The United Nations has unanimously adopted the Equal Earth projection, a map design created by cartographers Tom Patterson, Bojan Šavrič, and Bernhard Jenny, to provide a more accurate representation of global landmasses. The new projection, which was proposed by Togo and approved by 164 countries, aims to correct the longstanding distortions of the Mercator projection, which has historically exaggerated the size of northern hemisphere nations while diminishing the apparent size of Africa and other southern regions. The Mercator projection, developed in the 16th century, has been criticized for reinforcing perceptions of global power dynamics by making countries like Europe and North America appear larger than they are. The UN resolution to adopt the Equal Earth projection has been met with some objections, particularly from the United States, which voted against the proposal, and from countries like Japan and Ukraine, which raised concerns about how the map's representation of disputed territories might affect geopolitical interpretations. Patterson, a US cartographer who has been working on the project since 2018, explained that the Equal Earth projection is a mathematical representation of the Earth's surface without political borders or annotations. The confusion arose from a website he maintains that includes geopolitical labels, which he has since updated to reflect current international boundaries. The cartographers emphasize that no map can be entirely neutral, as all projections involve trade-offs between accuracy, aesthetics, and usability. The Equal Earth projection is designed to balance these factors, offering a more equitable visual representation of the world's continents. Jenny, an associate professor at Monash University, noted that the UN's decision to debate map projections for an hour was a significant moment for cartographers, highlighting the growing awareness of the importance of map literacy. The resolution does not ban the Mercator projection but encourages the use of more accurate alternatives. The cartographers expressed satisfaction with the UN's decision, acknowledging that the name 'Equal Earth' likely contributed to its acceptance. They also stressed that the adoption of this projection is part of a broader effort to promote a more inclusive understanding of global geography.

This video explains how map projections and coordinate systems change the way the world is drawn and why the Mercator projection, used in most maps today, makes countries near the equator appear smaller. #MapProjection #Africa #GIS #Cartography #CorrectTheMap #Geography #DataVisualization #Geospatial #MapsMatter

I am using OpenLayers in a project and need to bring in tiles served by ArcGIS API. I need to use olms to load the map box in to openlayers but I need to return the layer from a method. var newLayer = GenerateArcGISLayer(mapList[i].MapName, mapList[i].URL, mapList[i].MapKey, mapList[i].MapProjection, mapList[i].isDefault); I then have my method function GenerateArcGISLayer(_name, _url, _key, _projection, _isDefault) { var attributions = []; var collapsableAttributions = true; attributions: [ `Powered by Esri | `, `Sources: Esri, TomTom, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, © OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community` ], collapsableAttributions = false; var tileGrid = osMapsTileGrid; var minZoom = 0; var maxZoom = 9; var isVisible = _isDefault.toString().toLowerCase() == "true";olms.apply(map, mapUrl) .then(() => { const source = map.getLayers().item(0).getSource(); const poweredByEsriString = "Powered by Esri | "; const attributionFn = source.getAttributions(); if (attributionFn) { source.setAttributions((ViewStateLayerStateExtent) => { return [poweredByEsriString, ...attributionFn(ViewStateLayerStateExtent)]; }); } else source.setAttributions(poweredByEsriString); }); //var _layer = new ol.layer.Tile({ // title: ' ' + _name, // visible: isVisible, // type: 'base', // source: new ol.source.OSM({ // url: _url, // attributions: attributions, // attributionsCollapsible: collapsableAttributions, // crossOrigin: 'anonymous', // //tileLoadFunction: customLoader, // maxZoom: 10, // }), // maxZoom: 10, // crossOrigin: 'anonymous', //}) //return _layer; } The commented out section at the bottom is how I do it currently with OSM but I understand I need to use olms for ArcGIS maps I am using the following url const basemapURL = `https://basemapstyles-api.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/styles/v2/styles/${basemapId}?token=${accessToken}`; Can anyone offer any guidance please?