Coordinate Systems Overview

Page contents

1. About the main contributors
2. Details about the file
3. Key words
4. Index words
5. Prerequisite units
6. Subsequent units
7. Revision history

1. About the main contributors

• author: Peter H. Dana, pdana@mail.utexas.edu, Department of Geography, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA, 78712-1098
• editor: Kenneth E. Foote, k.foote@mail.utexas.edu, Department of Geography, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA, 78712-1098

2. Details about the file

• current URL of file: http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/giscc/units/u013/u013.html
• supporting files (text):
• http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/giscc/units/u013/u013_f.html. Unit frame.
• http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/giscc/units/u013/u013_metadata.html. Metadata file.
• http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/giscc/units/u013/u013_notes.html. Instructor's Notes.
• http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/giscc/units/u013/u013_toc.html. Complete table of contents.
• http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/giscc/units/u013/u013_tocshort.html. Short table of contents to appear in frame.
• supporting files including 30 figures and 12 tables
• all files in directory http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/giscc/units/u013/figures/
• all files in directory http:http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/giscc/units/u013/tables/
• last revision date: 21 May 1997
• unit title: Coordinate System Overview
• unit key number: Unit 013w

3. Key words

• Coordinate Systems
• Georeferencing
• Precise Positioning
• Location

4. Index words

• reference ellipsoid ("reference ellipsoid")
• geodetic datum ("geodetic datum")
• Cartesian coordinates ("Cartesian coordinates")
• Earth Centered, Earth Fixed Coordinates ("ECEF")
• Universal Transverse Mercator ("UTM")
• Military Grid Reference System ("MGRS")
• World Geographic Reference Systems ("GEOREF")
• Universal Polar Stereographic Coordinates ("UPS")
• British National Grid ("BNS")
• State Plane Coordinate System ("SPC")
• US Public Land Survey System ("USPLS")

5. Prerequisite units

• 008 - Representing the Earth

6. Subsequent units

• 018 - Mapping the Earth
• 066 - Populating the GISystem
• 082 - Kinds of Geospatial Data
• 096 - Handling Uncertainty
• 136 - Making it Work

7. Revision history

• 28 February 1997. 12 tables converted from gif to html format. New tables placed in /tables subdirectory below unit root. Figures renumbered.
• 2 March 1997. Web references added to text and bibliography.
• 13 March 1997. Major format revision. Bold and italics added for definitions and technical terms. Frame version and short table of contents created.
• 25 March 1997. Editorial changes made in sections 2.1 (Reference Ellipsoids); 2.2 (Geodetic Datums); 3.3 (UTM); and 4.5 (Metes and Bounds). Additional technical and definitional terms highlighted. NAME annotations corrected to properly anchor text.
• 21 May 1997. Further editorial changes made.  File posted to NCGIA website.
• 4 July 1997. Figure 3 replaced.
• 7 July 2000. External links updated.

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