system assignment (lat)

Learning Assignment Tool (LAT) - Quick Help Knowledge Articles

Nov 30, 2023 • knowledge, information, article contents.

• Automatically assign a curriculum or other training to new users when they are added to the system
• Dynamic Learning Assignment Based On Training Completion Date
• Using hire date for dynamic learning assignment start date
• Using the Training Removal Tool to Cancel LAT emails
• How can I find what Learning Assignment a training is in?
• Learning Assignment Tool Email Options
• Difference between 'Assign New Occurrence' and recurrence of a dynamic assignment?
• Dynamic Learning Assignment and Recurrence with Inactive users
• LAT didn’t Assign New Occurrence when user entered assignment criteria for the first time
• LAT didn’t Assign New Occurrence when user re-entered assignment criteria
• LAT did not assign training to new users in a Group
• Why was the user skipped in the learning assignment?
• User not assigned training via LAT although in availability
• Dynamic Assignment did not assign to user who meets the availability criteria
• Due Date is 1 day Later on Transcript than Due Date Specified in Learning Assignment
• Due date for newly assigned training doesn’t match configuration in Learning Assignment
• LAT is processing one hour earlier than scheduled
• Some Admins cannot find or Select a Training in the LAT
• Learning Object in Completed Status for Recurring Learning Assignment
• Transcript status immediately changes to Completed (Equivalent) when training is reassigned via LAT Recurrence.
• "Assigned only" Learning Assignment is not respected?
• Permission "Proxy Enrollment/Assignment Schedule Time - Manage" Renamed
• Case Creation Guidelines - General Troubleshooting and Replication Steps
• Case Creation Guidelines - Learning Assignment Tool (Configuration)
• Learning Assignment Tool - Feature Focus Playlist

• Show more actions

Latitude, Longitude and Coordinate System Grids

Latitude, Longitude, and Coordinate System Grids

Here’s how you can remember latitude and longitude:

Latitude lines run east-west and are parallel to each other but measure north-north. So if you go north, latitude values increase. Finally, latitude values (Y-values) range between -90 and +90 degrees.

But longitude lines run north-south and measure east-west. They converge at the poles. And its X-coordinates are between -180 and +180 degrees.

Latitude and longitude coordinates make up our geographic coordinate system .

Map Coordinate Systems

You can give any location on Earth latitude and longitude coordinates.

The field of study that measures the shape and size of the Earth is geodesy . Geodesists use coordinate reference systems such as WGS84 , NAD27 , and NAD83. In each coordinate system, geodesists use mathematics to give each position on Earth a unique coordinate.

A geographic coordinate system defines two-dimensional coordinates based on the Earth’s surface. It has an angular unit of measure, prime meridian , and datum (which contains the spheroid).

As shown in the image below, lines of longitude have X-coordinates between -180 and +180 degrees.

On the other hand, lines of latitudes have Y-values that are between -90 and +90 degrees.

The equator is where we measure north and south. For example, everything north of the equator has positive latitude values. Whereas, everything south of the equator has negative latitude values.

The Greenwich Meridian (or prime meridian) is a zero line of longitude from which we measure east and west. In fact, the zero line passes through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England , which is why we call it what it is today.

In a geographical coordinate system, the prime meridian is the line that has 0° longitude. Most horizontal datums assign the equator as a zero line of latitude.

The equator is where we measure north and south. Whereas, the Greenwich Meridian (or prime meridian) is a zero line of longitude from which we measure east and west.

Together, these lines provide a reference for latitude and longitude that always zig-zag into each other . This geographic grid gives unique latitude and longitude for every position on Earth.

Find Anything on Earth with Coordinates

Coordinates are pairs (X, Y) in a two-dimensional space referenced to a horizontal datum. Whereas triplets (X, Y, Z) of points not only have a position but also has height referenced to a vertical datum . In other words, the X- and Y-values represent a horizontal position. Whereas, the Z-value represents the vertical position.

Geographic coordinate systems use an ellipsoid to approximate all locations on the surface of the earth. Whereas, the datum defines the surface.

A horizontal datum has a major axis , which is the longest diameter of an ellipse. Also, it has a minor axis , which is the shortest diameter of an ellipse. Finally, a horizontal datum has a radius that represents the position of the surface relative to the center of the earth.

Additionally, time zones roughly use lines of longitude at 15° intervals. Starting at the Prime Meridian, there are 24 different time zones in the world, as shown in the world time zone map .

What is a Coordinate Reference System?

A reference ellipsoid is the mathematical model of the shape of the Earth with the major axis along the equatorial radius.

A geographic coordinate system uses longitude and latitude expressed in decimal degrees. For example, WGS 1984 and NAD 1983 are the most common datums in use today. Before 1983, NAD27 was the most common datum.

Cartographers write spherical coordinates (latitudes and longitudes) in degrees-minutes-seconds (DMS) and decimal degrees . For degrees-minutes-seconds, minutes range from 0 to 60. For example, the geographic coordinate expressed in degrees-minutes-seconds for New York City is:

• Latitude: 40 degrees, 42 minutes, 51 seconds N
• Longitude: 74 degrees, 0 minutes, 21 seconds W

You can also express geographic coordinates in decimal degrees. It’s just another way to represent that same location in a different format. For example, here is New York City in decimal degrees:

• Latitude: 40.714
• Longitude: -74.006

The Federal Communications Commission has a DMS-Decimal converter tool that converts latitude and longitude between decimal degrees and degrees, minutes, and seconds.

