The use of computers in cartography has made it a lot easier for map makers to transform data from one map projection to another and experiment with alternative representations of geographical data. Yet this has also created new challenges and opportunities for map projection scientists. Small Scale Map Projection Design focuses on numerical map projection research, and is written from the perspective of the map projection user. It demonstrates how advances in the measurement of map projection distortion and in the development of low error map projections can help map makers decide what type of map projection is best for their purpose, and shows how they can eventually design their own tailor-made map projections.

A number of significant contributions have been made to the subject over recent decades, and these are reviewed along with a substantial amount of original, unpublished material. This theoretical material is tied to practical applications and issues such as map projection use, optimization and selection, which are far too often carried out with simple rules-of-thumb methods.