What is a Coordinate System?

Preparing a map involves representing on a two-dimensional surface the geographical features present on a three-dimensional globe. However, it is not possible to “peel off” the surface of the globe and “lay it flat”, so to speak, without distorting the information in some way. The relative lengths, surface areas and/ or shapes of the features will be altered during the process, resulting in a representation that is never entirely accurate.

The set of transformations applied to geographical information in order to produce a 2-dimensional map is known as the map’s coordinate system. One example of a widely used co-ordinate system is the UK National Grid.

Map data from any source may already have been transformed into a coordinate system. For example, map data from the UK Ordnance Survey is always in the UK National Grid Coordinate System. In order for MapLink Pro Studio to be able to use data from a wide variety of sources, it is necessary for it to incorporate coordinate system information. Knowing this information makes it possible for MapLink Pro Studio to read and accurately combine sets of data that initially use different systems and to project the final map into any coordinate system required by the user.

Map Coordinate Systems may consist of two or three parts. These are:

• The Datum
• The Projection type and parameters
• The Linear Transform (optional)