Centring Place and Relationality: Azimuthal Projections in Geovisualization, Past and Present

Azimuthal projections, calculated to maintain directional relationships from one central point to all others, have been around in different iterations since the tenth century, and are able to produce effective maps that can illustrate complex, multiscalar relationships between places. These projections have enjoyed some moments of wider popularity, particularly in the mid-twentieth century quantitative revolution. With contemporary GIS-influenced geovisualization, they are less common, despite being much computationally simpler to produce than in the past. This article discusses the technical parameters and key historical examples of azimuthal projections, and expands upon their potential to visualize phenomena with non-linear distance decays like human travel patterns. The authors consider why such projections may have fallen out of fashion, before highlighting recent technological advances making the calculation of azimuthal projections easier. The paper closes with a call to arms, advocating more creative geovisualization, collectively moving towards more interesting visual vernaculars and spatial analytical capacity.