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May 21, 2023 · The coordinate system used to define locations on the three-dimensional earth is the geographic coordinate system (GCS), based on a sphere or spheroid. A spheroid (a.k.a. ellipsoid) is simply a slightly wider sphere than it is tall and approximates the actual shape of the earth more closely.
Geographic coordinate systems form the first level of defining where we are on the earth. All spatial data must first address the curved surface of the earth, thus all coordinate systems will have a geographic coordinate system “core” that defines the spheroid, geoid, units of measure, and prime meridian on which all further measurements ...
Mar 25, 2024 · Latitude and longitude, coordinate system by means of which the position or location of any place on Earth’s surface can be determined and described. Latitude is a measurement of location north or south of the Equator. Longitude is a similar measurement east or west of the Greenwich meridian.
Geographic Coordinate System. Figure 2.11.1 The geographic coordinate system. Credit: David DiBiase. Longitude specifies positions east and west as the angle between the prime meridian and a second meridian that intersects the point of interest.
The geographic coordinate system is designed specifically to define positions on the Earth's roughly-spherical surface. Instead of the two linear measurement scales, x and y, the geographic coordinate systems juxtaposes two curved measurement scales.
Geographic Coordinate Systems. Due to the complexity of modeling the geoid and the reasonable similarity between Earth and a regular ellipsoid, we do not use the geoid directly to designate horizontal locations on Earth’s surface.
Definition. A Geographic Coordinate System (GCS) is a type of coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers or letters. It is a system that uses latitude and longitude to define the positions of points on the surface of a sphere or an ellipsoid.
