1. Project 1: Coordinates and Projections
Geography 121
Project 1: Coordinates and Projections
Greg Seroka, John Warner, Justine Kivlin

2. Introduction We will: Define all concepts first
Then present step-by-step instructions to completing project 1

3. Introduction Map projections Coordinate Systems 3D --> 2D
Distortion
Coordinate Systems
Based on map projections
Geographic
UTM
State Plane

4. Geographic Coordinate System
Indicates positions on a sphere in terms of angels.
Angle measurements:
Latitude (parallels):
Measures positions north and south of the Equator.
Ranges between 0° and 90° N and 0° and -90° S.
Longitude (meridians):
Measures positions east and west of the Prime Meridian.
Ranges between 0° and 180° in the eastern hemisphere and 0° and ° in the western hemisphere.
Has no error.

5. UTM Coordinate System UTM stands for Universal Transverse Mercator.
UTM is a plane coordinate system that uses meters to measure an area or to locate a specific place on a map.
It is based upon the Transverse Mercator Projection.
Meridians are the lines of tangency.
The maximum positioning error is 1 part in 2,500.
nationalatlas.gov

6. UTM Zones
UTM breaks the world up into 60 zones that run form north to south.
Each zone has its own coordinate space and projections.
Projection distortion is minimized toward the center of each zone.

7. State Plane Coordinate System
A series of planes, or coordinate systems, over the entire U.S. in 122 different regions
Used by land surveyors for its accuracy; saves times and money
More useful for measuring small distances than the other coordinate systems

8. Coordinate System Comparison
Projections are widely used to look at large regions of the world and see a more accurate picture of the 3-D earth on a 2-D picture.
minimizes distortion of each zone within the system
Projected coordinate systems:
Advantage: Easy to calculate distances and directions
Disadvantage: Introduce positioning errors
UTM -> Transverse Mercator
State Plane
Transverse Mercator for North-South regions
Lambert Conic Conformal for East-West regions
Non-projected coordinate systems
Geographic Coordinate System

9. Mercator and Lambert projections
Mercator projection left, and Lambert right.

10. Conclusion Goal: Minimize distortion Maximize accuracy
Best map for measuring/studying a specific location on Earth
Minimize distortion
Maximize accuracy

11. Step-by-Step Guide to Project 1

12. Geographic Coordinates
To find the geographic coordinates of your hometown:
Go to
In the first Latitude/Longitude Finder section:
Type in your hometown
Select the state from the drop down menu
Click on the “Lookup” button
This will give you the coordinates in degrees-minutes-seconds.
Example: Burke, VA
Latitude:    N 38° 47’ 36’’ Longitude: W 77° 16’ 18’’
To convert to decimal degrees, use
Latitude:    N ° Longitude: W °

13. World map projection
To create your world map projection that highlights the location of your home town:
Go to
Select map projection (we used Mercator)
Leave Central Meridian at 0.0
Define map extent (for Burke, VA, we used 60°N, 0°S, -110°W, -40°E)
Under “Plot a Location”, input your home latitude and longitude and place name in decimal degrees
Click “redraw the map”

14. UTM Coordinates
To convert the geographic coordinates to UTM coordinates:
Go to
In the “Degree Minute Second” section,
Choose WGS-84 (NAD-83) as the map datum.
Enter your hometown’s latitude and longitude coordinates.
Click submit
This will convert the geographic coordinates into UTM coordinates, which are in meters, and provide you with the UTM zone.
Example: Burke, VA
Easting: 302,710m
Northing: 4,296,294m
Zone: 18

15. State Plane Coordinates
To convert the geographic coordinates to state plane coordinates:
Go to
Choose NAD-83 (SPCS83) as the map datum.
Enter your hometown’s latitude and longitude coordinates.
Example: Burke, VA
Latitude:    N 38° 47’ 36’’ enter as N Longitude: W 77° 16’ 18’’ enter as W
Leave Zone blank
Click Submit
This will convert the geographic coordinates into State Plane Coordinates, which are in meters, and provide you with the SPC zone.
Easting: 3,606, m
Northing: 2,125, m
Zone: 4501

16. More Instructions
Access this presentation at
For further instruction and sources on Project 1, go to