Latitude, Longitude, and Spherical Coordinate System Grids

When you put two coordinates together as a pair (X, Y), you can locate anything on Earth .

Latitude and longitude form our coordinate system grid.

Also, you can express coordinates in different ways. For example, you can use decimal degrees or degrees-minutes-seconds .

Thanks to our geographic coordinate system, you can pinpoint any point on Earth such as GPS receivers . This includes the spot where you are reading this article right now.

25 Map Types for Building Unbeatable Maps

Epic Web Maps – The Maps Hall of Fame

50 Map Projections Types: A Visual Guide

How Map Projections Work

Esri JavaScript API Examples: 15 High-Tech Webmaps and Webscenes

Ocean Currents Map: Visualize Our Oceans Movement

3 Wildfire Maps for Tracking Real-Time Forest Fires

10 Topographic Maps From Around the World

31 comments.

You say:”Together, these lines provide a reference for latitude and longitude that always zig-zag into each other. This geographic grid gives unique latitude and longitude for every position on Earth.”

the zig-zag is not the only way ton explain the locations, many locations go straight away up or down…

Hi, At the beginning you states: “Latitude lines run east-west” “But longitude lines run north-south.”

It’s the opposite! Thank you for correcting!

It’s true actually – lines of latitude do run east-west. But they measure north-south.

I’ve updated the article to clarify that concept. Thanks!

We write the latitudes and longitudes of a place like 20 degrees N and 10 degrees E. This means we mention the latitudes first and then the longitudes. How are grid references different from this? We write the value of Eastings first and then the Northings where Eastings represent the standing lines and Northing represent the sleeping lines. Please explain the difference.

“Latitude, Longitude, and Spherical Coordinate System Grids When you put two coordinates together as a pair (X, Y), you can locate anything on Earth.”

“For example, here is New York City in decimal degrees: Latitude: 40.714 Longitude: -74.006”

Surely this is backward? Why would you have the x-axis going north/south and the y-axis going east/west??

No, this is correct. Latitude is the distance north/south away from the equator.

For those referring to (land?) Plot plans, these use a different datum(?) than geographic coordinates. They are based on bearings, not locations in (x,y,z), and depend on a fixed starting point other than (0,0,0).

I’m super confused on the minutes and seconds part. Can someone explain it to me?

So how is coordinate geometry found in latitude and longitude??????

What are the special grids on a map?

To remember latitude is like climbing up and down a stairway. You go up in latitude and down in latitude. Thus, you go from the equator, 0 deg up to 90degs up to the North Pole, and equator, 0 deg down to -90 degs to the South Pole. As for longtitude, is the horizontal movement at 0 deg from 0 deg at Prime Meridian to the East or from 0 deg at Prime Meridian to the West.

I learnt latitude – in the door’, longitude – up the stairs. Doors have mats, that rhyme with lat and it’s a long way up the stairs. It works when map reading too.

What is the way to get the distance from one reading to a second reading ex 51.50 -47.25

How do we know if they are negative

Negative longitude means it’s west of the prime meridian . But negative latitudes means that it’s south of the equator. I would plug the latitude and longitude values in, and see where they land. If the coordinates make sense, then you would know if it’s negative or positive.

How can the size of an area delineated by latitude and longitude be calculated?

You would need at the very least 3 coordinates. Then, convert point to polygon and calculate area. All can be done in QGIS.

Ha, Hallo! Awful question and I am sure you’re no the correct forum, but maybe you can guide me in this difficult process. Live in Stockholm, Sweden, hired a carpenter that later charged me 2.5 the agreed amount, he didn’t finish the job after 7 weeks and I fired him. He was supposed to be due in 2 weeks! Now I am being sued in court and I try to get data from his mobile telephone, GPS locations, as he has not been in my Stockholm apartment as he states. Stockholm police can assist me if a DA agrees, and if not, the court will not assist. You have any guidance?

Hi – very nice document on goegraphy, coordinates and projections – all though I think something is wrong in the section “Find Anything on Earth with Coordinates”. It says “In other words, the X-value represents the horizontal position. Whereas, the Y-value represents the vertical position.” I think the correct words would be: In other words, the X- and Y-values represents the horizontal position. Whereas, the Z-value represents the vertical position.

Thanks for the suggestion. I updated the post.

Dennis Crane, if you still look here and haven’t had an answer about your Maryland coordinates, there was a program on the internet called “Corpscon7” which can convert coordinates like you have to regular LON LAT coordinates. It takes a little playing with, and a little knowledge, but it works great.

In football, running North-South is to move down the length of the field ?!?

Think in basic football terms. A Lateral pass is a cross field pass Latitude North – South Go Long is a downfield pass Longitude East – West

This is an interesting analogy! Thanks for the comment

Interesting article. In some cases it’s required to incorporate a distance correction factors depending on your location and main reference point for the specific project,therefore, this correction factor can be bigger or smaller than 1 that can result in greater or smaller distances on the earth compare with the UTM grid.

In my current project we use what they’ve called Plant Coordinates which are UTM affected by the correction factor.

