💡Why hexagons?
Last updated
Last updated
The OVER digital layer is composed of hexagons. We choose hexagons, not only because this shape is among the few that can be used to tile a sphere like Earth, but also because of some specific geometrical properties that are very important if you're building a spatial computing platform:
We envision multiple opportunities for interaction between neighboring OVRLands. As such, geometry has a huge impact. Our objective is to multiply opportunities for interaction while maintaining simplicity. Hexagons allow for a very simple neighborhood distribution: contact points are only on sides, never on angles. Furthermore, all neighbors are positioned at the same distance from the center—qualities not shared by triangles and squares.
OVER Lands cover the whole planet as components of the OVER digital layer. Our aim is for the same coherence between coordinates and OVER Lands in all possible locations. Sounds reasonable but is not that easy.
Projecting the spherical earth surface on a plane causes map distortions. Indeed, most traditional Earth map projection techniques, such as Mercator, create huge distortions close to the poles.
Tiling the earth’s surface with hexagons allows for Dymaxion projection which minimizes distortion.
