Map Projections

Map projections attempt to solve the fundamental problem that the earth is roughly
spherical in shape but maps, by necessity, are flat. Map projections are the systems that
are used to represent the three-dimensional surface of the earth on a two-dimensional
surface (the map). There are a number of different map projection systems but inevitably
they all result in some degree of distortion.

The map projection systems that are used vary from country to country. Generally each
country has a standard projection system (also called a coordinate system) that is based
on the map projection that is best suited for the country's position and orientation on the
globe. Using a nationally-agreed standard means everyone (architects, town planners,
surveyors, road engineers, network planners, etc.) can agree about the locations of
proposed new buildings, boundaries, roads, etc.

In the UK, for example, the national standard coordinate system used in Ordnance Survey
maps is called the British National Grid (BNG). It is based on the Transverse Mercator
map projection system and gives the coordinate axes a false origin just south-west of the
Scilly Isles (in order to ensure that all coordinates in the UK are positive) and divides the
country into 100 km squares that each have a two-letter code.

Most drive test systems use the GPS (Global Positioning System) to log the mobile
device's position. GPS uses the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84) projection
system. This is also how we store all coordinate information internally. When the user
displays drive test data in the Map view, the MapInfo MapX component automatically
converts the coordinates to match the projection system selected for the map being used,
so that the data should be aligned correctly.
There are two different types of maps:

 Vector maps. These are displayed using lines and polygons rather than pixels. For
these maps you can select the projection system to be used by right-clicking in the
Map view and choosing Projection. When you change the projection, MapX
redraws the map accordingly.

 Raster maps. Raster maps are bitmap images (generally in GIF or JPEG format).
Once imported into the Map view they typically have a companion .tab file that
specifies the coordinates of the map's corners and the projection system being
used. Because they are fixed images, MapX cannot redraw them according to the
projection system. For this reason, you are not able to select a different projection
system for these maps in the Map view.

Problems can arise when location binning is used. Suppose the user wants to compare the
binned results with a planning tool that uses a geographical grid of the area based on a
raster map that uses the national projection system. If the location bin grid is calculated
using a different projection system (say the WGS 84 standard) from that used for the
map, the location bins won't be aligned with the planning grid.

For example, here is some location-binned drive test data displayed on a raster map,
which uses the Swiss National Grid projection system. The location binning grid is
defined as 50 meter squares based on the Default (meters) projection system option. (This
automatically selects the ED79 UTM Zone projection system that corresponds to the first
location encountered in the drive test data. There's more about ED79 UTM in the next
topic.)

Notice that the location binning grid is skewed relative to the map's grid. This is because
the location binning grid has been calculated using a different projection system from the
map (the projection system defines an absolute zero position for the grid). Now let's
change the location binning projection system to that used by the map (Swiss National
Grid). Here is the data displayed on the same map:
Notice that the location binning grid is now aligned with the map's grid.

Additional confusion often occurs because different map projection systems are based on
different measurement systems and therefore different units. The map projection systems
fall into two main groups—those that are based on latitude and longitude, whose units are
a measurement of the arcs of circles (such as degrees), and those that are based on length,
typically measured in meters. Users need to specify some measurements (such as location
binning sizes) in the same units as used by their projection system.

Because each country tends to use a standard coordinate system, customers who are
based in one country and work only with data collected in that country do not normally
need to think about map projections once they've got everything set up correctly.
However, things are more complicated for users who work with data collected in multiple
countries that have different standards.
Coordinate Systems
As explained in Map Projections, latitudes and longitudes are stored internally using the
WGS 84 projection system. Celllrefs latitudes and longitudes are also stored internally
using the WGS 84 projection system. When users import their cellrefs data, they need to
specify its coordinate system in order that (if necessary) it can be converted to WGS 84.

The mathematical operation that converts from one coordinate system to another is called
a geodetic transformation. Analyzer supports conversions to and from WGS 84 and many
of the standard systems used around the world. For example, when calculating location
bins, coordinates are converted from WGS 84 to the system specified in the Preferences
dialog (this is sometimes called a forward projection) and when importing cellrefs data,
Analyzer converts coordinates from the system specified in the Import wizard to WGS 84
(this is sometimes called an inverse projection).

