Equidistant Cylindrical projection

The Equidistant Cylindrical projection is probably the simplest of all map projections to construct and perhaps one of the oldest. The Equidistant Cylindrical projection probably originated with Eratosthenes (275?-195? B.C), the scientist and geographer noted for his fairly accurate measure of the size of the Earth, or Marinus of Tyre (100A.D.).

The meridians and parallels are all equidistant straight parallel lines, the two sets crossing at right angles. It is neither equal-area nor conformal, and is used primarily for world or regional maps.

The USGS uses the Equidistant Cylindrical projection for index maps of the conterminous U.S., with insets of Alaska, Hawaii, and various islands on the same projection.

More Information

 * Cylindrical Projections, Carlos A. Furuti website, www.progonos.com.
 * The Nomenclature and Classification of Map Projections Empire Survey Review No. 51, Vol VII January 1944 Pages 190-200 ; L.P. Lee, Lands Survey Department, Wellington, N.Z.
 * Matching the Map Projection to the Need
 * List of ESRI-supported map projections
 * Weisstein, Eric W. Map Projections. From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource.
 * Map Projections''. Atlas of Canada.
 * Cartographical Map Projections'', Carlos A. Furuti website, www.progonos.com.
 * Elements of Map Projection. (26 MB download) U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, Special Publication 68 (1938).
 * Map Projections. USGS Publications. December 2000.
 * What are map projections? ArcGIS 10 Online Help
 * University of Colorado at Boulder - Map Projection Overview with Illustrations
 * Data Projections. GeoCommunity Web site.
 * Wiki.GIS.com - Types of Projections