Arthur H. Robinson

Arthur H. Robinson (January 5, 1915 – October 19, 2004) was an American geographer and cartographer. He was born in Montreal, to American parents, but made his career at the University of Wisconsin in the United States. During World War II he served as director of the map division of the Office of Strategic Services(OSS).In 1941, when Robinson joined OSS, there were no cartographers as we know them today. Robinson engaged geographers with some interest in mapping and the group developed their techniques on the job. (Robinson,1979, pp.98-99). Robinson oversaw the creation of 5,000 hand-drawn maps and attended the Allied conferences at Quebec and Cairo in 1943 and 1944 as chief U.S. map officer. For his efforts Robinson received the Legion of Merit from the U.S. Army in 1946. (Current Biography, p. 469).

Robinson projection

Robinson is known for his Robinson projection (1963). In 1961, the Rand McNally Company asked Robinson to choose a projection for use as a world map that, among other criteria, was uninterrupted, had limited distortion, and was pleasing to the eye of general viewers. (Robinson, 1974, pp. 147-148). Robinson could not find a projection that satisfied the criteria, so Rand McNally commissioned him to design one. Robinson proceeded through an iterative process to create a pseudo-cylindrical projection that intends to strike a compromise between distortions in areas and in distances, in order to attain a more natural visualization. The projection has been widely used since its introduction. In 1988, National Geographic adopted it for their world maps but replaced it in 1998 with the Winkel Tripel projection.

Related Topics:
Robinson projection - 1963 - 1961 - Rand McNally Company - Projection - Uninterrupted - Distortion - Pseudo-cylindrical projection - 1988 - National Geographic - 1998 - Winkel Tripel projection

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