Category Archives: Solar System

UTM – Universal Transverse Mercator Geographic Coordinate System

Posted on August 28, 2008 by Rashid Faridi

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 Rashid Faridi

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

Reference Datum of Earth

Posted on August 18, 2008 by Rashid Faridi

A reference datum is a known and constant surface which can be used to describe the location of unknown points. On Earth, the normal reference datum is sea level. On other planets, such as the Moon or Mars, the datum … Continue reading →

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

Geoid

Posted on August 16, 2008 by Rashid Faridi

The geoid is that equipotential surface which would coincide exactly with the mean ocean surface of the Earth, if the oceans were in equilibrium, at rest, and extended through the continents (such as with very narrow canals). According to C.F. … Continue reading →

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