Charts, Globes, Monitors

[Roserita]

Maps, Charts, Globes, Monitors

What do you use to help envision world geography?

I have a chart of the world, with latitude and longitude, also depicting the time zones. But when I really want to see where someplace is in relationship to another, or where I am at, I resort to my globe.

Flat paper maps, or charts simply seem to not portray things such as the “Great Route”; which simply means why pilots fly over the globe, instead of around it, taking a shorter route.

What do you use?

Do you have a globe on board, to aid and assist?

I know a globe is not most accurate, in pinpointing location, but it seems to provide a good overview. For me it provides a realistic perspective.

A globe, seems to me, would take up valuable space on a cruising vessel. Do you need one? Do you have one, use it, and take it with on the boat?

Rosé Rita

[Nausikaa]

If there is one thing I am good at it is having a mental picture of the earth.

I think this is partially due to the ability to have this mental picture which is either something you have or do not have but is, to a much larger extent, due to a lifetime (well, 50 years) of globe trotting.

Regarding charts and maps, the most common projection is a Mercator projection on which it can eb difficult to envisage great circle routes. If this is a problem, try using gnomonic projections where great circles appear as straight lines and loxodromes as curves.

Michael Palin, of BBC fame, has done much globetrotting and always takes with him an inflatable globe which seems to solve the space problem. I, on the other hand, always have my laptop with me and should I need it can open an Admiralty chart of the world.

Aye

Stephen

[Trim50]

When we decided to set our goal of circumnavigating, the next day we bought a huge map of the Earth that covered the entire wall of our living room I think 10' x 12'.

Google Earth on a daily basis now.

[Gallivanters]

We have a globe hanging from the saloon hatch for the past ten years. First one was an inflatable beach-ball with the world printed on it but we've replaced it with a higher quality globe which names nearly every island in the Pacific. I took it off the frame, ran a string through the poles and tied a crystal on the bottom to support the weight. It also acts as pretty good rough sea indicator.

We also have a couple of world atlasses, Sea Map on the laptop and a stack of charts from everywhere we've neen so far.

Maps, Charts, Globes, Books... they all help put the world in perspective.

To Life!

Kirk

[Weyalan]

Like Roserita, I have a globe that gives me a good overall feel for how the world fits together. I have an old copy of C-maps for computer installed on a laptop, which gives me a good local reference.

[Auzzee]

" It also acts as pretty good rough sea indicator". Kirk.

How does that work then?