Map Projection versus Image Processing — the Role of Mathematics in the Restoration Process

Abstract

Any thought of man starts with making up a model that is a representation of a part of the real world in his brain. The properties of a good model are always connected with its purposes. Most often the model is much smaller in size than the part of the real world, second it carries only the main features, and finally it serves as a means of transporting ideas of the subject to others. This is of course appropriate for the earth itself, and as the idea of a sphere was widely accepted, building globes became an active business. The powerful and rulers of their countries had a certain interest in administrating their area and finding paths to new discoveries. They needed maps of their land and the sea. The globe merely served as a symbol for their mighty position, for their knowledge of the world, and for claiming their overseas territories.