Choosing a Suitable Projection for Navigation in the Arctic

Abstract

Navigation at sea is based on Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) that allow for the use of a limited number of projections. As navigation in the Arctic region becomes a reality due to the progressive melting of the polar ice cap, a re-examination of the most suitable projections for navigation in the Arctic becomes timely. Several projections are proposed in the literature for this area. In our approach, the selection is based on an analytical study utilizing three criteria: the control of the magnitude of distortions within acceptable limits, the shape of great circles (GCs) and rhumb lines/loxodromes, and the shape of the graticule lines portrayed on the chart. The analysis carried out shows that to fulfill the set criteria, the arctic area should be divided into Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. More specifically, for the Arctic region the Azimuthal Polar Equidistant projection and the Azimuthal Polar Stereographic projection are the most suitable ones. For the sub-Arctic region, the Lambert Conformal Conic and the Conic Equidistant projection are considered more appropriate. All four projections proposed can be used for both the traditional nautical chart and the ECDIS, and both are considered as the starting point for further study of specific ECDIS requirements.

Keywords:

• Electronic Navigational Chart
• Arctic region
• projections
• navigation

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the NOAA-University of New Hampshire Joint Hydrographic Center/Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping (NOAA Grant NA10NOS4000073).