topographic maps and aeronautical maps of the Geographical Survey Institute of Japan use this projection. In addition, the Japan Meteorological Agency also uses this projection to produce weather maps in order to more accurately grasp the wind direction and air pressure distribution.

In addition, this projection is also widely used in the fields of transportation network analysis, disaster prevention GIS, regional planning, disaster prediction models, etc., especially in mid-latitudes with a wide range of terrain. Including scenarios such as aviation route planning, meteorological satellite data visualization, and large-scale highway system design, it is very valuable in these high-precision work because it can maintain the accuracy of angles and directions.

Example

Lambert conformal conic projection with 2 standard parallels.

Lambert Conformal Conic projection with standard parallels set at 20 degrees north and 50 degrees north.

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