Map projection on a two-dimensional terminal with Go
Programming Snapshot – Go Map Projections
© Photo by Don Pinnock on Unsplash
While searching for a method to draw geodata right into the terminal, Mike Schilli discovers the wondrous world of map projections.
While I was working on hikefind, a command-line program that chooses a trail from a collection of GPX files with track points, for a recent issue [1], I got the idea of drawing the trail contours the program found in a terminal window. Unfortunately, a GPX file generated by an app such as Komoot or a Garmin tracker only contains geocoordinates as floating-point numbers. They refer to the points of the globe through which the trail passes (Figure 1).
These geopoints on a spherical surface now need to be converted to a two-dimensional coordinate system so that they look as natural as possible on a flat map. This problem was solved centuries ago. Any map, whether paper or digital, is based on the genius idea of projecting geopoints on the globe, which are available as latitude and longitude values, onto an XY coordinate system on a plane.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
AerynOS Alpha Release Available
With a choice of several desktop environments, AerynOS 2025.08 is almost ready to be your next operating system.
-
AUR Repository Still Under DDoS Attack
Arch User Repository continues to be under a DDoS attack that has been going on for more than two weeks.
-
RingReaper Malware Poses Danger to Linux Systems
A new kind of malware exploits modern Linux kernels for I/O operations.
-
Happy Birthday, Linux
On August 25, Linux officially turns 34.
-
VirtualBox 7.2 Has Arrived
With early support for Linux kernel 6.17 and other new additions, VirtualBox 7.2 is a must-update for users.
-
Linux Mint 22.2 Beta Available for Testing
Some interesting new additions and improvements are coming to Linux Mint. Check out the Linux Mint 22.2 Beta to give it a test run.
-
Debian 13.0 Officially Released
After two years of development, the latest iteration of Debian is now available with plenty of under-the-hood improvements.
-
Upcoming Changes for MXLinux
MXLinux 25 has plenty in store to please all types of users.
-
A New Linux AI Assistant in Town
Newelle, a Linux AI assistant, works with different LLMs and includes document parsing and profiles.
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Released with Minor Fixes
The latest Linux kernel doesn't really include any big-ticket features, just a lot of lines of code.