2004 UC Proceedings Abstract
 Mercator: Who Was He and Why Should We Care? Track: Cartography and Map Production Author(s): George Heine, III Map projections are among the most technically complex routines in ArcMap, and make some of the greatest demands on the skill of the user. This talk uses ArcMap to examine the historical "why" of map projections. We look at the problems faced by navigators during the century after Columbus, when accurate global positioning on long sea voyages became literally a matter of life or death. We look at the early contributions of geometers such as Pedro Nunes, and explain the importance of Mercator's famous map, which combined mathematical properties of the astrolabe and the Portolan chart. Mercator's work may have contributed to the invention of calculus a century later. Certainly the principles behind the Mercator projection were not completely understood until then. If time permits, we look at how Johann Lambert finally furnished a satisfactory explanation, and used his principles to develop several new projections which are still in use today. George Heine, III BLM National IRM Center Building 50, Denver Federal Center Denver , CO 80225 US Phone: 303 236 0099 E-mail: george_heine@blm.gov |
|||||
