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Coordinate System

Last Updated: February 06, 2008 Related resource areas: Geospatial Technology

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A coordinate system is a recognized reference system for defining points on the Earth's surface and expressing location. Mathematically, a coordinate system is a set of rules for specifying how coordinates are to be assigned to points to represent positions or location. Map coordinate systems can be planer (flat), such as the Cartesian system (x,y), or non-planer (spherical), such as the geographic coordinate system (based on angles) of latitude and longitude.




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