UTM coordinate system

E401586

The UTM coordinate system is a global map projection and grid-based referencing system that divides the Earth into numbered zones to provide precise, metric-based location coordinates.

All labels observed (3)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf coordinate reference system
grid-based referencing system
map projection system
advantage global consistency across most of the Earth
metric-based coordinates simplify distance calculations
axis easting
northing
basisFor MGRS grid coordinates
category cartography
geodesy
geographic information systems
centralMeridianSpacing 6 degrees apart
coordinateFormat zone number, latitude band, easting, northing
coordinateReferenceType projected coordinate system
coordinateType planar coordinates
coordinateUnit meter
covers Earth between 80°S and 84°N latitude
datum can be defined on NAD83
can be defined on WGS84
can be defined on other Earth datums
dividesEarthInto 60 longitudinal zones
eastingFalseEasting 500000 meters
fullName Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system
introducedBy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
introductionPeriod mid-20th century
latitudeBands bands labeled C through X (excluding I and O)
limitation distortion increases away from central meridian of each zone
not suitable for mapping very large east–west extents in a single zone
northingFalseNorthingSouthernHemisphere 10000000 meters
primaryUse GIS applications
civilian navigation
military mapping
topographic mapping
property conformal projection
minimizes distortion within each zone
relatedSystem Military Grid Reference System
Universal Polar Stereographic system
replaces local non-metric grid systems in many countries
usedBy GIS professionals
NATO militaries
national mapping agencies
surveyors
usesProjection Transverse Mercator projection
zoneDefinition each zone has its own central meridian
zoneIdentification zone number plus latitude band letter
zoneNumberRange 1 to 60
zoneOrientation zones numbered eastward from 180°W
zoneWidth 6 degrees of longitude

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

USGS topographic maps uses UTM coordinate system
USGS Skanee projection Universal Transverse Mercator
linked to: UTM coordinate system
USGS East Killingly quadrangle projection Universal Transverse Mercator
linked to: UTM coordinate system
UTM coordinate system fullName Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system
linked to: UTM coordinate system