NGA Coordinate Systems Analysis Team (CSAT)

August 2005
Updated January 2006
GRID COORDINATES
Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM)
Military Grid Reference System (MGRS)
Universal olar Stereo!ra"#ic (US)
United States National Grid (USNG)
A sim"lified definition and e$"lanation of UTM and related systems
T%E UTM S&STEM
UTM oordinates are !ased on a "amily o" #20 Trans$erse Merator map
pro%etions (t&o "or ea' UTM (one) &it' one "or ea' N*S 'emisp'ere)+
T'e eart' is di$ided into 60 (ones) ea' 6, &ide in longitude (&it' t'e
e-eption o" a "e& non.standard.&idt' (ones "or S$al!ard and
sout'&est Nor&ay)+ See /igure #+
/igure #+
Num!ering o" (ones !egins at #00, and proeeds east&ard+
o 1one # is "rom #00,2 to #34,2)
o 1one 2 is "rom #34,2 to #60,2) and so on+
5a' (one 'as a entral meridian+
o 1one # entral meridian is #33,2)
o 1one 2 entral meridian is #3#,2) and so on+
T'e 6 $alue) alled t'e 5asting) 'as a $alue o" 500)000m at t'e
entral meridian o" ea' (one (/igure 2)+
T'e 7 $alue) alled t'e Nort'ing) 'as a $alue o" 0m at t'e e8uator "or
t'e nort'ern 'emisp'ere (/igure 9)) #0)000)000m at t'e e8uator "or
t'e sout'ern 'emisp'ere+
/igure 2+ 5asting $alues+ /igure 9+ Nort'ing $alues+
UTM is limited to t'e area !et&een 04,N and 00,S+ :eyond t'at)
Uni$ersal ;olar Stereograp'i (U;S) oordinates are used+ See
setion on U;S+
RE'ERENCING ( E)RESSING A OSITION IN UTM COORDINATES
<n t'e UTM system) positions are e-pressed as 5asting * Nort'ing)
e+g+ =5000#3m5) 425#205mN>+ <n some ases) t'e letters are le"t o"")
e+g+ =5000#3 425#205>+
<" positions our near UTM (one %untions) t'e UTM (one may also
!e spei"ied) e+g+ =5000#3m5) 425#205mN) 1one #5>+
Sine t'e a!o$e e-presses t&o possi!le positions on t'e eart') t'e
'emisp'ere may also !e spei"ied) e+g+ =5000#3m5) 425#205mN)
1one #5) Nort'ern ?emisp'ere> (/igure 4)+
/igure 4+ 5-ample o" position e-pressed in !ot' @at*@ong and UTM
oordinates+
Many systems a!!re$iate t'e a!o$e) representing t'e 'emisp'ere as
a single letter) =N> "or nort'ern 'emisp'ere) and =S> "or sout'ern
'emisp'ere) e+g+ =#5N 5000#3 425#205>+
CAUTIONA <N MAN7 S7ST5MS) T?5 @5TT5B A/T5B T?5 1CN5
NUM:5B D5S<GNAT5S A @AT<TUD<NA@ :AND) NOT A
?5M<S;?5B5+ MCB5 CN T?<S :5@C2+
MGRS
T'e Military Grid Be"erene System (MGBS) is an alp'a.numeri system
"or e-pressing UTM * U;S oordinates+ A single alp'a.numeri $alue
re"erenes a position t'at is uni8ue "or t'e entire eart'+ T'e omponents o"
MGBS $alues are as "ollo&sA
(5-ampleA #5S2C000#35#205)
T'e "irst t&o 'araters represent t'e 6, &ide UTM (one+
o @eading (eroes are inluded so t'at 1one E is =0E>+
o /or polar areas outside t'e UTM area) t'ese 'araters are
omitted+
T'e t'ird 'arater is a letter designating a !and o" latitude+
o :eginning at 00,S and proeeding nort'&ard) t'e 20 !ands are
lettered C t'roug' 6) omitting < and C+
o T'e !ands are all 0, 'ig' e-ept !and 6) &'i' is #2, 'ig'+
o Cutside t'e UTM area) A and : are used near t'e sout' pole) 7
and 1 near t'e nort' pole+
T'e $ertial UTM !oundaries and 'ori(ontal latitudinal !and
!oundaries "orm (generally) 6, 6 0, Grid Zones+ ?ene) t'e "irst
t'ree letters o" t'e MGBS $alue) e+g+ =#5S>) are re"erred to as t'e
Grid Zone Designation (GZD)+
T'e "ourt' and "i"t' 'araters are a pair o" letters designating one o"
t'e #00)000.meter grid s8uares &it'in t'e grid (one (or U;S area)+
See /igure 6+
/igure 6+
<n t'is sample area) t'e Grid 1one Designators are s'o&n in !ro&n+
T'e smaller gray letters are t'e#00)000.meter grid s8uare designators+