Is there a reason that latitude and longitude are given in that order instead of longitude and latitude? As I understand the map, it’s like using a coordinate pair of (y,x) instead of (x,y) which is what’s taught in school. Am I reading that incorrectly, or is there a reason for that convention?

Think “ladder” for latitude (north south) Long for longitude since longitude has a “longer” range of values up to 180 degrees, compare to up to 90 degrees for latitude

Thanks for the comments on GISGeography, David! Very helpful for anyone learning these concepts.

I have a similar question from Maryland. I have a plot plan that contains reference N: 429,433.02 and E: 1,455,456.46. This is an IPF location. Any suggestions?

I have a set of property drawings of the public bus depot in Rochester, NY done in 1974. It shows the coordinates of the corners of the buildings on the property. The format of the coordinates is strange; for example, instead of the usual North and West, the first number is identified as “South,” the second as “East.”

For example: 49,957.44 South, 42,117.36 East. I thought they might be State Plane Coordinates, but I’ve confirmed that they are not. Ultimately I need to convert them into “normal” lat/long coordinates, but my question for now is just, what format is this?

The longitudinal lines are perpendicular to the equator. Are the longitudes perpendicular to the latitudes?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

System Assignment

Systems are available for assignment to properly control the orientation of entities like loads, transformations of parts, model has degrees of freedom for movement during simulation among many other applications.

Share my Location

• Forums Home
• Civil 3D Community
• Civil 3D Forum

Coordinate System assignment and scale factors?

• Subscribe to RSS Feed
• Mark Topic as New
• Mark Topic as Read
• Float this Topic for Current User
• Printer Friendly Page
• Back to Topic Listing

• Mark as New
• GPS scale factor coordinate system

never-displayed

Forums Links

• Getting started
• Contact Support & Downloads
• Autodesk Education Support
• Trial Support

Can't find what you're looking for? Ask the community or share your knowledge.

Post to forums  

Latitude and Longitude Finder

Latitude and Longitude are the units that represent the coordinates at geographic coordinate system . To make a search, use the name of a place, city, state, or address, or click the location on the map to find lat long coordinates .

For better accuracy please type Name Address City State Zipcode.

What is Latitude and Longitude?

Just like every actual house has its address (which includes the number, the name of the street, city, etc), every single point on the surface of earth can be specified by the latitude and longitude coordinates . Therefore, by using latitude and longitude we can specify virtually any point on earth.

The latitude has the symbol of phi , and it shows the angle between the straight line in the certain point and the equatorial plane. The latitude is specified by degrees, starting from 0° and ending up with 90° to both sides of the equator, making latitude Northern and Southern. The equator is the line with 0° latitude. The longitude has the symbol of lambda and is another angular coordinate defining the position of a point on a surface of earth. The longitude is defined as an angle pointing west or east from the Greenwich Meridian, which is taken as the Prime Meridian . The longitude can be defined maximum as 180° east from the Prime Meridian and 180° west from the Prime Meridian.

Both latitude and longitude are measured in degrees , which are in turn divided into minutes and seconds. For example, the tropical zone which is located to the south and to the north from the Equator is determined by the limits of 23°26'13.7'' S and 23°26'13.7'' N. Or. For example, the geographical coordinates of the mount Ngauruhoe in New Zealand, famous with its being the filming area for the Lord of the Rings movie, has the geographic coordinates of 39°09'24.6''S 175°37'55.8''E.

About Lat Long

Latlong.net is an online geographic tool that can be used to lookup latitude and longitude of a place , and get its coordinates on map. You can search for a place using a city's or town's name, as well as the name of special places, and the correct lat long coordinates will be shown at the bottom of the latitude longitude finder form. At that, the place you found will be displayed with the point marker centered on map. Also the gps coordinates will be displayed below the map.

Follow us on Twitter

Recent Locations:

Recently Added Places

• Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, UK Royal Armouries Museum is a large modern national museum with 5 floors in Leeds Dock, Leeds, England, located...
• Whitby Abbey, UK Whitby Abbey is a historical landmark overlooking the North Sea in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England, located on the...
• Blenheim Park, UK Blenheim Park is a popular destination in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. It has an area of 224.3 hectares (554...
• Eastbourne Pier, UK Eastbourne Pier is a tourist attraction in Eastbourne, East Sussex, South England. It is a Victorian pier featuring...
• OVO Hydro, Glasgow OVO Hydro, formerly known as The SSE Hydro (2013-2021), is an event venue in Glasgow, Scotland, located within...

Recently Updated Places

• Eagan, MN, USA
• Headcorn, UK
• Ulcombe, UK
• Chart Sutton, UK
• Lenham, Kent, UK
• Nyêmo County, China
• Sithio, Jharkhand, India
• Monterey, CA, USA
• California Coastal National Monument

Pokémon GO Locations

Dear visitors, You can get free 30 geocode process per day by Signing up free to latlong.net. Non registered visitors can only run 10 geocode process. Thank you for supporting us...

Recent Comments

I like Geography, especially about the Earth. It is so much fun knowing these stuffs, about latitudes and longitudes. I like this website and I am going to copy the link and save to my laptop. Thank You LatLong:)

better to include elevation of that region also

New! Reverse Batch Multi Geocoding is available now! You just need to sign up and buy one of our products to use our new feature. ;) Best regards.

