PREFERRED DATUMS

• To measure terrain, surface features, position • In areas of overlapping geodetic triangulation

coordinates, heights, and gravity values at networks, each computed on a different datum,
points on the Earth’s surface, there need to be the coordinates of the points given with respect to
one datum will differ from those given with respect
corresponding reference points or surfaces (also
to the other.
known as datum points or surfaces), namely
geodetic datums, to which surveying and
The differences can be used to derive
transformation formulas.
MODERN GEODETIC SYSTEMS
Because of the inability of the large geodetic
mapping results are referred. Many countries have developed national systems such as the North American Datum
o Geodetic datums provide initial data for all datums which differ from those of their (NAD), European Datum (ED), and Tokyo Datum
kinds of surveying and mapping work and serve neighbors. (TD), to provide a basis for expression of inter-
continental geodetic information, a unified world
as the foundation for determining the geometric system became essential. o The Department of
NAD 27
shape and spatial–temporal distribution of The North American Datum, 1927 (NAD 27) has been used in the United States
Defense, in the late 1950's began to develop the
needed world system to which geodetic datums
geospatial information. for about 60 years, but it is being replaced by datums based on the World
Geodetic System. could be referred and compatibility established
A Geodetic Datum is defined as any NAD 27 coordinates are based on the latitude 39°13’26.686” and longitude between the coordinates of widely separated
261°27’29.494” of a triangulation station (the reference point) at Mead’s Ranch sites of interest.
numerical or geometrical quantity or set of in Kansas, the azimuth to a nearby triangulation station called Waldo, and the
such quantities which serves as a reference mathematical parameters of the Clarke Ellipsoid of 1866.

point from which to measure other quantities European Datum

It provides a frame of reference for
The origin of the European Datum (ED) is at Potsdam, Germany at the Helmert
measuring locations on the surface of the Tower lat. 52°22'51.45" long. 13°03'58.74".
Numerous national systems have been joined into this large datum based

THE NEW NORTH AMERICAN

Earth - It was chosen to align a spheroid to upon the International Ellipsoid of 1924 which was oriented by a modified
closely fit the Earth’s surface in a particular astrogeodetic method.

area.
Great Britain 1936 Datum DATUM OF 1983
It is the mathematical model of the earth • The Coast and Geodetic Survey of
which serves as a reference for calculating The Ordnance Survey of Great Britain 1936 Datum has no point of origin.
The data was derived as a best fit between retriangulation and original values the National Ocean Service (NOS),
the geographic coordinates and relative of 11 points of the earlier Principal Triangulation of Great Britain (1783- 1853).

location of any point on to the surface of the NOAA, is responsible for charting
earth. It is represented by ellipsoid. Tokyo Datum United States waters. From 1927 to
While a spheroid approximates the shape of Tokyo Datum has its origin in Tokyo at the Observatory, lat. 35'39'17.51", long.
139°44'40.50". o It is defined in terms of the Bessel Ellipsoid and oriented by a 1987, U.S. charts were based on NAD
the earth, a DATUM defines the position of the single astronomic station

