Equirectangular Projection

The equirectangular projection is a method for mapping a spherical surface, like Earth, onto a flat rectangle. It works by projecting points directly onto a grid of latitude and longitude lines, preserving their angles but distorting size and shape, especially near the poles. This projection is simple and commonly used in panoramic images and virtual reality because it allows easy, straight-line mapping of global data, but it can make areas near the poles appear stretched or squished. Overall, it’s a straightforward way to represent a sphere on a flat surface, balancing simplicity with some distortion.