Equal Earth Projection in CARTO!
The recent release of PostGIS 3.0 brings an updated spatial reference system table that includes over 8000 projections out-of-the-box. We're happy to report that the Equal Earth Projection is one of them!
Developed in 2018 the Equal Earth Projection is gaining in popularity due in part to its ability to maintain accurate area without distortion. As of this new release CARTO users can start using this popular projection in their maps right away!
Getting Started with the Equal Earth Projection
A future update will bring all 8000 projections to CARTO automatically but for now users can manually add them to their account's spatial reference table. The most straightforward way to do this is through the Dashboard.
From the Data view users can open any table by clicking on it. They can then copy the projection's definition as seen below paste it in the SQL pane and click "Apply."
{% highlight sql %}INSERT INTO "spatial_ref_sys" ("srid" "auth_name" "auth_srid" "srtext" "proj4text") VALUES (8857 'EPSG' 8857 '' '+proj=eqearth +lon_0=0 +x_0=0 +y_0=0 +datum=WGS84 +units=m +no_defs'){% endhighlight %}
Once that is complete users can start using the projection with the SRID 8857.
To learn more about adding projections into your spatial reference table with CARTO visit this advanced cartography resource.
Equal Earth Projection Examples
Below are links to get you started with basic examples using the Equal Earth Projection in CARTO Builder CARTO VL and CARTOframes:
- CARTO VL Map
- CARTOframes Colab Notebook
- CARTO Builder Map - Download the .carto file here.
Note: Be sure to add the projection to your spatial reference table as detailed above before importing this builder map!
More Projection Options
The option above centers the map on 0 0 but if you wanted to modify the central meridian of your map there are a couple of additional projection options that will help!
EPSG 8858 : WGS 84 / Equal Earth Americas{% highlight sql %}INSERT INTO "spatial_ref_sys" ("srid" "auth_name" "auth_srid" "srtext" "proj4text") VALUES (8858 'EPSG' 8858 '' '+proj=eqearth +lon_0=-90 +x_0=0 +y_0=0 +datum=WGS84 +units=m +no_defs'){% endhighlight %}
EPSG 8859 : WGS 84 / Equal Earth Asia-Pacific{% highlight sql %}INSERT INTO "spatial_ref_sys" ("srid" "auth_name" "auth_srid" "srtext" "proj4text") VALUES (8859 'EPSG' 8859 '' '+proj=eqearth +lon_0=150 +x_0=0 +y_0=0 +datum=WGS84 +units=m +no_defs'){% endhighlight %}
Interested in getting started with CARTO and using the Equal Earth Projection today?