ellipsoid relative to the center of the Earth. 27, using the Clarke 1866 ellipsoid. o
Types of Datum Indian Datum In 1989, the U.S. officially switched to
In geodesy, cartography, and navigation, two general
The Indian Datum is the preferred datum for India and several adjacent
countries in Southeast Asia. NAD 83 (navigationally equivalent
types of datums must be considered: horizontal datum
to WGS) for all mapping and
It is computed on the Everest Ellipsoid with its origin at Kalianpur, in central
and vertical datum India, lat. 24°07’11.06", long. 77°39'12.57"
The horizontal datum forms the basis for computations of
1 horizontal position. charting purposes, and all new NOS
A horizontal datum may be defined at an origin point on the Everest Ellipsoid
ellipsoid (local datum) such that the center of the ellipsoid
coincides with the Earth’s center of mass (geocentric datum). Derived in 1830, the Everest ellipsoid is the oldest of the ellipsoid in chart production is based on this
common we and is noticeably out of sympathy with more recent
2
The vertical datum provides the reference to measure
heights or depths, and may be one of two types: determinations. new standard.
Vertical geodetic datum is the reference used by surveyors to As a result, the datum cannot he extended too far from the origin since very
measure heights of topographic features, and by large geoid separations will occur.
cartographers to portray them. For this reason and the fact that the ties between local triangulations in
The vertical geodetic datum is derived from its mathematical Southeast Asia are typically weak, the Indian datum is probably the least
expression, while the tidal datum is derived from actual tidal satisfactory of the preferred datums
data.
 A. LOCAL GEODETIC DATUM B. GLOBAL GEODETIC DATUM
i. Latitude and longitude of initial i. Three constants to specify the
point. origin of the coordinate system (x, y,
ii. Azimuth of a line from this point. z).
DEVELOPMENT OF THE iii. Semi-major axis and flattening of ii. The constants to specify the
the reference ellipsoid. orientation of the coordinate system. The Global Positioning System uses
iii. Two constants to specify the
the World Geodetic System (WGS84) as
WORLD GEODETIC dimension of the reference ellipsoid
(a and f). its reference coordinate system.
WGS84 is defined and maintained by
SYSTEM the United States National Geospatial-
1. WORLD GEODETIC SYSTEM OF 1960 Intelligence Agency (NGA). It is a global
(WGS 60) datum, which means that coordinates
By the late 1950’s the increasing range and sophistication of weapons systems had change over time for objects which
rendered local or national datums inadequate for military purposes; these new are fixed in the ground.
weapons required datums at least continental, if not global, in scope. In response to
these requirements, the U.S. Department of Defense generated a geocentric (earth
centered) reference system to which different geodetic networks could be
referred, and established compatibility between the coordinate systems.
Efforts of the Army, Navy, and Air Force were combined, leading to the
development of the DoD World Geodetic System of 1960 (WGS 60).
THE PHILIPPINE REFERENCE SYSTEM OF 1992 –
2. WORLD GEODETIC SYSTEM OF 1966 (WGS
GEODETIC DATUM USED IN THE PHILIPPINES THREE-PARAMETER METHOD
66) In a three-parameter transformation (also called a
The Philippine Reference System 1992 (PRS92) is a
In January 1966, a World Geodetic System Committee was charged with the
geocentric translation), the axes of the two datums are
geodetic datum first defined in 1992-01-01 and is suitable aligned using linear shifts of the x, y, and z axes of the datum
responsibility for developing an improved WGS needed to satisfy mapping,
charting, and geodetic requirements. for use in Philippines - onshore and offshore. being transformed.
Additional surface gravity observations, results from the extension of Philippine Reference System 1992 references the A three-parameter transformation is appropriate when the
triangulation and trilateration networks, and large amounts of Doppler and x, y, and z axes of the two datums are parallel and
optical satellite data had become available since the development of WGS 60. Clarke 1866 ellipsoid and the Greenwich prime
identically scaled.
Using the additional data and improved techniques, the Committee produced meridian.
WGS 66 which served DoD needs following its implementation in 1967. SEVEN PARAMETER METHOD
By virtue of EO 45, PRS92 became the standard A seven-parameter transformation is used when the axes of
3. WORLD GEODETIC SYSTEM OF 1972 reference system for all surveying and mapping the two datums are not parallel and identically scaled.
(WGS 72) In addition to the three linear shift parameters, there are
The same World Geodetic System Committee began work in 1970 to develop a activities in the Philippines
three rotation parameters (one for each axis) and a scale
replacement for WGS 66. Since the development of WGS 66, large quantities of
DATUM factor.
additional data had become available from both Doppler and optical satellites,
TRANSFORMATION
surface gravity surveys, triangulation and trilateration surveys, high precision NADCON (GRID-BASED METHOD)
traverses, and astronomic surveys. Another type of transformation, called a grid-based
In addition, improved capabilities had been developed in both computers and A datum transformation is a set of math
formulas that convert point coordinates transformation, is available for converting between the NAD27
computer software.
from one datum to another. and NAD83 datums.
After an extensive effort extending over a period of approximately three years,
the Committee completed the development of the Department of Defense Datum transformations take place in three- This type of transformation is more accurate than the
World Geodetic System 1972 (WGS 72). dimensional space, but you can get a sense equation-based method described above.
of how they work from two-dimensional It relies on the fact that the exact latitudelongitude
4. WORLD GEODETIC SYSTEM OF 1984 (WGS example. differences between the two datums have been calculated
84)
for thousands of control points.
DATUM
Further refinement of WGS 72 resulted in the new World Geodetic System of 1984
(WGS 84), now referred to as simply WGS. TRANSFORMATION MOLODENSKY METHOD
For surface navigation, WGS 60, 66, 72 and the new WGS 84 are essentially the METHOD The Molodensky method transforms the latitude-longitude
same, so that positions computed on any WGS coordinates can be plotted coordinates of the "from" datum directly to the latitude-
directly on the others without correction. Depending on the "to" and "from" datums longitude coordinates of the "to" datum, thus skipping the
The WGS system is not based on a single point, but many points, fixed with involved, different transformation methods process of converting both datums into three-dimensional
extreme precision by satellite fixes and statistical methods. are used. cartesian coordinates.
The result is an ellipsoid which fits the real surface of the Earth, or geoid, far In both the three- and seven-parameter It uses linear shifts of the x, y, and z axes of the "from"
more accurately than any other. methods, the transformation aligns the x,y,z
datum's spheroid, plus the differences in the semi-major
The WGS system is applicable worldwide. axes of the two datums in three-
All regional datums can be referenced to WGS once a survey tie has been made. dimensional cartesian coordinate space. axes and flattening ratios of the two spheroids.