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Google Maps is no longer a flat map

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Re: Google Maps is no longer a flat map

#81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can represent size or shape correctly, not both. Anyone who uses the Gall-Peters projection is a cop.

> You can represent size or shape correctly, not both. You can if you don't mind having a non-rectangular map border. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dymaxion_map

Dymaxion maps are still deformed, just not as much as most other projections.

Re: Google Maps is no longer a flat map

#82
post #71
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are cartographically reasonable equal-area or nearly-equal-area projections. Why are we still talking about Gall-Peters? Peters was a charlatan who knew very little geography (he didn't even want to give credit to the geographer who discovered his map), and the Gall-Peters projection is Mercator for old-school hippies who think they can promote equality by making Africa taller.

Expand?

Yes, but only vertically.

Re: Google Maps is no longer a flat map

#84
It never was a flat map. That was just a kludge to make it work in the browser. The original application, from Keyhole, was 3D from 2003 or so. NVidia used to offer it as a promotion, before Google bought it.

Now it's a Chrome browser promotion. Google Earth requires Google's browser.

Re: Google Maps is no longer a flat map

#85

So it's no longer a map application, because it's producing weird non-standard projections, tiles that can't be stitched/georeferenced properly etc. Will Google support and maintain an actual maps application? Or will they merge google earth and google maps together in an even less capable tool purely for consumers to wow at? Castrating Google Earth with the webgl version and locking it into Chrome was bad enough. I…

Google Earth desktop edition is still available. And it's still approximately ten thousand times better than the browser edition. https://www.google.com/earth/download/gep/agree.html

It's gradually phased out. Right now it's essentially abandonware. At some point in the future they'll just kill it out of the blue. Things that provide value to advanced users don't matter to most of these "data-based" companies.

Re: Google Maps is no longer a flat map

#86
post #84

It never was a flat map. That was just a kludge to make it work in the browser. The original application, from Keyhole, was 3D from 2003 or so. NVidia used to offer it as a promotion, before Google bought it. Now it's a Chrome browser promotion. Google Earth requires Google's browser.

Google Maps.

Re: Google Maps is no longer a flat map

#87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's still not an accurate map. 3D maps don't have projection issues, they can have near perfect representation of the world.

The eyes see a 2-dimensional picture. Computer displays produce a 2-dimensional picture. There is no such thing as a “3D map” on a standard computer display. Only an orthographic (or maybe perspective) projection which animates in response to user input. In general an orthographic projection is a poor choice. The thing going for it is that it is easy to understand by analogy to a physical globe, and human spatial und…

You can, of course, use VR to get a stereoscopic 3D display as well, like what humans see in the real world. Except for depth of field (which some prototype VR systems can still accomplish), that's as 3D as real life. And Google Maps/Earth VR can indeed do that.

Re: Google Maps is no longer a flat map

#89

It even allows you to see satelite pictures of other planets! I'm not sure how old is that feature, but it's awesome. You just have to unzoom far away from earth and it'll show you a menu where you can choose where you want to go. https://www.google.com/maps/space/mercury/@47.5337211,-157.4...

And interior of the ISS :). Thanks, that was a fantastic journey!

Re: Google Maps is no longer a flat map

#90
Just a note, they also changed how navigating works. It's almost as if the map curves differently at different zooms. The physics is very cool but it is a little nauseating. It is very realistic, almost like spinning a globe, but I'm not sure if its more preferable.
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