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2 - Geographic Data Management

This document discusses geographic coordinate systems and projected coordinate systems. It explains that geographic coordinate systems use latitude and longitude to define locations on Earth, while projected coordinate systems convert those latitude and longitude values into planar coordinates for a flat map projection with some distortion. The document also notes that datasets can have different coordinate systems so GIS software needs to understand the coordinate system of each dataset in order to combine and compare the spatial information.

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Mathias Eder
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58 views

2 - Geographic Data Management

This document discusses geographic coordinate systems and projected coordinate systems. It explains that geographic coordinate systems use latitude and longitude to define locations on Earth, while projected coordinate systems convert those latitude and longitude values into planar coordinates for a flat map projection with some distortion. The document also notes that datasets can have different coordinate systems so GIS software needs to understand the coordinate system of each dataset in order to combine and compare the spatial information.

Uploaded by

Mathias Eder
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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2 Geographic Data Management

Typical units of measure in projected coordinate systems are feet or meters. So, in fact, the
coordinate values are often six or seven digitsespecially since the origin of the coordinate

system may be far from your study area.

Each features coordinates are stored in these geographic units: points as x,y pairs; lines
as a series of x,y pairs that dene the shape of the line; the same for polygons. For raster
datasets, the coordinates of the origin of the grid (usually the upper left or lower left corner)

are stored, along with the cell size. Thus the extent of the raster and the geographic location
of each value for individual cells can be calculated.

These buildings (represented as points) are labeled with their x,y coordinate
values. The distance between them (about 82 feet) can be calculated in the GIS
by storing the geographic coordinate values instead of the page units.
Projected coordinates can be dened for both 2D (x,y) and 3D (x,y,z) datasets, where x,y
measurements represent the location on the Earths surface and z would represent height
above or below a point of reference such as mean sea level.
Unlike a geographic coordinate system (latitudelongitude), a projected coordinate system
has constant lengths, angles, and areas across the two dimensions. However, all map
projections representing the Earths surface as a at map, create distortions in some aspect
of distance, area, shape, or direction. Many map projections are designed for specic
purposes. One map projection might be used for preserving shape while another might
be used for preserving the area (conformal versus equal area). In any case, the distortions
are primarily an issue if your study area covers a large part of the globe (a country or
continent), or the entire globe itself. If your study area is a county or city, these effects are

small.

Many standard coordinate systems are established for the globe or for various regionsthe
UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) system, for example, has a dened coordinate
system for each 6-degree swath of longitude around the globe. UTM is used worldwide;

in the United States, the State Plane system is another commonly used coordinate system.
Other countries and regions often have their own local systems that use a local set of

geographic controls.

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Using ArcGIS Desktop


A coordinate system species a datum, in addition to a map projection. A datum is a
mathematical representation of the shape of the Earths surface. A datum is dened by a
spheroid, which approximates the shape of the Earth and the spheroids position relative to
the center of the Earth. A local datum aligns its spheroid to closely t the Earths surface in
a particular area; its origin point is located on the surface of the Earth. The coordinates of
the origin point are xed, and all other points are calculated from this control point.
More than one coordinate system can become a standard for data from a specic region,

and other coordinate systems may also be used. So, you may face the prospect of dealing
with various datasets for the same location but that are in different coordinate systems.

By recording and storing the coordinate system properties for each dataset (the map
projection,
ection, datum, spheroid, and geographic units), ArcGIS can automatically transform the
locations of GIS datasets on the y into any appropriate coordinate system (the coordinate
system of the dataset stored on disk is not changed). Its then possible to map and combine
information from multiple datasets regardless of their coordinate system. Alternatively, you
can transform a dataset to create a new dataset in the specied coordinate system, using

tools in ArcToolbox.

You can see a datasets coordinate system by viewing its metadata in ArcCatalog or
ArcMap, or by viewing its properties in ArcCatalog. See Dening coordiniate systems and
projecting datasets in Chapter 3 for more on assigning coordinate systems.

Metadata for a dataset includes a description of the datasets coordinate


system.

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