The fundamental dilemma of cartography is attempting to project a 3-dimensional structure (the Earth) onto a 2-dimensional map. This is mathematically impossible to accomplish losslessly, so distortions are invariably introduced. Several standard projections exist, each with its own advantages and disadvantages, but one thing I’ve never seen was a context-aware projection: one which maximizes distortion in the least significant parts of the map (based directly upon the data being mapped) in exchange for minimizing distortion in significant areas. Something like PCA.