Skip to content
Week 11: Geographic Projections
11/10/2025
For this week’s lab assignment, geographic projections and their differences were examined. Some projections distort the maps one is trying to create in ways they do not want, and some do the opposite. All of these projections have different uses, and they are all compromises for different purposes. At the beginning of the assignment, the Arc GIS Pro measuring tool was used to measure the distance between Las Angeles to New York City, and with each of the Albers and mercator projections, the difference of distance was noticeable.
Figure 1: Coordinate system settings
Coordinates on the fly were then examined, as well as how to see coordinates in the properties of a layer. Furthermore, a coordinate check of a specific point on a county in Minnesota was examined by zooming in as far as possible for the most accuracy, and that can show how to understand the geographic location of any desired point really. An image of the properties screen relating to coordinate systems can be seen above in Figure 1. It is important to know which coordinate system one is using to fully understand the accuracy and relevancy of their map as it applies to the map’s intended use. Several coordinate projections were experimented with, and they can be seen below in Figures 2, 3, and 4.
Figure 2: USA Albers
Figure 3: NAD83 UTM Zone 12 N
Figure 4: NAD83
After this experimentation had concluded, the creation of an inset map was examined. This was created by making a map of the world by itself in Arc GIS Pro, and adding a graticule and color on the state of Minnesota to show that it was the area of interest on the larger map. An image of this can be seen below in Figure 5. A layout was then created to use this map along with another created map of just the counties of Minnesota together to give more context to the idea proposed. This combined map can be seen below in Figure 6 along with additional aids such as a North arrow and scale bar.
Figure 5: Inset map
Figure 6: Minnesota Counties layout
The fun did not stop there. By this point, the creation of maps and insetting them was accomplished, but the study area of the state of Minnesota, being up North a good ways latitudinally, was affected differently by different projections. Therefore, a layout with three depictions of Minnesota was created and included Albers, UTM Zone 15, and Mercator projections. An image of this layout can be seen below in Figure 7, and it highlights the need for using the proper map for the proper use, as some may highly distort some features being examined. None are useless, but none are perfect. At the very end of the assignment, proper coordinates of specified points across projections were measured and recorded to guage attention to detail and geographic accuracy, and this was beneficial to coming full circle on the concept.
Figure 7: Three map layout
Want to print your doc?
This is not the way.
This is not the way.
Try clicking the ··· in the right corner or using a keyboard shortcut (
CtrlP
) instead.