Introduction to

Cartography
GEOG 2016 E
Lecture-3
Scale, Reference and
Coordinate Systems

What is Scale
Ratio between distances on a map
and the corresponding distances on
the earths surface.
Example:
1:100,000 means that 1 cm on the map
corresponds to 100,000 cm (or 1 km) on
earth.
1:50,000 means that 1 cm on the map
corresponds to 50,000 cm (or 0.5 km) on
earth.

Scale and Features

Showing features on a map depends
on the scale chosen.
The larger the scale of the map, the
more details it shows.
A map with a scale of 1:10,000 will show
a lot more details than a map with a
scale of 1:100,000.
The scale of 1:10,000 is larger than the
scale of 1:100,000.

Scale and Features

A map with a scale of 1:10,000 can
be used to show individual houses or
buildings.
However, a map with a scale of
1:100,000 can show those houses or
buildings only as points.
Choosing the right scale is very
important in cartography.
The choice depends on the area to
be covered and the features to be

Reference Systems
A reference system is needed to
locate a point on earths surface.
Latitude and longitude comprise a
reference system.
A coordinate system is needed for
referencing.

Coordinate Systems
A coordinate system is needed for
positioning and navigation.
For example, global positioning systems
use coordinate system for precise location
of points in space.
Different coordinate systems have been
constructed and are used in cartography.
Cartesian, polar and spherical are three
most commonly used coordinate systems.

Cartesian Plane Coordinate System

A plane or two-dimensional
coordinate system can be defined
with respect to a single plane.

Plane Polar Coordinate

System

Points on a two-dimensional surface

can also be represented by radiusangle pairs.

Polar - Cartesian Conversion

Plane polar coordinates can be
converted into plane Cartesian
coordinates.

Exercise
Convert the following Cartesian
coordinates into their polar equivalents:
(1.245, -2.769)
(0.673, 1.999)
(-9.999, 4.531)

Convert the following polar coordinates

into their Cartesian equivalents:
(1.296, 36.7)
(4.555, 0)
(6.782, 173.8)

Answers
Cartesian to polar:
(1.245, -2.769) (3.04, -65.79)
(0.673, 1.999) (2.109, 71.39)
(-9.999, 4.531) (10.98, 155.6)

Polar to Cartesian:
(1.296, 36.7) (1.039, 0.774)
(4.555, 0) (4.555, 0)
(6.782, 173.8) (-6.742, 0.732)

Three-Dimensional Cartesian
System

Longitude, Latitude, Height

Most commonly used global
coordinate system in cartography
Reference planes for latitude and
longitude are defined by prime
meridian and equator

Geodetic Latitude
Angle from the equatorial plane to
vertical direction of a line normal to
the reference ellipsoid.

Geodetic Longitude
Angle between the reference plane and a
plane passing through the point. Both
planes must be perpendicular to the
equatorial plane.

Geodetic Height
Distance from the reference ellipsoid
to the point in the direction normal to
the ellipsoid.

Earth-Centered Earth-Fixed
X,Y,Z

Generally called ECEF XYZ

Three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate
system
Centered at the center of mass of
reference ellipsoid

Universal Transverse Mercator

(UTM)
Recall that Mercator is a cylindrical
projection.
UTM coordinates define two-dimensional
positions.
Dimensions are defined by zone numbers and
zone characters.
Zone numbers designate 6-degree longitudinal
strips. Extend from 80 degrees South latitude to
84 degrees North latitude
Zone characters designate 8-degree zones.
Extend North and South from equator.

UTM

World Geographic Reference System

Index (GEOREF)
Based on latitude and longitude
Earths sphere is divided into:
12 bands of latitude
24 zones of longitude

Used in aircraft navigation