5400 King James Way #300

Fitchburg, WI 53719
Phone: 608.238.2171 Fax: 608.238.9241
Email: [email protected]
URL: http://www.powerlinesystem.com

Coordinate Systems in PLS-CADD

The purpose of this technical note is to discuss the use of coordinate systems within PLS-CADD. When version 8
of PLS-CADD was released it was the first version with the capability of designating a project coordinate system.
Having a project coordinate system allowed PLS-CADD to make cartographic calculations which convert the XYZ
points system that PLS-CADD uses into longitude and latitude. This functionality allows users to export to Google
Earth, download imagery for their project area, and several other features which will be described later.

Getting Started with Coordinate Systems

To define the coordinate system for a project you will use the Terrain/
Coordinate System/ Define command. This command opens the
coordinate system selection dialog shown to the right. The coordinate
system to be selected was defined during survey point collection. If
there is any question as to what coordinate system was used during
data collection, consult the provider of the survey data.

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 Coordinate System Categories:

1. Unknown or unavailable: The default for all old projects. Cartographic calculations will be
disabled if coordinate system is unknown.
2. State Plate NAD27: State Plate using the North American Datum of 1927.
3. State Plate NAD83: State Plate using the North American Datum of 1983.
4. Custom: Coordinate systems developed by a utility, or those that were added by Power Line
Systems.
5. UTM: Universal Transverse Mercator projection using various ellipsoids (WGS84, International
and Clark 1866)
6. EPSG: European Petroleum Survey Group which defines thousands of coordinate systems
around the world. (Note: use the Show only systems containing filter to help find coordinate
systems).
7. ESRI: Various coordinate systems used in conjunction with the ESRI GIS software.
8. World: Random coordinate systems the source of which is unknown.
9. PRJ: An option to select a ".prj" file where you can define a coordinate system. This file must
contain WKT or a PROJ string. When this option is selection the Select PRJ File button is
available.

Note: Initial experience with the ESRI and World categories has not been positive. If at all possible, we
recommend you select from EPSG instead.

Defining Your Coordinate System:

Start by choosing the

coordinate system
category. If the
coordinate system
category pertaining to
the project is not
available, the user will
need to either create a
custom coordinate
system or, preferably,
use the PRJ option.

Next the user selects

the coordinate system
zone. The user can limit
the number of zones
available by entering text into the filter to the right of “Show only systems…”. After consulting with
their Survey/GIS group, users may wish to select a datum grid shift file by clicking on the Grid Shift File
selection button. Grid shift files provide for more accurate coordinate system conversions where
available. Users in the United States will need to check the “Coordinates are in US Survey Foot” option
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if their project was built with data in US Survey Feet. By default PLS-CADD uses the international
definition of a foot.

You can select the coordinate system to use as the default coordinate system for new or existing
projects by selecting the option at the bottom of the dialog box. This default can be removed from
your project by visiting the Settings section of the File/ Preferences menu. The radio button at the
bottom of the dialog allows you to choose whether reports containing longitude and latitude have
their conversion based on GPS and Google Earth datum WGS84 or the project datum that is selected in
the dialog box.

Creating a Coordinate System:

Previously, a custom coordinate system could only be created by emailing Power Line Systems support
with coordinate system information. One example of where a custom coordinate system is necessary,
is GA95 which is the Georgia Power 1995 system. GA95 and all other coordinate systems that are not
defined by and included with the PROJ system are stored in the Custom category. This option is still
available, and useful for locations where a custom coordinate system has historically been used.

Version 16.50 of PLS-CADD gives users the option of importing a .prj file. This functionality reduces the
need to have custom coordinate systems created. This button becomes available in the dialogue box if
the PRJ coordinate system category is selected.

Validating a Coordinate System

Before making use of any of the

cartographic functionality you
enabled in PLS-CADD by selecting
your project’s coordinate system,
you should first validate that system.
To do this we recommend
generating the Lines/ Reports/
Structure Longitude and Latitude
Report. You can then do a quick sanity check by using your GIS, Google Earth or other mapping
software to jump to the location of one of the structures in your line. If the location appears to match
then you are ready for the second phase of validation. In the second phase you should print out the
Structure Longitude and Latitude Report as well as the Lines/ Reports/ Construction Staking Table and
ask your Survey or GIS group to verify that the Easting and Northing from the latter report matches the
Longitude and Latitude from the former.

The coordinate system functionality in PLS-CADD is based on the PROJ system originally developed by
Gerald Evenden of the USGS. As such, we have considerable confidence in the State Plane coordinate
system conversions. There is less experience with the various EPSG, ESRI and World systems so we
recommend additional verification prior to using one of those systems. For more information on PROJ
please see http://trac.osgeo.org/proj/

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 Coordinate System Functionality

The list of coordinate system uses in PLS-CADD is long. There are many situations, such as searching for
potential structure locations with a GPS or importing survey data, where it is necessary to project
information from the curved earth onto a plane. Many of these features do not get utilized on a day to
day basis, but below are a few that do.

KMZ Export:
Coordinate systems
allow PLS-CADD users
to export their designs
to Google Earth
through a KMZ file.
This function gives
users the ability to
perform virtual walk-
downs, share potential
designs with clients
and much more. The
Google Earth Technical
Note on the Power
Line Systems website
goes into more detail
about using KMZ
exports.
PLS-CADD: Google Earth Integration Tips

Vegetation Work Sites:

In areas where
vegetation
management work is
required, PLS-CADD
gives users the ability
to create work site
centroids. This
information can be
exported as an XML,
shared with GIS, and
shared with vegetation
management teams.

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Attachments: Attachments such as DXF files or imagery from web
mapping services use coordinate geometry to correctly locate the
attachments in a model. Both raster images and vector drawings can
be imported into PLS-CADD as attachments. Once attached to the
model, these files can be used to create points, show aerial imagery
for spotting, and display information from other parties such as
underground utilities or environmentally sensitive areas. Photos can
also be geotagged and imported to show the current condition of a
structure.

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