Monthly Archives: August 2008

State Plane Coordinate System

Posted on August 31, 2008 by

The State Plane Coordinate System (SPCS) was developed in the 1930s by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey to provide a common reference system for surveyors and mappers. The goal was to design a conformal mapping system for the country … Continue reading →

Posted in earth, GIS, GPS, map making, Remote Sensing 101 | 1 Comment

UTM – Universal Transverse Mercator Geographic Coordinate System

Posted on August 28, 2008 by

Projections are a mathematical way of representing 3D earth on a 2D plane.The idea of the transverse mercator projection has its roots in the 18th century, but it did not come into common usage until after World War II. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Class Notes, earth, GIS, GPS, map making, Remote Sensing 101, Solar System | 4 Comments

Geographic Coordinate System

Posted on August 26, 2008 by

One of the most common coordinate systems in use is the Geographic Coordinate System, which uses degrees of latitude and longitude to describe a location on the earth’s surface. Lines of latitude run parallel to the equator and divide the … Continue reading →

Posted in GIS, GPS, map making, Remote Sensing 101, Solar System | 3 Comments

Grid Systems for Maps

Posted on August 24, 2008 by

A grid system allows the location of a point on a map (or on the surface of the earth) to be described in a way that is meaningful and universally understood. Projecting the earth’s surface (or a portion of it) … Continue reading →

Posted in map making, Remote Sensing 101, topography | Leave a comment