ENGR. GRETCHEN NANETH G.

PLAZA, GE
INSTRUCTOR
 Introduction to MAP PROJECTION
◦ General Concepts
◦ Characteristics of Map Projection
◦ Coordinates and Coordinate System
◦ Datum and Ellipsoid
 Map represent a curved surface as flat
 Maps are 2-D representation of 3-D surface
 This transformation is called Map Projection
 Map Projection is a systematic representation of
all or part of the surface of a round body,
especially the Earth, on a plane.
 Characteristics normally considered in choosing
map projection are as follows:
 Area
 Shape
 Scale
 Direction
 Special Characteristics
 Method of Construction
 It is necessary to make measurements to
detect small differences in spacing or location
of meridians and parallels or to make other
test.
 There are three (3) types of developable
surfaces:
 Cylinder
 Cone
 Plane
 Cylinder is a limiting form of a cone with an
increasing sharp point or apex. As the cone
becomes flatter, its limit is a plane.
Cylindrical projections may also have one line of tangency
or two lines of secancy around the globe.
The Mercator projection is one of the most common
cylindrical projections, and the Equator is usually its line
of tangency. Meridians are Geometrically projected onto
the cylindrical surface, and latitude parallels are
mathematically projected, producing graticular angles of
90 degrees.
For more complex cylindrical projections the cylinder is
rotated thus changing the lines used for tangency or
secancy.
The most simple conic projection
is tangent to the globe along a
line of latitude
This is called a standard parallel
for a projection
The meridians are projected
onto the conical surface,
meeting at the apex
latitudes are projected as rings
onto the conical surface
Cone is cut along any meridian to
generate the final conic projection
It has straight converging meridians
meeting at apex
It has concentric arcs as parallels
The meridian opposite to the cut line
becomes the central meridian
Project map data onto a flat surface
touching the globe.
This kind of projection is usually
tangent to the globe at one point, but
may be secant.
The point of contact may be the North
Pole, the South Pole, a point along the
Equator, or any point in between. This
point specifies the aspect used and
functions as the focus of the
projection.
The focus is identified by a central
longitude and central latitude; and
possible aspects are polar, equatorial,
and oblique.
 They are commonly referred to as meridians and parallel. The
concept of latitude and longitude was originated early in recorded
history by Greek and Egyptian scientist, esp. the Greek Hipparchus
in 2nd century BC.

Lines of latitude are called “parallels”

Lines of longitude are called “meridians”
The Prime Meridian passes through Greenwich, England
 Grid lines usually do not coincide with any
meridians and parallels except for the central
meridian and the Equator.

 Frequently x and y coordinate are called

“easting” and “northing” respectively.

 Grid Systems are normally divided into zones

so that distortion and variation of scale within
any one zone is held below a preset level.
 Scale near intersections with surface are
accurate

 Scale between intersections is too small

 Scale outside of intersections is too large and

gets excessively large the further one goes
beyond the intersections
 (1) Global Cartesian coordinates (x,y,z): A
system for the whole earth
 (2) Geographic coordinates (f, l, z)
 (3) Projected coordinates (x, y, z) on a local
area of the earth’s surface
 The z-coordinate in (1) and (3) is defined
geometrically; in (2) the z-coordinate is
defined gravitationally
 Z
Greenwich
Meridian

O
• Y

X
Equator
Extremely cumbersome and difficult to relate to other locations when
translated to two dimensions.
 Latitude (f) and Longitude (l) defined using
an ellipsoid, an ellipse rotated about an
axis
 Elevation (z) defined using geoid, a surface
of constant gravitational potential

 Earth datums define standard baseline

values of the ellipsoid and geoid (more on
this later….)
 The earth is not an exact ellipsoid, and deviation
from this shape are continually evaluated.
 Geoid is the name given to the shape that the
earth would assume if it were all measured at the
mean sea level.
 it is important to remember that the elevations
and contour lines are relative to the geoid, not to
the ellipsoid.
 Latitude, longitude, and all plane coordinate
system are determined with respect to the
ellipsoid.
 Two geometric constants are sufficient to
define ellipsoid itself. They normally
expressed as:
 semi-major and semi-minor axis
 semi-major and flattening
 semi-major and eccentricity
 relationship of eccentricity (e) and flattening
(f):
e² = 2f - f²
 Geodetic latitude – is the angle which a line
is perpendicular to the surface of the ellipsoid
at the given point makes with the plane of the
equator.
 Geocentric Latitude – is the angle made by a
line with to the center of the ellipsoid with
the equatorial plane.
 An earth datum is defined by a specific ellipse and an axis of
rotation

 NAD27 (North American Datum of 1927) uses the Clarke

(1866) ellipsoid on a non geocentric axis of rotation

 NAD83 (NAD,1983) uses the GRS80 ellipsoid on a geocentric

axis of rotation

 WGS84 (World Geodetic System of 1984) uses GRS80, almost

the same as NAD83