Using coordinate systems

A coordinate system (CS) defines a set of axes that span the coordinate space (Iliffe, 2003). A CS defines the attribute of axes, such as number of axes (dimensions: 1D, 2D, or 3D), direction, names, units, and even the order of axes. The most common systems used in GIS are as follows (Allan A.L., 2007):

• Cartesian coordinates (X, Y, Z)
• Geodesic coordinates (geodetic latitude and longitude)
• Spherical coordinates (geocentric latitude and longitude)
• A hybrid 2D coordinate system and 1D coordinate system on a map projection (for example, E=Easting, N=Northing, and H= orthometric height)
• A hybrid 2D coordinate system and 1D coordinate system for the ellipsoid and sphere (for example: φ, λ, and h= ellipsoidal height)

  Note

  For theory aspects regarding coordinate systems, datum, and map projections, please refer to: Jonathan Iliffe and Roger Lott; Datums and Map projections for remote sensing, GIS, and surveying 1st Edition; Whittles Publishing, 2003.

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