From the course: Real-World GIS (2014)

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Exploring developable surfaces

Exploring developable surfaces - ArcGIS Tutorial

From the course: Real-World GIS (2014)

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Exploring developable surfaces

Now I want to turn your attention to the developable surface. The concept of a geographic projection is taking, the three-dimensional earth, and putting it on a two-dimensional format, such as a piece of paper or a computer screen, or some other two-dimensional medium. Borden Dent, in 1999 defines projections as the systematic arrangement of the earths meridians and parallels onto a plane surface. From the previous video where I introduced the concept of graticule along with the reduction in scale of the earth. We can use a mathematical transformation to put the 3D earth onto a two dimensional surface. To do this it is most easily visualized in the form, of a developable surface. A developable surface is just a 2D object you can manipulate by bending or moving. A piece of paper, although technically 3D is basically a 2D object. Let's assume two things. First, our piece of paper can fit around our globe that has been reduced, and secondly, our globe has see through lines or, the…

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