Van der Grinten Projection

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Introduction

Van der Grinten projection is a world map projection developed by American geographer Alphons J. van der Grinten in 1898. The notable features of this projection are that it can represent the entire earth in a circle and present a visually balanced and elegant world map by depicting the meridians and parallels as curves.

Compared with the Mercator projection, this projection can present the shapes of the continents more naturally while keeping the polar shapes from being extremely distorted. Therefore, it has been used by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and other institutions for map production.

Projection Basic

Type: Pseudocylindrical Projection
Coordinate system: Convert geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) to plane rectangular coordinates (X, Y)
Form: Although mathematical formulas can be used for transformation, special projection transformation equations are required for accurate calculation
Supported formats: Supports common GIS formats such as GeoTIFF, Shapefile, KML, GeoJSON, etc.
Supported software: ArcGIS, QGIS, PROJ.4, MapServer and other mainstream GIS tools support this projection

Pros

Strong visual balance: The overall composition of the map is circular, beautiful and suitable for teaching and display
**Small deformation near the equator: **The shape of the equatorial area is relatively accurate, which helps to express the geographical information of tropical areas
**Avoid extreme aspect ratios: **Compared with the Mercator projection, the polar regions are less exaggerated, and the shapes of the North Pole and the South Pole are more natural

Cons

**Area and angle distortion: **This projection does not preserve area (equal area) or angle (equal angle), and is not suitable for accurate comparison of area, direction, and shape
There is still distortion at the poles: Although the polar region is less deformed than Mercator, there is still significant distortion near the poles, which is not suitable for polar research and navigation purposes
The calculation is more complicated: Compared with other standard projection methods, the conversion formula is complicated, which is not conducive to real-time rendering or dynamic image application

Application Scenario

Van der Grinten projection is widely used in educational maps, wall-type world maps, posters, atlases, etc. due to its circular composition and visual beauty. It is particularly suitable for geography education in primary and secondary schools, or for making information visualization maps in museums and exhibitions. In addition, it is also often used as part of international presentations and visual materials. It is a visually impactful projection method and is very popular.

Example

Van der Grinten projection centered on Greenwich.

World map created using the Van der Glinden projection.

Mercator Projection

Transverse Mercator Projection

Wagner Projection

Longitude / Latitude Projection