Reprojecting to Web Mercator

[DavidRobinson7]

I have the Census TIGER/Line state boundaries, which I am trying to reproject to resemble more commonly held perceptions of state boundaries (i.e. Google maps).  The TIGER/Line data is currently projected in:

Projected Coordinate System: Hawaii_Albers_Equal_Area_Conic
Projection: Albers

I am trying to reproject to WGS 1984 Web Mercator (auxiliary sphere), which from my research I understand to be the projection used by Google.

The reprojection tool runs successfully; however, the output looks the same as the input (stretched boundaries as compared to Google maps).  I've spent an hour or two researching the best way to accomplish this particular task, but I'm not coming up with answers that have worked.

Advice is much appreciated!

[DanPatterson_Retired]

well it will look the same if you keep everything in the same dataframe.  The data frame uses the coordinate system of the first layer added, then reprojects everything else added on the fly to match... always add projected data to a new dataframe to see what it looks like, or set the current data frame to what you want to view it in.

[DavidRobinson7]

Thanks... but I have already tried adding the output to a new application (new dataframe), with no changes.

(sorry about the double post, new to this community)

[MelitaKennedy]

Just double-checking that you used the Project tool and not the Define Projection Tool.

How are you checking it against Google Maps?

[DavidRobinson7]

Thanks.. Yes I used the Project tool.

Visually, the output is the same as the input (Equal Area Conic projection) and not Mercator.

[DanPatterson_Retired]

in separate data frames? not in the same data frame? as per my original post, because of projection-on-the-fly

[DavidRobinson7]

No, I visually compared the input and output in separate data frames.  I added the output to a new data frame so on-the-fly projection would not occur.

[DanPatterson_Retired]

this then goes back to the original data, which is in Albers'... what are the extents? and was it Projected to Albers from a geographic coordinate system (aka decimal degrees) or did it come that way? I would be surprised if a gov't department would ship already projected data rather than data in a GCS

[DavidRobinson7]

Thanks for the help.  Listed below are the details related to the original data:

Projected Coordinate System: Hawaii_Albers_Equal_Area_Conic
Projection: Albers

False_Easting: 0.00000000
False_Northing: 0.00000000
Central_Meridian: -157.00000000
Standard_Parallel_1: 8.00000000
Standard_Parallel_2: 18.00000000
Latitude_Of_Origin: 13.00000000
Linear Unit:  Meter

Geographic Coordinate System: GCS_North_American_1983
Datum:  D_North_American_1983
Prime Meridian:  Greenwich
Angular Unit:  Degree

[DanPatterson_Retired]

MKennedy-esristaff‌ ... come on back

If it doesn't look right, in Albers and the coordinate system is right, then we shall await for a response as to the root of the problem Stretched to me means that the coordinates are geographic and there is no projection applied, but I reside at much higher latitudes where we use lambert CC instead of alber.