Gene Keyes’ 40-Year Quest for the Perfect Map

Photo: Gene Keyes, via Wired

Maps are fascinating, but they are rarely perfectly accurate. It’s hard to project a three dimensional object onto a two dimensional surface — some level of distortion is bound to occur. But one man has spent the last 40 years working to create a perfect map. Profiled this week on Wired, Gene Keys started his obsession with maps in 1973 when writing his thesis on a land dispute between Russia and China.

All Gene Keyes ever wanted was a perfect map. It would have all the features in proportion, measured and accurate down to the closest tightest possible measurement. It would be a map he could look at for hours, days, years. Was it too much to ask to find a flat surface that projected the globe with minimal distortion, high accuracy, and maximum aesthetic appeal?

Read the full article on Wired.

BONUS: Not a perfect map, but one that we’ve had fun playing with in the last couple of weeks: The Public Radio Map.