New! Batch Multi Geocoding is available now! You can now geocode bulk addresses.

its the best I know!!!

30 geocode process is great. Hope that more will come up. Keep good wor

Hey! Thanks for your visiting our website. Batch Multi Geocoding is available for our registered users. So you need to sign up to latlong.net and buy one of our products to use our new feature. ;)

I see that bulk geocoding is available - but where? I have about 25 to do, but I don't want to type in each one individually. However, I don't see a button or link or anything for me to upload my 25 addresses. Peace CJ

Finally! Long-awaited feature was batch geocoding and it is available now!

This is fantastic and very useful for Latlong coordinates. Great job, guys and gals. Thank you!

BRINGS ME BACK TO MY COLLEGE DAYS, EXCELLANT TOOL

thanks for the app really can help....

I love this site you people are doing great keep it up.It helps me pull up my grades in now i get better grades.In long,lat is great for people that don't know how to use this site.I rlly hope you ppl keep up the great work.The more you do a good job the more i show people about this site.I rly use this site every day.Because is helps you learn.Thank's!!!

I drove a big time company exec for several years. The first time I drove him to his required location, I set my GPS to a parking SPOT in the parking LOT of the company using this website. He asked, "How the HELL did you do that?". I used this ALL the time. Incredible.

This is making this really easy to understand for not just me but for those who do not understand this type of things that are hard for people.So all I have to say now really is that whoever made this website is a genius because I still could not get the latitude and longitude but after using this website I would just know the latitude and longitude. THANKYOU !!

Hello, thank you for getting back to me. I have been using your site since 2012! What is the daily quota? I will check out the link you sent, but I can't find any other site that gives us this info and it's so helpful. Some of the apps I develop add up to 30 venues for their events! Is it possible to pay for this site or do you soly rely on advertising? I work for a big firm and we really appreciate having this available. Hopefully this will continue to work for us. Best regards ;-)

Thank you for this site. It was so easy to use and helpful. I am an Insurance Agent and need to know the longitude and latitude coordinates. Thanks again!

Awesome. Would be amazing if it allowed multiple inputs though!

Very useful tool

This is an interesting tool. I would be interested in going further with a tool that enables the street or close area name to a list of many geolocations at the same time. It could be tiresome when you need to verify a long list.

Hi Peter, Batch Multi Geocoding is available for our registered users. You can check our products to use this feature. https://www.latlong.net/products Best regards.

I'd love to be able to contribute. I've been an aviation enthusiast all my life. I'm a former ATC.

Please identify the horizontal datum used in calculating the coordinates. Is it NAD 1927, NAD 1983, or WGS 84?

Hi Robert, Latlong.net uses the World Geodetic System WGS84 as its reference. Best regards.

Thank you for your time and energy putting this together.

It is really amazing using this application to find my location via map. Thank you

It's not clear what is included in a "Geocode Process" for the paid subscription. Is that just one location or one batch of locations?

Hey Ross, You can visit our Products page for details: https://www.latlong.net/products You can also send us an email for further info: https://www.latlong.net/contact.php Best regards.

Love to have this option to make embroidered gifts with the coordinates as the address for friends moving into new homes.

Hi, I guess I don't understand how the batch file process works. I emailed a small batch request a couple of days ago and it has disappeared. It is just a small batch of 123 addresses. How am I supposed to run it? Thanks for your time

Hey Dave, If you submitted your data on our user panel, it will be placed in our process queue and it will be executed in a few days max. You can always contact us here: https://www.latlong.net/contact.php Best regards.

I just signed up. I'm getting "You have 30 geocoding quota left for today." But I can't get the Lat Long of "Seoul" with your "Latitude and Longitude Finder" while when I google it I see it on your page?

Hey Jan, Thanks for using Latlong. You can add country name/code for better results. Best regards.

Please make the narrower... (the 100px "min-height" only wastes space and makes us scroll when we need to get latitudes and longitudes of numerous cities/locations ("min-height:20px" is perfectly fine - I tried...:)

I met my wife 50 years ago at a hotel in San Juan, PR and you provided me with the exact coordinates. Very interesting! Thank you, Joe

Do you offer any API call services please? Your results are very accurate! Thumbs UP!!!

Greetings, such an Excellent Website. I have Added a link back to this site for members to get the Lat and Lng from this website as Google Reverse GEO is disabled on sportkin. the link will display under the input field s for lat long at https://sportkin.com//location/p/111337?edit (111337) being the location ID Please let me know if this is not okay and will be revolked. Is there a way I can grab the URL by address rather than https://www.latlong.net/c?NSW

Hi Christopher, Thanks so much for adding a link to use. Unfortunately, there is no way to grab the lat long values. Best regards and have a great year.

I am very appreciative and grateful because of the content on this website!! Thank you so much and your hard work into creating this website is acknowledged.

Why are the lat long coordinates different from the GPS coordinates? I would think that 42.982460N latitude would translate to GPS 42degrees 98'2460"N but it comes up below the map as 42degrees 58'56.856"N.

