Why does the direction of North vary?
Toporama maps use a Lambert Conformal Conic (LCC) projection as opposed to the Transverse Mercator (TM) projection used for printed topographic maps. Map projections allow the curved surface of the earth to be placed on a flat surface such as a computer monitor or sheet of paper. Different projections have different characteristics. When a LCC projection is used, North points straight up at the centre of Canada and as you move West, North moves towards the right and as you move East, North moves towards the left. When a TM projection is used on a printed topographic map, North always points straight up regardless of the location. There are two main reasons that that the LLC projection is used for Toporama. The first is to offer a completely seamless map for the entire country; it is not subdivided by the traditional topographic map sheet boundaries. The second is to maintain consistency between all five data sets used from the initial national view, through the regional, to the local.
