Project Earth | The tiniest representations of Planet Earth! [1.18.2+ Survival]
Current latest map: Earth 1:40075016
Earth 1:40075016
So what would Planet Earth look like at the minimum possible scale? Generally speaking, Earth can be projected on a plain with a 2:1 aspect ratio, but our output size is 1x1, with a 1:1 ratio. In other terms, it’s like our output world is twice the “surface” of the projected world. So how can it represent Earth? The answer is considering the very central point of our output square as the point of reference on Earth (for both DEM and Land Cover information), which can only fall on a precise point on Earth: The South Pole. All the globe is packed into a single block of snow, at 2835 metres above sea level (asl).
By default, the minimum height for MC maps will be 1 block above sea level. This means, at this scale, the vertical exaggeration is 14136 times than normal, as if Mount Everest was 8,848*14136=125075km high, 1/3 the distance from the Moon. That’s high!
Vertical exaggeration directly depends on MC maximum height and the scale.
Welcome on board for this long journey!
Planet Earth is a huge world full of wonders, from man-made to natural landscapes, yet a small grain of sand in the known cosmos. The aim of this project is to describe Planet Earth on Minecraft from the smallest possible scale to…we’ll see how far this can go.
Planet Earth is a huge world full of wonders, from man-made to natural landscapes, yet a small grain of sand in the known cosmos. The aim of this project is to describe Planet Earth on Minecraft from the smallest possible scale to…we’ll see how far this can go.
Full description:
Earth’s shape is something we struggled for centuries to fully understand. Is neither a sphere, nor an ellipsoid, but a complex geometry called Geoid, impossible to represent with a precise mathematical formula. Things get much more complicated when trying to project this 3D geometry to a 2D plain representation. That’s why we might get confused by tons of different maps where continents seem to have different sizes from one map to another. It all depends on the geometric property we want to preserve when projecting from the almost-sphere to 2D projection: areas, angles and distances.
The most common projection is WGS84, a projection that preserves angles, thus all parallels and meridians are straight lines equally distributed. However, distortions arise in distances and areas as we move away from the equator, especially along parallels.
For this reason, after checking hundreds of existing projections (can be seen here), I finally chose a projection which is a compromise of all the 3 geometric properties: the Loximuthal projection. Parallels are straight lines equally distributed, while meridians are distorted moving from the central meridian and have extremities on both Earth’s poles. While WGS84 coordinates are expressed in degrees, Loximuthal projection is metric.
All raw data was processed on QGIS using open-access resources:
1. DEM elevation was retrieved from Multi-Error-Removed Improved-Terrain DEM (MERIT) dataset. An improved model of the SRTM DEM, integrating data from other DEM sources for error and noise reduction. This model has been further improved by integrating Copernicus's GLO DEM model and GEBCO bathymetry for the representation of seas and oceans. Bathymetry was added for the largest inland water bodies: Caspian Sea, Great Lakes and Lake Baikal. This dataset will be the source height map for each Minecraft Level. The native resolution, or cell size, of this dataset, is 90m subdivided into many tiles but was downsized to 300m to merge everything in a single file (which is still 16GB large).
2. Land cover data was retrieved by Copernicus Global Land Cover, a comprehensive high-resolution dataset for land cover distribution, integrated with other sources to cover Antarctica and the Artic region and manual improvements for better coastal line definition. This dataset will determine the total amount of landmass on each Minecraft Level. The counting of landmass will include also all inland water bodies, including the aforementioned ones. This is a simplification due to the different altitudes of large lakes compared to sea levels. The native resolution of this one is 100m and was downsized to 300m to match the exact size of the other dataset.
Through land cover data, I’ll try to represent landscapes around the world as accurately as possible using the full potential of Minecraft biomes and environmental features. A set of custom trees was also designed for this project, replicating some common tree species and generic shrubs and bushes.
Earth's radius at the equator is commonly known as being 6378 km long, multiplied by two for the diameter and by Pi we obtain the length of the equator line, for a total of 40075,017 km or 40075017 m, which is essentially Earth's circumference. Since Minecraft works in metres, scales will be expressed in metres. The smallest possible scale to represent Planet Earth follows precisely the geometric properties that characterise it. Since 40075017 is an approximation by an excess of the actual estimated length, the first possible scale is 1:40075016 metres. The output world size is 1x1. Beyond that, only deep oceans will make you isolated. Will you survive under such grim conditions?
Things will get more and more interesting, as we increase the scale by reducing the denominator of the scale. I will create a new MC level every time something interesting happens in this process: the highest altitude in a mountainous area, an increased number of landmass cells, the increase in the output world size either horizontally or vertically. We will be able to see how continents will take shape, how mountain ranges will start to make their presence clear and how different biomes will distribute around the globe. As the concept of scale may create a bit of confusion, from another perspective, the scale can be considered as the size (in metres) of the output cell (or block). For each level I will provide some background information on the geographical points on Earth plus a map from NASA’s Blue Marble Next Generation mission, with the position of every land point.
The most common projection is WGS84, a projection that preserves angles, thus all parallels and meridians are straight lines equally distributed. However, distortions arise in distances and areas as we move away from the equator, especially along parallels.
