Map projections are fun but have limited relevance in the age of computers. Almost all on-screen interactive maps should use perspective projection, the only intuitive projection. (I feel like people dismiss perspective projection as not a "real" map projection, but it most definitely is.) If you need to judge relative sizes or distances or draw straight lines or whatever other things you might want from a map projection, software tools can help you do it more easily and more accurately.
Those are special cases of perspective projection, but they are non-physical because they ignore occlusion. I prefer perspective projections that correspond at least roughly to what a physical camera could see, or, more importantly, an eye. That's what I mean by "intuitive".
This is not true in theory (you can't get infinitely far away) or in practice (if you're far enough away to approximate orthographic projection you are too far away to see any detail with the naked eye).
Comments
Map projections are fun but have limited relevance in the age of computers. Almost all on-screen interactive maps should use perspective projection, the only intuitive projection. (I feel like people dismiss perspective projection as not a "real" map projection, but it most definitely is.) If you need to judge relative sizes or distances or draw straight lines or whatever other things you might want from a map projection, software tools can help you do it more easily and more accurately.
Which perspective projection do you mean? Stereographic, gnomic or just a 3D rendering of a globe?
Those are special cases of perspective projection, but they are non-physical because they ignore occlusion. I prefer perspective projections that correspond at least roughly to what a physical camera could see, or, more importantly, an eye. That's what I mean by "intuitive".
Orthographic?
It's OK but still not what the eye sees.
Depends how far away you are?
This is not true in theory (you can't get infinitely far away) or in practice (if you're far enough away to approximate orthographic projection you are too far away to see any detail with the naked eye).