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Overview of Polyconic Projection

The polyconic projection is a map projection where multiple conic projections are pieced together. It was commonly used by US mapmaking agencies from 1825 to the mid-20th century. While it distorts shapes and sizes further from the center, it attempts to minimize all distortions. The American polyconic projection specifically was used for maps of the United States, projecting the globe onto a continuously varying cone so each parallel has true scale. The rectangular polyconic projection was first mentioned in 1853 and used by the US Coast Survey and British War Office.

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Bin-najir Dilangalen
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249 views2 pages

Overview of Polyconic Projection

The polyconic projection is a map projection where multiple conic projections are pieced together. It was commonly used by US mapmaking agencies from 1825 to the mid-20th century. While it distorts shapes and sizes further from the center, it attempts to minimize all distortions. The American polyconic projection specifically was used for maps of the United States, projecting the globe onto a continuously varying cone so each parallel has true scale. The rectangular polyconic projection was first mentioned in 1853 and used by the US Coast Survey and British War Office.

Uploaded by

Bin-najir Dilangalen
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© All Rights Reserved
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POLICONIC PROJECTION

IN AMERICAN:
- A type of conic projection in which the parallel are presented as arcs of circles having centers
at different points along the straight center meridian and other meridians are shown as curves.
Ref.: [Link]

POLYCONIC PROJECTION
-Polyconic means "many cones".
-It is a type of projection used in making maps of large areas.
- A polyconic projection is neither CONFORMAL nor EQUIVALENT or EQUAL-AREA.
- It is compromise projection that attempts to minimize all distortions while not eliminating any
particular type of distortion.
HISTORY
- From 1886 through approximately 1957, the USGS used the polyconic projection as its
standard for the production of all of its 7 1/2 minute squad maps.
- The projection was in common use by many map-making agencies of the United States
from the time of its proposal by FERDINAND RODULPH HASSLER in 1825 until the middle
of the 20th century.
- The projection was in common use by many map-making agencies of the United States
from the time of its proposal by FERDINAND RODULPH HASSLER in 1825 until the middle
of the 20th century.
ADVANTAGE:
- Most land forms have their true shape and size in relation to each other, it is useful to
mapping large areas of land that fall in the middle latitude.
DISADVANTAGE:
- - The lines of latitude and longitude are curved slightly, it is distorted, so the more
distant a land forms is from the point, the more distorted it is likely to be.
POLYCONIC PROJECTION
Some of the projections that fall into the polyconic class are:
• American polyconic projection
• Rectangular polyconic projection

AMERICAN POLYCONIC PROJECTION


-The American polyconic map projection is used for maps of the United States and regions of
the United States beginning early in the 19th century.
-It can be thought of as "rolling" a cone tangent to the Earth at all parallels of latitude.
–It uses a single cone to project the globe onto. By using this continuously varying cone, each
parallel becomes a circular arc having true scale, contrasting with a conic projection, which can
only have one or two parallels at true scale. The scale is also true on the central meridian of the
projection.
RECTANGULAR POLYCONIC PROJECTION
• It was first mentioned in 1853 by the U.S. Coast Survey, where it was developed and
used for portions of the U.S. exceeding about one square degree.
• It is also called War Office projection due to its use by the British War Office for
topographic maps. It is not used much these days, with practically all military grid
systems having moved onto conformal projection systems

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