For my Master's thesis, I'm doing a network analysis of trade routes to archaeological sites where wampum was traded. These sites range from New England into the Midwest. My problem is trying to find a working projection. I had everything projected initially in NAD 1983 (2011) (a Geographic Coordinate System projection), and everything seemed fine until I started trying to calculate the length of my trade route line segments. I got an error message that the calculations require the map to be in a Projected Coordinate System. I have tried reprojecting my data and basemap into a lot of different PCS projections, and every time the scale is all wonky (ie., the state of Michigan appears to be 4.3 meters long north-south). Do you have any idea what I could be doing wrong? Or any idea what would be a good projection to use? I would really appreciate any insight you can give me. Thank you so much!