Note that the transformation of coordinates for display in the Map view is handled by the
MapInfo MapX component and this supports more coordinate systems than Analyzer
supports directly.

From time to time, support for an additional coordinate system is requested. Adding
support for a new system is relatively easy if it is based on one of the main map
projection standards, such as the Transverse Mercator system. We simply need to add the
parameters for the new system to the map projection configuration files.

However, sometimes this is not possible. We would then need to look for an alternative
solution and investigate whether the user can use a different coordinate system that we
already support. For example, Analyzer supports the ED79 UTM (Universal Transverse
Mercator) system. This is a generic map projection system that divides the globe up into a
number of zones. Sometimes the ED79 UTM coordinate system for the relevant
geographic location can be used instead of the standard normally used in that country.
The following links provide more information on ED79 UTM:

 http://www.cnr.colostate.edu/class_info/nr502/lg3/datums_coordinates/utm.html
 http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/FieldMethods/UTMSystem.htm

 ED79 UTM Zone Lookup

Note that the main reason that users need to bin data or import cellrefs data with a
specific coordinate system is because they have a set of raster maps in that coordinate
system. Unlike vector maps, raster maps cannot be re-projected by MapX to another
arbitrary coordinate system.
Specifying the coordinate system

Map

Cellrefs import

Non-standard log files

Location binning

Network image templates

Map

Right-click in the Map view and choose Projection. This opens the Choose Projection
dialog box.

The Projection option is not available on the shortcut menu when you are using an
existing raster image that has an associated .tab file, because the .tab file contains the
details of the projection to be used.

When you import a new raster image into the Map view, you should select the system in
which you are entering the coordinates. You do this by clicking the Projection button in
the Raster Image Registration dialog box. This opens the Select the Coordinate System
dialog box, which is similar to the Choose Projection dialog box shown above. You also
need to specify the units (by clicking the Units button). You must make sure that the units
you select correspond to those used by the selected coordinate system.

Note: These two dialog boxes are part of the MapInfo MapX component and provide
support for more map projection systems than Analyzer supports directly.

Cellrefs import

When you create a template for importing cellrefs data, you specify the map projection
used for the latitude and longitude measurements in the imported data. You do this by
selecting the appropriate system from the Coordinate System drop-down box on the first
page of the Import wizard. This drop-down box is populated by the entries in the
Map_Systems.txt file. (See Map Projection Configuration files.)

See Using the manual import feature to create an import template for more information.

Non-standard log files

Although most drive test tools record latitudes and longitudes in WGS 84, occasionally
we encounter data that uses a different system. The Preferences dialog box has a GPS
Transformation > Logfile Projection option that enables users to select the coordinate
system used in their log files. This is currently used for Anritsu, Couei, and Qualcomm
MDM log files only. This drop-down box is populated by the entries in the
Map_Systems.txt file (see Map Projection Configuration files) with two additional entries
—"Default (degrees)" and "Default (meters)". However, these options are not used
internally, so selecting one of these options does not actually select a coordinate system.

See GPS Transformation for more information.

Location binning

Location binning puts drive test data in a geographical grid and then creates an average
for the values in each square in the grid. Location binning is the most suitable binning
method to use when you are aggregating data from multiple drive tests (for example in a
network image), because in the other binning methods the bins are calculated relative to
the start of the log file.

Like any other positional data, a projection system must be used to calculate the
geographical grid. You can select the projection system to be used when you choose to
bin by location in the Preferences dialog. You also need to select the appropriate units for
the projection system you are using and specify the size of the bins in those units.

 If the projection system uses meters, you must select meters and enter the bin
sizes in meters.
  If the projection system uses degrees, you can select degrees or arc seconds and
enter the bin sizes accordingly.

If you select the wrong units (for example, meters when you are using a coordinate
system based on degrees), the location bins will not be as you expect.