This is because a Degree is split into 60 minutes and these are split into 60 seconds, whereas 42.982460 is a decimal version. You can convert by multiplying the decimal remainder by 60 for minutes, then seconds. 0.982460 * 60 = 58.9476 (58 minutes) AND 0.9476 * 60 = 56.856 (seconds)

The software is amazing, but please add the option to create more than one order at the same time. Because it is time consuming to wait one hour until create another one.

Hi Anna, thanks so much for visiting our website. We will put this feature on our to-do list. ;) Best regards.

Hello, is there a python coding script for this? I would really like to know how this was coded in python. Thanks!

Hi Tom, No, we don't have that. Thank you for visiting our website. Best regards.

Thank you for your awesome line of stuff.

Helped me track down with a lot of hard work the exact location of the hacker who took over my phone. Now I send it off to Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and take to the police. Judging by the home, they don't need my anything from me. As a single mom with no family, and unable to work from an accident where someone was intoxicated rear ended me I have nothing he could steal except the very small amount Insurance Disability gives. This has caused so much stress knowing as I type this he/she is watching. Google Gmail is how they got in. You cannot sign in or out of Gmail and its an open door for hackers. Googles response, delete Gmail from phone and tablet and use the computer. Google was attacked by phishing (sp)and secured their employees with a stick. But we're told delete our Gmail. How hard is it to build a sign in and out button? They certianally have enough apps to help hackers download apps that are completly hidden and 1Password by Google....thanks! I was in surgery and my phone was dead in recovery room and 181 texts were sent. Be careful, I've spoken to a lot of people and free wifi even bluetooth can let them in. Its worth the money to get a VPN instead of going through what I am. They have pictures of my kids and where they go to school and all my documents that no one wants a hacker to see. My health is declining fast and I have to contact the Government to make sure that everything is ok so my kids can safely get money once I'm gone and not him. Thank you for this, I can hand it over to police and Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Hi Melinda, We are so sorry to hear that. We hope that never happens again. We are very glad that our service helped with your problem. Best wishes.

There's a bug in the system. If you keep moving the map in one direction (E/W), the numbers will keep increase/decrease, without switching the sign or nullifying the value. To make a point, I got to (39.283294, -2770.026743).

We will check for this issue. Thank you for feedback, best regards.

Choose the right projection

Projections are calculations that allow you to draw the round earth on a flat screen or piece of paper. If you've made a map before, you've used a projection.

Every map deforms the earth. It is impossible to represent a curved surface (the earth) on a flat one (a map) without stretching, skewing, and tearing it. Map projections apply this distortion in a systematic way that allows you to control where and how it happens. This tutorial will introduce you to tools and techniques to help you choose the right projection for your map.

Requirements

• ArcGIS Pro ( see options for software access )

Understand projections

You will not find a projection that is suitable for all maps. All projections distort the earth in some way. Each one seeks to preserve some geometric property at the expense of others.

Projection types

Conformal projections preserve angles locally, so the shapes of features appear true. But the cost of this quality is the distortion of areas and distances. Equal area projections preserve area, at the expense of angles, so the shapes of some places appear skewed. Equidistant projections preserve distances, although only from certain points or along certain lines on the map.

Compromise projections provide a representation of the earth that is not perfectly correct in any way but not badly distorted in any way either. They are usually used for maps of the entire world.

There are dozens of projections available in ArcGIS that can be configured into countless projected coordinate systems. Your choice of a projected coordinate system depends on many factors, including the part of the world you are mapping, the scale of your map, and the purpose of your map. You want to choose a projected coordinate system in which the places and properties that are most important to your map are the least distorted.

Map global analysis results

Map projections distort the grid of latitude and longitude lines, which means they also distort your data. You've taken great care to conduct an analysis of future precipitation changes properly and precisely. Next, you need to present your results on a map. You want to choose a projection that will allow you to present those results clearly, so they are not misinterpreted.

Find a global equal area projection

First, you'll explore a few traditional resources to help you find a suitable projection for your analysis results.

• Download the Map Projections project package .

If you don't have access to ArcGIS Pro or an ArcGIS organizational account, see options for software access .

The project has three maps. The Change in water storage map is active.

The data on this map shows change in water storage for every month since January 2000 . The darkest blue areas had a 50 mm increase in storage, while the darkest brown areas had a 50 mm decrease. The map currently shows water storage for January 2000.

To view the data for every year, click the Play button on the time slider.

First, you'll find out which projection this map is using.

Under Current XY , you can see that the current coordinate system for this map is WGS 1984 Web Mercator (auxiliary sphere) .

Web Mercator is a common projected coordinate system designed for web mapping applications. Most of Esri's basemaps are tiled in Web Mercator, so they can have the greatest compatibility. However, this projection does not preserve areas, distances, or angles.

You can select Details above the current coordinate system to display more information.

Looking at this map, you may think that Greenland is many times larger than India. In fact, Greenland is slightly smaller than India. If the Web Mercator projection distorts the relative sizes of countries so dramatically, you know that it must also be distorting your analysis results.

This map suggests that only small areas saw a decrease in water storage, mostly near the equator. Web Mercator is not an appropriate choice for this map. Next, you'll consult a chart that compares projections to find one that is appropriate for your map.

The property that is most important to preserve in your precipitation map is area. This is true for most maps presenting analysis results involving area, density, or distance comparisons.

