Replication of Results - Spatial Mathematics: Theory and Practice through Mapping - page 94

result of attempting to enlarge or reduce the size of the image, by hand, does
not permit replication of the original image. To be certain of such replication,
one must preserve the aspect ratio of the image. Doing this usually requires
the corner of the image to be pulled, to ensure that two sides will be pulled,
rather than only one side. The aspect ratio is the ratio of the height to the
width of the image. All modern software permits such preservation; some-
times as the default, sometimes as an option to choose, and sometimes by
entering numbers of pixels or inches for each dimension.
The distortion of images can be significant in making terrestrial maps.
If distortion is extreme enough, boundaries might not be recognizable.
Navigation at sea or on land could fail, as was common for centuries even
after sextants and other devices came into common use, resulting in the
loss of ships, their cargo, and their sailors. With more unconventional maps,
such as the QR code, distortion may completely ruin the map. The QR code
in Figure 4.7a links to the website of the publisher of this work. When a
small amount of distortion is introduced, as in Figure 4.7b, the code still
links to the appropriate site. However, great distortion destroys the linkage
(Figure 4.7c). It is a matter of contemporary research interest to discover
the constraints within which QR code distortion is acceptable. The answer
is not likely to be one set of constraints; it is likely to depend on why the
distortion is occurring.
Indeed, why would a QR code become distorted? Other than the deliberate
distortion in this document, or sloppy editing, or faulty use of word-process-
ing software, it might seem that such a situation would not happen. However,
when QR codes are transferred to other surfaces, distortion may occur. A lec-
turer with a laptop linked to a typical movie screen of low resolution may find
Fig ure 4.7 (a) 100 pixels wide by 100 pixels high. Coded to connect to http://www.
crcpress.com/ . Connection should go through from a smartphone. (b) 100 pixels
wide by 110 pixels high. Coded to connect to http://www.crcpress.com/ . Connection
should go through from a smartphone. (c) Clear distortion. Coded to connect to
http://www.crcpress.com/ . Connection might not go through from a smartphone.