The binning Projection drop-down list is also populated by the entries in the
Map_Systems.txt file (see Map Projection Configuration files) with the addition of
following additional options:

 Default (degrees). All calculations are performed in WGS 84, which means that
no transformation is performed.
 Default (meters). This automatically selects the ED79 UTM Zone coordinate
system that corresponds to the first location that is encountered in the data.

See Binning Preferences for more information.

Note that some binned queries use the default binning options specified in the
Preferences dialog box and some have binning options set specifically for the query.
Binning settings that are specific to a query are entered in the Binning dialog box. The
location binning options in this dialog box are similar to those in the Preferences dialog
box, but with the addition of X origin and Y origin options.

X and Y origins. By default, the start point for the location binned grid is the false origin
(0, 0) defined for the projection system you are using. This has the advantage that, by
default, all of the location grids are the same. However, sometimes you may want to
move the start point, because, for example, you want to align the grid with one used in
another system. You do this by specifying an offset for either or both of the coordinates in
the X origin and/or Y origin text boxes. You must specify the offset in the same units as
you used to define the size of the location bins (and this must correspond to the
measurement system used by the coordinate system).

Network image templates

Selecting location binning in a network image template is similar to selecting it in the

Preferences or Binning Settings dialog box and generally the same things apply as
described in Location Binning above. However, there are a few differences:

 The default options are ArcSeconds and World Geodetic System 1984 (GPS).
This is equivalent to the Default (degrees) option that is available elsewhere and it
is recommended that you accept these options, unless you have a good reason for
doing otherwise.

 If you select Meters as the units of measurement, the Projection defaults to UK

NGR, which is the British National Grid. This does not provide the correct results
for data collected outside the UK and so you need to make sure that you to select
a coordinate system that is appropriate for the geographic location. Otherwise data
will not be displayed on the map correctly and may not appear on the map at all.
The Default (meters) option is not available and if you want to use the ED79
UTM system, you need to work out the appropriate ED79 UTM zone yourself, as
described below.
The Projection drop-down is populated by the entries in the Map_Systems.txt file (see
Map Projection Configuration files) and it includes the ED79 UTM (Universal
Transverse Mercator) system described above. To use this system, you need to select the
appropriate entry for the part of the world in which the data was collected.

You can use the ED79 UTM Zone Lookup to determine the appropriate UTM zone—first
determine the longitude of the collected data and match it with the corresponding row in
the table. Then select the option in the Projection drop-down based on the zone and
whether the data was collected north (N) or south (S) of the equator.

For example, suppose a 50 m x 50 m location binned Network Image is to be provided

for data collected in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The longitude in Las Vegas is about -115
degrees (or, 115 degrees west). The ED79 UTM Zone Lookup shows that Zone 11 goes
from -120 degrees to -114 degrees. Therefore, Las Vegas is in Zone 11. Las Vegas is north
of the equator. Therefore, you would select ED79 UTM Zone 11(N) in the Projection
drop-down box.

The X origin and Y origin options work in the same way as described above for binned
queries.
Map Projection Configuration Files
The map projection configuration files define the projection systems that are supported in
Analyzer. Projection systems are defined by the following:

 The map projection algorithm to use.

 The projection parameters (these depend on the locality)

 A datum, which defines the datum shift algorithm, the datum shift parameters, and
the ellipsoid definition.

The first two of these are specified in the Map_Systems.txt file and the third in the
separate Map_Datums.txt file.

As an example of how it works, let's look at the entries for the British National Grid
mentioned in Map Projections. If you open the Map_Systems.txt file, you will see the
entry for the British National Grid has Coordinate System ID of 28 and a Name of “UK
NGR”. The map projection algorithm is specified in the Projection Name column as
“Transverse Mercator” and the DatumID is listed as 155. If you now open
Map_Datums.txt, you will see that this corresponds to a datum called “Ord. Surv. of Gr.
Br. 1936”.

Details of the configuration files are given below:

 Coordinate Systems File (Map_Systems.txt). This defines how geographic

coordinates (latitude and longitude) are projected onto the x-y display plane.
 Datums File (Map_Datums.txt) This contains information about the shape of the
earth at a particular location.