• Properties: Equal Area
• Suitable Extent: World
• General Purpose: Thematic

There are a few projections that are suitable for your map. One of them is Equal Earth.

You can read about any projection found in ArcGIS to help you decide which is best for your map.

Change the map's projected coordinate system

You've decided to use the Equal Earth projection. Next, you'll apply it to your Change in water storage map.

• In ArcGIS Pro , in the Contents pane, double-click Change in water storage to open the Map Properties window.
• Click the Coordinate Systems tab.

The list of available coordinate systems filters based on your search.

The Current XY button updates to indicate that the map's coordinate system has changed.

Changing the coordinate system in the Map Properties window affects only the map. It does not change the coordinate system of your data layers. The layers are projected on the fly to draw correctly on the map. To learn more about projection on the fly, read this blog article .

The new projected coordinate system is applied to your map.

The analysis results are now presented in a form that preserves relative areas, so your map readers can accurately compare the areas of water storage changes.

Below is a comparison of the two projections at the same scale. How might the Web Mercator projection mislead or hinder people from properly interpreting your analysis results?

The Equal Earth projection is designed to show the entire world, but there are two parts of the world that it is unable to map effectively. Next, you'll try a projection designed to map polar regions.

Map polar data

A compass needle does not point to the true north pole. Instead, it points to the magnetic north pole , a location that is constantly changing. Next, you'll make a map to show the wandering path the magnetic pole has taken over the past 400 years. You also want to use this map to show whether the magnetic north pole is moving closer to, or farther away from, true north.

Find a polar equidistant projection

You'll search for a projected coordinate system that preserves distances from the north pole.

The view changes to show a different map.

The data in this map was provided by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) .

The map does a poor job of illustrating the changing location of the magnetic north pole. The points all appear to be far away from the true north pole, and they are also split up on either side of the map. Measurements made on this map would be meaningless.

For this map's projection, you have two criteria:

• To display the arctic data more naturally, you need a projection designed for polar regions.
• To determine how close magnetic north is to true north, you need an equidistant projection, which will preserve accurate distance measurements to the north pole.

Next, you'll find an appropriate projected coordinate system by using a filter.

This map currently uses a geographic coordinate system, WGS 1984. When a geographic coordinate system is selected, your map will be projected using the pseudo-plate carrée projection. You can read more about the difference between geographic and projected coordinate systems in this blog article .

The list of available coordinate systems is filtered to only those that preserve distances when measured through the center of the projection.

Drag the edges of the Map Properties window to make it larger.

There are only two projected coordinate systems, one for the north pole and one for the south pole.

This projection distorts both angles and areas. Distortion is extreme in the southern hemisphere.

However, this projection is useful for mapping the area around the north pole. It preserves true distances and directions measured from the pole.

There are some problems with the Topographic basemap. This basemap was designed for the Web Mercator projection, so it becomes squished and stretched when it is reprojected onto the Azimuthal Equidistant map. Additionally, Web Mercator is unable to show the poles, so the basemap is cut off past 85° latitude, leaving a blank hole in your map.

The Topographic basemap is not suitable for your polar map, so you'll find one that is.

• In the Contents pane, right-click Topographic and choose Remove .

• In the Search bar, type Polar Basemap and press Enter .

The map updates to display the new basemap, which covers the portion of the earth north of 50° latitude.

Find the northernmost magnetic pole

Next, you'll use your map to measure distances between true north and the wandering magnetic north pole, to determine the year when they were closest.

Snapping will allow you to measure features more easily.

The Measure Distance window appears on top of the map.

The tool reports a distance of 403.1 kilometers (250.47 miles).

• On your keyboard, press Esc to clear the measurement.

Magnetic north was nearest to true north in 2018, when it was 394.16 kilometers (244.92 miles) away. It is now heading south, toward Russia.

You can make true distance measurements on this map because it uses an equidistant projection. However, no projection can preserve all distances. The azimuthal equidistant projection preserves distance and direction from the central point only. So measurements from the north pole are true, but measurements between any other locations on this map will be inaccurate.

Measure geodesic and planar distances

The measurements you've made so far have been planar. Planar distances are like measuring with a ruler on a paper map. Geodesic distances are like measuring with a string over the surface of a globe. Next, you'll compare planar and geodesic measurements between the magnetic north poles of 1590 and 2020.

• Press Esc to clear your current measurement.

The distance reported between these two locations is 1,758.73 kilometers (1,092.82 miles). However, the only accurate planar distances that can be made on this map are from the center point. To find accurate distances between other locations, you need to make geodesic measurements.

This time, the reported distance is 1,866.63 kilometers (1,159.87 miles). The geodesic distance is over 100 kilometers longer than the planar distance.

• Close the Measure Distance window.

Geodesic distances ignore the map's projection and provide a true distance. Planar distances are only true if the map uses a distance-preserving projection, and only to certain points or along certain lines.

The projected coordinate system you chose for this map was already centered on the north pole, which happened to be the location from which you wanted to measure. But what if you wanted to measure from a different point?

Modify a projected coordinate system

Next, you'll modify the existing coordinate system to center it on the 1590 magnetic north pole, so measurements can instead be made from that point.

The Longitude and Latitude are listed in the pop-up. The coordinates of the pointer can also be read in the toolbar beneath the map.

