2D and 3D webpage visualization of the great circle and rhumb line

Abstract

The great circle route and rhumb line are two important spherical curves. The characteristic of the former curve could be best understood on a sphere, while the characteristic of the latter is fully expressed on a projected map, which is Mercator's projection. This paper utilized electronic map APIs and web3D techniques to provide an interactive webpage to display 2D and 3D views. A projected Mercator world map is displayed in 2D view, and a virtual globe is displayed in 3D view. The great circle route and rhumb line are visually compared in multi-dimensional environment. The technique demonstrated in this paper provides a convenient way to understand the great circle route and rhumb line, and is especially useful in education.