This is followed by useful information for when looking up standard parameters for a
new projection system.

Coordinate Systems File (Map_Systems.txt)

The coordinate systems file (Map_Systems.txt) is a tab-delimited ASCII text file that
defines the map projection systems that are supported.

This file is installed in the Actix\Analyzer\Bin\MapSystems folder within the folder

(typically C:\Program Files) in which Analyzer is installed. If you want to use a
customized version of this file, you can overwrite it by placing a file with the same name
in the corresponding folder within the user data area (typically this would be
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
Data\Actix\Analyzer\Bin\MapSystems).

The records in this file reference the entries in the Map_Datums.txt file.

Here is part of the Map_Systems.txt file opened in Excel:

Each record in the file contains the following fields:

Coordinate System ID. Uniquely identifies the coordinate system.

Name. Describes the coordinate system.

GroupId. Identifies the group to which the system belongs. The following table lists the
available values.

Value Description
0 World Lat/Long coordinate systems

1 UTM Zones (Northern Hemisphere)

2 UTM Zones (Southern Hemisphere)

3 UK Co-ordinate systems

4 Belgian Co-ordinate systems

5 Gauss Kruger (Polokovo 1942) systems

6 Gauss Kruger (DHDN) systems

7 Austrian Co-ordinate systems

ProjectionID. Identifies the equations used to map latitude/longitude values onto the
projection plane. The ProjectionID value is associated with the Projection Name.

Projection Name. A description of the projection used. The following table lists the
available values.

ProjectionID Projection Name

0 Geographic (Long/Lat) Projection

4 Lambert Conformal Conic Projection

9 Transverse Mercator Projection

DatumID. Identifies the datum used. Available datums are defined in the Map_Datums.txt
file (see below).

UnitsID. The units of the projected coordinates. The following table lists the available
values.

Value Description

0 Radians

1 US feet
2 Meters

3 Seconds of Arc

4 Degrees of Arc

5 International Feet

6 US State Zone table

Units Name. A description of the units used.

ParameterX. Parameters for the projection equations; their meaning is dependent upon the
projection used. Values may range from 1 to 13. The following table lists the available
values.

Projection

Parameter 0 (Geographic) 4 (Lambert) 9 (Transverse Mercator)

X

1 N/A STDPR1 Factor

2 N/A STDPR2 N/A

3 N/A CentMeridian CentMeridian

4 N/A OriginLat OriginLat

5 N/A False East False East

6 N/A False North False North

Where:

STDPR1 is the latitude of the first standard parallel.

STDPR2 is the latitude of the second standard parallel.

CentMeridian is the longitude of the central meridian.

OriginLat is the latitude of the projection origin.

False East is the false easting in the same units as the semimajor axis.

False North is the false northing in the same units as the semimajor axis.

Factor is the Scale factor at central meridian.

N/A is not used.

Datums File (Map_Datums.txt)

The datums file (Map_Datums.txt) is a tab-delimited ASCII text file that defines each
datum that is available. The datum, also known as the geodetic datum or the Terrestrial
Reference System (TRS), provides a link between the abstract three-dimensional
coordinates used in the map projection system and a actual place in the real physical
world. The datum states where the three axes originate and in which direction they point,
in relation to the surface of the earth.

This file is installed in the Actix\Analyzer\Bin\MapDatums folder within the folder

(typically C:\Program Files) in which Analyzer is installed. If you want to use a
customized version of this file, you can overwrite it by placing a file with the same name
in the corresponding folder within the user data area (typically this is C:\Documents and
Settings\All Users\Application Data\Actix\Analyzer\Bin\MapDatums).

Here is part of the file opened in Excel:

Each record contains the following fields:

DatumID. Uniquely identifies the datum.

Datum Name. Describes the datum.

Method. Describes the equation used to perform the datum shift for this datum. This can
be one of the following:

 Molodensky
 Bursa-Wolfe
Reference Ellipsoid. Identifies the ellipsoid used. The following table lists the ellipsoids
that are currently available.

