What is the term used to describe the loss of accuracy when transferring data from a 3D globe to a 2D surface?

The term that specifically describes the loss of accuracy when transferring data from a 3D globe to a 2D surface is distortion. This occurs because projecting a spherical surface onto a plane inevitably changes the shapes, sizes, distances, and angles of the features being represented. Various map projection techniques attempt to minimize this distortion for specific purposes, but it cannot be completely eliminated.

Imprecision refers to general inaccuracies that might come from errors or inconsistencies in data, but it does not specifically address the context of transferring data from three dimensions to two dimensions. Compression involves reducing the size of data, either in a spatial context or in terms of file storage, and does not relate to the accuracy of representation. Aggregation is the process of combining multiple data points into a single representation, which may lead to loss of detail but does not concern the inherent accuracy loss associated with changing dimensionality. Therefore, distortion is the most fitting term in this scenario, highlighting the specific challenges faced when representing 3D data in 2D formats.