• Close the pop-up.
• On the Contents toolbar, double-click the North Pole map to open the Map Properties window and click the Coordinate Systems tab.

If North Pole Azimuthal Equidistant is not highlighted, use the Search bar to find it.

The Modify Projected Coordinate System window appears. Here, you can construct a custom coordinate system with parameters that match your needs.

The Projection is already set to Azimuthal Equidistant . A projection and a projected coordinate system are not the same thing. A projection is one parameter in a projected coordinate system. Other parameters include a geographic coordinate system, a linear unit, and a set of parameters that depend on the selected projection (central meridian, scale factor, and so on).

Learn more about coordinate systems in the blog article Coordinate Systems: What's the Difference?

You'll adjust the parameters for this projected coordinate system to center it on the chosen location, instead of true north.

These are the values you observed in the pop-up.

1590 Magnetic North Pole Equidistant is now set as the Current XY coordinate system for your map. It is also listed in the Custom category of available coordinate systems.

Coordinate systems in the Custom category are not saved. Next, you'll add it to a favorites folder so you can use it in future maps.

• Right-click the new custom coordinate system and choose Add to Favorites .

Favorite coordinate systems are stored as .prj files in C:\Users\<your user name>\AppData\Local\ESRI\ArcGISPro\Favorites .

The map redraws with the new projected coordinate system. It looks similar to before, but the center of the map (if not the basemap) has shifted. Both geodesic and planar measurements from the new point will now be accurate.

• Save the project.

In ArcGIS, you can choose between planar or geodesic measurements. But your map reader will not have this choice; they will only see a flat map on a screen or piece of paper. An equidistant projection is the right choice for this map to allow everyone to assess distance correctly from the north pole.

Sometimes, you won't find a projected coordinate system that is ready-made for your map's purpose. ArcGIS Pro allows you to modify any coordinate system to have parameters that better suit your needs. Next, you'll learn how to create a custom projected coordinate system using suggested parameters from ArcGIS Pro .

Map the border of two UTM zones

Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) is a system that is commonly used for large-scale maps. If your map is narrower than 6° of longitude, you can map it with a UTM projected coordinate system. The map you'll make next is narrow enough but doesn't fit properly into an existing UTM zone.

In this tutorial module, you'll learn how to find the correct UTM projected coordinate system for an area of interest, and how to create a custom projected coordinate system to use when a standard UTM zone doesn't fit.

Find the correct UTM zone

You want to map the border between Finland and Russia. This will be a reference map, meant to give descriptive context to the border region. You want to use a conformal projection to show the shapes of features in their most recognizable forms.

This map currently uses the Web Mercator projection. While the Mercator projection is conformal, Web Mercator (Mercator Auxiliary Sphere) is not. In addition, this projection distorts area and distances dramatically in higher latitudes.

The white rectangle represents the area you want to map. Because this is a narrow piece of the earth—within 6° of longitude—you can use a UTM zone. UTM projected coordinate systems are conformal and their distortion of other map properties is minimal.

UTM divides the earth into 60 zones. Next, you'll use a spatial filter to determine which UTM zone to use for your map.

• In the Contents pane, double-click Border to open the Map Properties window.

The values under Selected extent update to match the extent of the Map Neatline layer.

The XY Coordinate Systems Available list is filtered to only contain coordinate systems with extents that overlap with your map.

There are two UTM zones for the area that you want to map, 35N and 36N, and you can't tell from this list which zone is best.

Next, you'll add a layer to your map to visualize the UTM grid.

• In the Catalog pane, click the Portal tab and click Living Atlas .
• In the search bar, type UTM Grid and press Enter .

Next, you will label the UTM zones by their zone number.

The UTM grid is not labeled with the correct field. You can change the label field from the Labeling tab.

The Finland-Russia border lies on the border of two UTM zones: 35 and 36.

UTM projected coordinate systems minimize distortion to reasonable levels, but only within their zone areas. Neither zone 35 nor 36 will provide this benefit for your map area.

• In the Contents pane, right-click World_UTM_Grid and choose Remove .

The World_UTM_Grid layer confirmed that the best choice for this map is a custom projected coordinate system. Next, you'll create one for this region.

Create a custom projected coordinate system

ArcGIS Pro can suggest new custom projected coordinate systems based on two criteria: distortion property and map extent.

A new window appears.

The parameters of the new custom projected coordinate system appear in the Result box.

The Projection is set to Transverse Mercator NGA 2014 . This is a variant of the Transverse Mercator projection used by UTM zone maps.

Transverse Mercator is a common projection, used by the UTM coordinate systems and some State Plate coordinate systems. Transverse Mercator NGA 2014 is a variant of this projection, with the added advantage of being able to show a larger portion of the world.

The Central Meridian and Latitude Of Origin parameters are taken from the center of the Map Neatline rectangle.

The False Easting  shifts the origin point of the coordinate system far away from your map area to ensure that no coordinates have negative values. The Scale Factor  minimizes distortion across the entire 6° zone.

• Click Save .

The map redraws with the new projected coordinate system.

The new projected coordinate system distorts shapes that are far from its central meridian (29.9° E).

Even though this map can show the entire world, it is only appropriate to map areas in the middle of this coordinate system—within 3° of its central meridian.