T'e e-ample point =#5S2C000#35#205> is loated in s8uare =2C> near
t'e enter o" t'e "igure+
T'e remaining 'araters onsist o" t'e numeri 5asting and
Nort'ing $alues &it'in t'e #00)000.meter grid s8uare (/igure 3)+
MGBS oordinates may !e rounded to re"let lesser re"inement+ /or
e-ampleA
#5S2C000#35#205 is at one.meter re"inement+
#5S2C00025#2# is at #0.meter re"inement+
#5S2C0005#2 is at #00.meter re"inement+
#5S2C0#5# is at #000.meter re"inement+
T'ere are t&o lettering s'emes "or t'e #00)000.meter grid s8uare
designators+ Generally) one s'eme is used "or 2GS.04) and t'e
ot'er is used "or older ellipsoids assoiated &it' loal datums+
5-ampleA
#5S2C000#35#205
is on 2GS.04+ 2'en on$erted to NAD.23 datum) ClarFe #066 ellipsoid)
its $alue isA
#5S2N0009950EE9
T'e #00)000.meter grid s8uare =2C> "or 2GS.04 generally oinides &it'
t'e grid s8uare =2N> "or ClarFe #066+
See t'e setion on USNG "or "urt'er guidane+
/igure 3+
Magenta arro&s s'o& 'o& MGBS easting and nort'ing $alues are
determined "rom &it'in t'e #00)000.meter grid s8uare+ T'e MGBS $alue
o" t'is position is #5S2C000#35#205+
T%E *ETTER A'TER T%E UTM +ONE NUM,ER- IS T%AT A
%EMIS%ERE OR A *ATITUDINA* ,AND.
Sine t'e reation o" UTM) de$elopers 'a$e interpreted t'e rules "or
e-pressing an eart'.&ide uni8ue UTM position in one o" t&o &aysA
#+ :y inluding an =N> or =S> a"ter t'e (one num!er to spei"y a
'emisp'ere+
2+ :y inluding t'e 0, latitudinal !and designator (see t'e setion on
MGBS) a"ter t'e (one num!er+
5-ampleA T'e position at E2,2) 90,N) e-pressed in UTM oordinates) isA

5033E0m 5) 4206203m N) 1one #5+
T'is re"erene is $alid "or t&o positions on t'e eart'+ <n order to maFe it
uni8ue "or only one position &orld&ide) i+e+ E2,2) 90,NA
De$eloper G# inludes an =N> to spei"y nort'ern 'emisp'ereA
#5N 5033E0 4206203
De$eloper G2 inludes t'e 0, latitudinal !and designatorA
#5S 5033E0 4206203
T'is situation is ausing on"usion among users and de$elopers+ T'e t&o
0, latitudinal !ands) "rom 0, to 0,N and "rom 92,N to 40,N) are assigned
t'e designations =N> and =S>) respeti$ely+ T'ese designations are o"ten
mistaFen "or 'emisp'ere designations+
Te'nial Manual 0950+# ontains t'e aut'oritati$e de"inition o" UTM+ NGA
&ill soon pu!lis' an updated $ersion o" TM 0950+#) &'i' &ill pro$ide
lari"iation on t'is issue+
T%E UNI/ERSA* O*AR STEREOGRA%IC (US) S&STEM
U;S oordinates are !ased on a "amily o" t&o ;olar Stereograp'i map
pro%etions) one "or ea' pole+
T'e origin o" t'e U;S oordinate system is t'e pole (nort' or sout'))
&'ere 6H2)000)000m and 7H2)000)000m+
T'e 6.a-is lies along t'e meridians E0,5 and E0,2+
o Mo$ing "rom t'e pole (nort' or sout')) 6.$alues (5astings)
inrease along t'e E0,5 meridian+
T'e 7.a-is lies along t'e meridians 0, and #00,+
o Mo$ing "rom t'e nort' pole) 7.$alues (Nort'ings) inrease along
t'e #00, meridian+
o Mo$ing "rom t'e sout' pole) 7.$alues (Nort'ings) inrease
along t'e 0, meridian+
T%E UNITED STATES NATIONA* GRID (USNG)
USNG is "untionally e8ui$alent to MGBS+ T'e di""erene !et&een t'e t&o
systems is in t'e met'od "or spei"ying t'e datum+ <n MGBS) an alternate
lettering s'eme is used "or t'e #00)000.meter grid s8uare designator
&'en t'e position is re"erened to an older datum (see setion on MGBS)+
T'e USNG does not use t'e alternate lettering s'eme) !ut simply
spei"ies t'e datum a"ter t'e position re"erene+ /or e-ample) a position on
t'e NAD 23 datum is reported in t'e t&o systems as "ollo&sA
MGBSA =#5S2N0009950EE9>
USNGA =#5S2C0009950EE9 (NAD 23)>