Value Description

0 Clarke 1886

1 Clarke 1880

2 Bessel

3 International 1967

4 International 1909

5 WGS 72

6 Everest

7 WGS 66

8 GRS 1980

9 AIREY

10 Modified Everest

11 Modified AIREY

12 WGS 84

13 South East Asia

14 Australia National

15 Krassovsky

16 Hough

17 Mercury 1960

18 Modified Mercury 1960

19 Sphere of radius 6370997m

-1 User Defined (see below)

Semi-Major Axis (m). If a user-defined ellipsoid is specified, this defines the semimajor
axis.

Flattening. If a user-defined ellipsoid is specified, this defines the flattening.

dX(m). Datum shift x.

dY(m). Datum shift y.

dZ(m). Datum shift z.

Prime Meridian Shift(degrees). Shift from Greenwich, of the prime meridian.

The following additional parameters are required for the Bursa-Wolfe method only:

 X Rotation (degrees)
 Y Rotation (degrees)

 Z Rotation (degrees)

 Scale Change (ppm)

ED79 UTM Zone Lookup
Introduction

Zone lookup table

Formulas

Introduction

This topic provides a lookup table that you can use to work out the correct ED79 UTM
zone for anywhere in the world. For an introduction and an example, see Coordinate
Systems.
ED79 UTM facts:

 The system divides the world into 60 zones, each of which is 6 degrees longitude
wide.
 Each zone is 6 degrees longitude wide.

 Zone 1 begins at the 180 degrees longitude line and runs to the 174 degree W
longitude line.

 Each Zone extends from 80 degrees south latitude to 84 degrees north.

You can learn more about UTM zones:

 http://www.cnr.colostate.edu/class_info/nr502/lg3/datums_coordinates/utm.html

 http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/FieldMethods/UTMSystem.htm

ED79 UTM zone lookup table

Zone Longitude Start Longitude End

Zone 1 -180 -174

Zone 2 -174 -168

Zone 3 -168 -162

Zone 4 -162 -156

Zone 5 -156 -150

Zone 6 -150 -144

Zone 7 -144 -138

Zone 8 -138 -132

Zone 9 -132 126

Zone 10 -126 -120

Zone 11 -120 -114

Zone 12 -114 -108

Zone 13 -108 -102

Zone 14 -102 -96

Zone 15 -96 -90

Zone 16 -90 -84

Zone 17 -84 -78

Zone 18 -78 -72

Zone 19 -72 -66

Zone 20 -66 -60

Zone 21 -60 -54

Zone 22 -54 -48

Zone 23 -48 -42

Zone 24 -42 -36

Zone 25 -36 -30

Zone 26 -30 -24

Zone 27 -24 -18

Zone 28 -18 -12

Zone 29 -12 -6

Zone 30 -6 0

Zone 31 0 6

Zone 32 6 12

Zone 33 12 18

Zone 34 18 24

Zone 35 24 30

Zone 36 30 36

Zone 37 36 42

Zone 38 42 48

Zone 39 48 54

Zone 40 54 60

Zone 41 60 66

Zone 42 66 72

Zone 43 72 78

Zone 44 78 84

Zone 45 84 90

Zone 46 90 96

Zone 47 96 102
Zone 48 102 108

Zone 49 108 114

Zone 50 114 120

Zone 51 120 126

Zone 52 126 132

Zone 53 132 138

Zone 54 138 144

Zone 55 144 150

Zone 56 150 156

Zone 57 156 162

Zone 58 162 168

Zone 59 168 174

Zone 60 174 180

Formulas

To obtain the boundaries of a UTM zone, use the following formulas:

EasternZoneBoundary(degrees) = ZoneNumber X 6 – 180°

WesternZoneBoundary(degrees) = EasternZoneBoundary – 6°

Select a northern (N) or southern (S) zone based on the position of the data relative to the
equator. Using this formula, the boundaries of the UTM 11 zones are -114 and -120
degrees.

To find out which UTM zone a particular longitude is in, use the following formula:
Where the RoundUp operation rounds up to the nearest integer value.

Using this formula for a longitude of -115 degrees, shows that it is in the UTM 11 zone.