The image below shows a comparison of the map in the new custom projected coordinate system and in Web Mercator.

In the custom coordinate system, the shape of the neatline polygon is a trapezoid instead of a rectangle. Its northern edge is shorter than its southern edge. The rectangle in Web Mercator is misleading: on the earth, these lines are not the same length. The new projection represents them more accurately.

The two maps shown above are drawn at the same scale: 1 to 20 million. But that scale is meaningless in the Web Mercator map, since its area distortions are so extreme. Distortion in the Transverse Mercator map is small enough to be unnoticeable, and more precise measurements can be made on that map.

Earlier in this tutorial, you learned how to modify coordinate systems. How could you modify an existing UTM coordinate system to center it on the Russia-Finland border? How could you modify the Equal Earth projection from the start of this tutorial to better show the Pacific Ocean?

Copy and modify any WGS 1984 UTM Zone coordinate system. Change the central meridian to 29.9.

Copy and modify the Equal Earth (world) coordinate system. Change the central meridian to 160°W or a similar value.

In this tutorial, you learned some techniques and explored resources that will help you choose an appropriate map projection:

• Consult the Quick Notes on Map Projections in ArcGIS chart.
• Review the ArcGIS help documentation for supported map projections .
• Filter coordinate systems based on projection properties and spatial extents in ArcGIS Pro .
• Copy and modify existing projected coordinate systems in ArcGIS Pro .
• Access the UTM Grid reference layer in ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World .
• Create a custom projected coordinate system in ArcGIS Pro with an extent and projection property.

Take a closer look at the maps you see on the internet, in the news, or in apps. Do they use a projection that is well suited to their purpose? Are their distance and area measurements accurate?

The consequences of ignoring your choice of map projection include distorting your data and misleading your map readers. However, if you spend some time to find an appropriate projected coordinate system, you'll create a map that presents your data and your message clearly and accurately.

You can find more cartography tutorials on the Introduction to Cartography page.

Acknowledgements

• GLDAS Change in Storage 2000 - Present : NASA
• World Continents : Esri
• Magnetic north pole : NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)
• World UTM Grid : Esri

Send Us Feedback

Please send us your feedback regarding this tutorial. Tell us what you liked as well as what you didn't. If something in the tutorial didn't work, let us know what it was and where in the tutorial you encountered it (the section name and step number). Use this form to send us feedback .

Share and repurpose this tutorial

Sharing and reusing these tutorials are encouraged. This tutorial is governed by a Creative Commons license (CC BY-SA-NC) . See the Terms of Use page for details about adapting this tutorial for your use.

Ready to learn more?

Related esri training, preparing data for gis applications.

This course explores data-preparation techniques that are relevant for a variety of GIS applications. Gain essential skills to assess data quality, address inconsistencies, and deliver valid results from your GIS projects.

Introduction to Coordinate Systems

In this course, you will learn about why coordinate systems are important and about the two types of coordinate systems used in mapping: geographic coordinate systems and projected coordinate systems.

Basics of Geographic Coordinate Systems

How do you accurately represent the location of features on the earth's surface on paper or a computer screen? In a GIS, the answer starts with a geographic coordinate system. Learn the fundamental concepts of geographic coordinate systems.

Display "Transcript Delivery Method" in Transcript Details

With this enhancement, the method by which training was delivered to a user's transcript displays in the Assignment History section of their transcript. The Assignment History section is dynamically renamed to the Assignment and Version History section if the training has been reversioned. This section also indicates which training is the latest active registration.

To view the Assignment and Version History section for a training item on a user's transcript, navigate to the user's transcript and click the title of the training item.

Assignment History/Assignment and Version History Section

In the Assignment History/Assignment and Version History section, the following new columns display:

• Latest Registration? - In the Latest Registration column, a Yes/No value displays, indicating whether or not the training registration is the latest active registration on the user's transcript.
• Self-Requested
• System Assignment (LAT)

Training was assigned directly (for example by a manger to a user)

Training was submitted via ILT Roster Submission

• Express Class
• Assignment* (This category is representative of historical data records prior to the Feb '19 release which are not reliable and therefore have been contained separately to preserve data quality. Over time, this category will be deprecated.

The Other status appears for all other miscellaneous transcript delivery cases, including:

Assignment via Inventory

Added by Training Plan

Historical Data Loads (except in certain cases described in above values)

Data Load Wizard

Considerations

• The Assignment and Version History section is called "Assignment History" if the training has not yet been versioned. This is preexisting functionality.
• There may be multiple entries within the Assignment and Version History section that are considered the Latest Registration. This is preexisting functionality that occurs when a training is versioned using Append versioning.
• If training is versioned after an Express Class completion, the Transcript Delivery Method for users with this training on their transcript displays as "Self Request" or "Direct Assignment".
• Learners and managers cannot remove training when the training is later assigned to the learner by an administrator. See the use case below:

Use Case: Transcript Delivery Method Behavior

• Training is requested by a learner or assigned by a manager.​
• The same training is assigned via the Learning Assignment Tool (LAT) with the Maintain Progress option selected by the administrator.​
• The Transcript Delivery Method displays as “LAT” instead of the initial request or assignment, and the initial requesting learner or assigning manager are not able to remove this training from the transcript.