For this reason, after checking hundreds of existing projections (can be seen here), I finally chose a projection which is a compromise of all the 3 geometric properties: the Loximuthal projection. Parallels are straight lines equally distributed, while meridians are distorted moving from the central meridian and have extremities on both Earth’s poles. While WGS84 coordinates are expressed in degrees, Loximuthal projection is metric.
All raw data was processed on QGIS using open-access resources:
1. DEM elevation was retrieved from Multi-Error-Removed Improved-Terrain DEM (MERIT) dataset. An improved model of the SRTM DEM, integrating data from other DEM sources for error and noise reduction. This model has been further improved by integrating Copernicus's GLO DEM model and GEBCO bathymetry for the representation of seas and oceans. Bathymetry was added for the largest inland water bodies: Caspian Sea, Great Lakes and Lake Baikal. This dataset will be the source height map for each Minecraft Level. The native resolution, or cell size, of this dataset, is 90m subdivided into many tiles but was downsized to 300m to merge everything in a single file (which is still 16GB large).
2. Land cover data was retrieved by Copernicus Global Land Cover, a comprehensive high-resolution dataset for land cover distribution, integrated with other sources to cover Antarctica and the Artic region and manual improvements for better coastal line definition. This dataset will determine the total amount of landmass on each Minecraft Level. The counting of landmass will include also all inland water bodies, including the aforementioned ones. This is a simplification due to the different altitudes of large lakes compared to sea levels. The native resolution of this one is 100m and was downsized to 300m to match the exact size of the other dataset.
Through land cover data, I’ll try to represent landscapes around the world as accurately as possible using the full potential of Minecraft biomes and environmental features. A set of custom trees was also designed for this project, replicating some common tree species and generic shrubs and bushes.
Earth's radius at the equator is commonly known as being 6378 km long, multiplied by two for the diameter and by Pi we obtain the length of the equator line, for a total of 40075,017 km or 40075017 m, which is essentially Earth's circumference. Since Minecraft works in metres, scales will be expressed in metres. The smallest possible scale to represent Planet Earth follows precisely the geometric properties that characterise it. Since 40075017 is an approximation by an excess of the actual estimated length, the first possible scale is 1:40075016 metres. The output world size is 1x1. Beyond that, only deep oceans will make you isolated. Will you survive under such grim conditions?
Things will get more and more interesting, as we increase the scale by reducing the denominator of the scale. I will create a new MC level every time something interesting happens in this process: the highest altitude in a mountainous area, an increased number of landmass cells, the increase in the output world size either horizontally or vertically. We will be able to see how continents will take shape, how mountain ranges will start to make their presence clear and how different biomes will distribute around the globe. As the concept of scale may create a bit of confusion, from another perspective, the scale can be considered as the size (in metres) of the output cell (or block). For each level I will provide some background information on the geographical points on Earth plus a map from NASA’s Blue Marble Next Generation mission, with the position of every land point.
TL:DR: short description
Using open-access sources on elevation and land cover datasets I will try to represent Earth at different scales starting from the smallest one. According to most common Earth measurements, the length of the equator line is 40075 kilometres. This makes the smallest usable scale being 40075016 metres. Landscapes and biomes will be represented according to the land cover data, using also custom-designed vegetation.
Earth 1:40075016
| Cell size (m) | World Size | Min Altitude | Max Altitude | Max Height | Z Exaggeration | Land cells |
| 40075016 | 1x1 | 2835 | 1 | 14135.81 | 1 |
So what would Planet Earth look like at the minimum possible scale? Generally speaking, Earth can be projected on a plain with a 2:1 aspect ratio, but our output size is 1x1, with a 1:1 ratio. In other terms, it’s like our output world is twice the “surface” of the projected world. So how can it represent Earth? The answer is considering the very central point of our output square as the point of reference on Earth (for both DEM and Land Cover information), which can only fall on a precise point on Earth: The South Pole. All the globe is packed into a single block of snow, at 2835 metres above sea level (asl).
By default, the minimum height for MC maps will be 1 block above sea level. This means, at this scale, the vertical exaggeration is 14136 times than normal, as if Mount Everest was 8,848*14136=125075km high, 1/3 the distance from the Moon. That’s high!
Vertical exaggeration directly depends on MC maximum height and the scale.
Project Earth | The tiniest representations of Planet Earth! [1.18.2+ Survival] Screenshots
![Project Earth | The tiniest representations of Planet Earth! [1.18.2+ Survival]](https://static.planetminecraft.com/files/image/minecraft/project/2023/877/16836135-projectearthfrontespizio_l.webp "Project Earth | The tiniest representations of Planet Earth! [1.18.2+ Survival]")
![Project Earth | The tiniest representations of Planet Earth! [1.18.2+ Survival]](https://static.planetminecraft.com/files/image/minecraft/project/2023/877/16853538-p-lc_l.webp "Project Earth | The tiniest representations of Planet Earth! [1.18.2+ Survival]")
![Project Earth | The tiniest representations of Planet Earth! [1.18.2+ Survival]](https://static.planetminecraft.com/files/image/minecraft/project/2023/877/17022842-pmc-earth_s.webp "Project Earth | The tiniest representations of Planet Earth! [1.18.2+ Survival]")
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Do you want to become partner with us?
Just 3 steps to become our partner:
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