Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Influence of the Web Mercator Projection on the Global-Scale Cognitive Map of Web Map Users

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Proceedings of Workshops and Posters at the 13th International Conference on Spatial Information Theory (COSIT 2017) (COSIT 2017)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Cartography ((LNGC))

Included in the following conference series:

  • 892 Accesses

Abstract

For decades, cartographers and cognitive scientists have been speculating about the influence of map projections on mental representations of the world. We investigate if the mental map of young people is influenced by the increasing availability of web maps and its Web Mercator projection. An application is developed to let participants scale the area of some regions compared to Europe. The outcome gives insight into implications of using a—potentially misleading—map projection on the global-scale cognitive map.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Battersby SE, Finn MP, Usery EL, Yamamoto KH (2014) Implications of Web Mercator and its use in online mapping. Cartographica 49(2):85–101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Battersby SE, Montello DR (2009) Area estimation of world regions and the projection of the global-scale cognitive map. Ann Am Geogr 99(2):273–291

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gale G (2013) Push pins, dots, customization, brands and services: the three waves of making digital maps. Cartogr J 50(2):155–160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monmonier M (1996) How to lie with maps. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Slocum TA, Blok C, Jiang B, Koussoulakou A, Montello DR, Fuhrmann S, Hedley NR (2001) Cognitive and usability issues in geovisualization. Cartogr Geogr Inf Sci 28:1–28

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Lieselot Lapon, Kristien Ooms & Philippe De Maeyer

Authors
  1. Lieselot Lapon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kristien Ooms
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Philippe De Maeyer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lieselot Lapon .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geodesy and Geoinformation, Vienna University of Technology(TU-Wien), Wien, Austria

    Paolo Fogliaroni

  2. Department of Geography, Birkbeck, University of London, London, Middlesex, United Kingdom

    Andrea Ballatore

  3. Department of Industrial and Information Engineering and Economics, University of L'Aquila , L'Aquila, Italy

    Eliseo Clementini

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

About this paper

Cite this paper

Lapon, L., Ooms, K., De Maeyer, P. (2018). The Influence of the Web Mercator Projection on the Global-Scale Cognitive Map of Web Map Users. In: Fogliaroni, P., Ballatore, A., Clementini, E. (eds) Proceedings of Workshops and Posters at the 13th International Conference on Spatial Information Theory (COSIT 2017). COSIT 2017. Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Cartography. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63946-8_17

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation