Chief Directorate Surveys and Mapping

World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84)

Hartbeesthoek 94
The New South Africa Datum

Background

Identify Maps Prior to 1st January 1999, the co-ordinate reference system used in South Africa as the foundation for most surveying, engineering and geo-
Price List referenced projects and programmes, was the Cape Datum. This Datum was referenced to the Modified Clarke 1880 ellipsoid and had its origin
point at Buffelsfontein, near Port Elizabeth. The Cape Datum was based on the work of HM Astronomers: Sir Thomas Maclear, (1833 - 1870),
and Sir David Gill, (1879 - 1907), whose initial geodetic objectives were to verify the size and shape of the Earth in the Southern Hemisphere
and later to provide geodetic control for topographic maps and navigation charts.
From these beginnings, this initial network was extended to eventually cover the entire country and now comprises approximately 29 000 highly
visible trigonometrical beacons on mountains, high buildings and water towers, as well as approximately 20 000 easily accessible town survey
History marks.
Technology
WGS 84 As with other national control survey networks throughout the world which were established using traditional surveying techniques, flaws and
distortions in these networks have become easily detectable using modern positioning techniques such as the Global Positioning System
AFREF (GPS). In addition to these flaws and distortions, most national geodetic networks do not have the centre of their reference ellipsoids co-
incident with the centre of the Earth, thus making them useful only for their area of application. The upgrading, recomputation and repositioning
of the South African co-ordinate system has thus been driven by the advancement of modern positioning technologies and the globalization of
these techniques for navigation and surveying.
Since the 1st January 1999, the official co-ordinate system for South Africa is based on the World Geodetic System 1984 ellipsoid, commonly
known as WGS84, with the ITRF91 (epoch 1994.0) co-ordinates of the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Telescope used as the origin of this
system. This new system is known as the Hartebeesthoek94 Datum.

At this stage all heights still remain referenced to mean sea level, as determined in Cape Town and verified at tide gauges in Port Elizabeth,
East London and Durban.

Geoids & Ellipsoids

The earth's physical surface is a tangible one encompassing the mountains, valleys, rivers and
surface of the sea. It is highly irregular and not suitable as a computational surface. A more
smoothed representation of the earth is the Geoid.

There are a number of definitions for this surface; a descriptive one is as follows : ‘that surface that
would be assumed by the undisturbed surface of the sea, continued underneath the continents by
means of small frictionless channels.'

The Ellipsoid is a smooth mathematical surface that best fits the shape of the geoid and is the next level of approximation of the actual
shape of the earth.
http://w3sli.wcape.gov.za/ (1 of 15)9/8/2008 8:37:35 AM
Chief Directorate Surveys and Mapping

Elements of an ellipse

a = Semi Major Axis

b = Semi Minor Axis

f = Flattening = (a-b)/a

PP’ = Axis of revolution of the earth's ellipsoid

Below is a list of commonly used ellipsoids used in southern Africa and their associated
parameters.

Ellipsoid a b Unit Used

Mod. Clarke 1880 6378249.145 6356514.967 International meters R.S.A., Botswana, Zimbabwe
WGS 84 6378137.000 6356752.314 International meters Globally
Bessel 6377397.155 6356078.963 German Legal meters Namibia
Clarke 1866 6378206.400 6356584.467 International meters Mozambique

Datums

A National geodetic co-ordinate system is defined by a Geodetic Datum, which consists of two parts:
a) A defined geodetic reference ellipsoid, in terms of the a,b or a,f parameters.
b) A defined orientation, position and scale of the Geodetic system in space.
From this, it can be deduced that a specific ellipsoid can be used to define an infinite amount of datums. This is
demonstrated in the figure below.

http://w3sli.wcape.gov.za/ (2 of 15)9/8/2008 8:37:35 AM

Chief Directorate Surveys and Mapping

The Cape Datum

a) The Modified Clarke 1880 is the reference ellipsoid.
b) The initial point for the existing South African Datum is the Buffelsfontein trigonometrical beacon, near Port Elizabeth.
c) The orientation and scale characteristics were defined by periodic astronomic azimuth and base line measurements.

The Hartebeesthoek94 Datum

a) The WGS84 is the reference ellipsoid.
b) The initial point is the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy telescope, near Pretoria.
c) The scale and orientation characteristics were defined within the GPS operating environment and has been confirmed
to be co-incident with ITRF91 determination.

Ellipsoidal Co-Ordinates

The three dimensional (real world) co-ordinates of a point on the earth’s surface can be defined in:
Geographical co-ordinates
● Latitude(Ø : angular displacement north/south of the equator.

● Longitude( ) : angular displacement east/west of the Greenwich meridian.

● Height : (H) orthometric ( height above mean sea level)

or (h) ellipsoidal ( height above ellipsoid).

Geocentric Cartesian co-ordinates
A three-dimensional Cartesian co-ordinate system (Xg, Yg, Zg) with its origin coinciding with the centre of the reference
ellipsoid/Earth, and axes as shown below.

http://w3sli.wcape.gov.za/ (3 of 15)9/8/2008 8:37:35 AM

Chief Directorate Surveys and Mapping

The following are examples coordinates of three points in South Africa referenced to the
Hartebeesthoek94 datum in:

Geographical co-ordinates (Ø, , H)

Durban 29° 57’ 54.04249" S 30° 56’ 48.02634" E 46.419
Pretoria 25° 43’ 55.30216" S 28° 16’ 57.47865" E 1387.341
Cape Town 33° 57’ 05.16921" S 18° 28’ 06.76131" E 83.730

Geocentric Cartesian co-ordinates (X,Y,Z)

Durban 4742985.565 2843868.499 -3167037.434
Pretoria 5064032.251 2724720.764 -2752951.003
Cape Town 5023564.635 1677795.097 -3542026.169

http://w3sli.wcape.gov.za/ (4 of 15)9/8/2008 8:37:35 AM

Chief Directorate Surveys and Mapping

Gauss Conform co-ordinates (y, x, h)

Durban Lo31° 5147.033 3316236.077 46.419
Pretoria Lo29° 71984.489 2847342.740 1387.341
Cape Town Lo19° 49126.565 3758401.865 83.730

Projected Co-Ordinates

Plane co-ordinates are the simplest type of co-ordinates to use for everyday practical applications. To achieve this simplicity, the ellipsoidal
latitude and longitude co-ordinates, or 3-D geocentric co-ordinates, must therefore be projected onto a plane surface. It is not possible to do this
without some distortion. This can be demonstrated by cutting a tennis ball in half and attempting to flatten it.

Projections which have the properties of preserving angles and shapes are called Conformal or Orthomorphic projections. In South Africa the
Gauss Conform Projection (modification of the Mercator projection) is used for the computation of the plane YLo and XLo co-ordinates,
commonly known as the "Lo. co-ordinate system".

Here the equator will project as a straight line, at right angles to the central meridian (Lo.), but all other meridians and parallels will project as
curved lines. The equator and the Lo. are the origins of the YLo and XLo axes of our plane rectangular co-ordinate system. The figure, above,
shows the relationship between plane (Lo.) co-ordinates and geographical co-ordinates.

In the South African plane co-ordinate system only the area within one degree of longitude on either side of the central meridian is
projected. The width of each segment, often referred to as a belt, is thus two degrees of longitude and is referred to the central meridian (CM)
of that belt. Each zone is named after the longitude of origin i.e. Lo 17°, Lo 19°, Lo 21° etc.

X (Southings) coordinates are measured southwards from the equator , increasing from the equator (where X = 0m) towards the South Pole.
Y (Westings) coordinates are measured from the CM of the respective zone, increasing from the CM (where Y=0) in a westerly direction. Y is
+ve west of the CM and -ve east of the CM.

http://w3sli.wcape.gov.za/ (5 of 15)9/8/2008 8:37:35 AM

Chief Directorate Surveys and Mapping

Datum Relationships

Geocentric Cartesian co-ordinate differences in South Africa

A Geocentric Cartesian translation, between the two datum's geocentres (dX ,dY, dZ), can model the relationship between the two datums.
This is commonly known as the Moledensky (3 parameter) transformation. The Chief Directorate: Surveys and Mapping computed translation
values by using the Hartebeesthoek94 Datum and the Cape Datum co-ordinates of a number of accurately determined trigonometrical beacons.

Note: These transformation parameters will yield co-ordinates in the other datum with residuals that should
not exceed 15 metres.

The magnitude of these translations are :

Cape -> Hartebeesthoek94

dX = -134 m , dY = -110 m , dZ = -292 m

Hartebeesthoek94 -> Cape

dX = +134 m , dY = +110 m , dZ = +292 m

http://w3sli.wcape.gov.za/ (6 of 15)9/8/2008 8:37:35 AM

Chief Directorate Surveys and Mapping

Figure - The ellipsoid relationships

More complex models such the Bursa-Wolfe (7-Parameter) Transformation can be used to model the datum relationship. This model uses 3
translations, 3 rotations and scale and is more suitable for `larger areas.

Geographical co-ordinates differences in South Africa

Within South African latitudes, The Hartebeesthoek94 Datum(WGS84) latitude is always numerically greater than its Cape Datum(modified
Clarke 1880) counterpart at a point of interest. The magnitude of this difference ranges from approximately 9" at the equator to approximately
0" at latitude 37° South.

The Hartebeesthoek94 Datum(WGS84) longitude is always numerically less than its Cape Datum(modified Clarke 1880) counterpart at a point
of interest. The magnitude of this difference ranges from approximately 2" at 15° east of Greenwich to 0" at approximately 39° east of
Greenwich.

http://w3sli.wcape.gov.za/ (7 of 15)9/8/2008 8:37:35 AM

Chief Directorate Surveys and Mapping

To translate the above differences from seconds (”) of arc to distances in metres on the ground, the following rules of thumb comes in handy
(only valid in South Africa):
1” of latitude ~ 30m
1” of longitude ~ 27m

Gauss conform co-ordinates (Lo system) in South Africa

The Hartebeesthoek94 Datum(WGS84) XLo co- ordinate is between 290 and 300 metres greater than its Cape Datum(modified Clarke 1880)
counterpart at a point of interest. This difference is directly related to the displacement in the equatorial planes of two ellipsoids.

The Hartebeesthoek94 Datum(WGS84) YLo co-ordinate will always be algebraically greater than its Cape Datum(modified Clarke 1880)
counterpart, at a point of interest. The magnitude of this difference ranges from approximately 70 metres at 15° east of Greenwich to 0 metres
at approximately 39° east.

The relationship between the longitude differences and Gauss conform YLo co-ordinate differences are opposite in sign. The reason for this is
that longitude, by convention, increases eastward and the projection YLo co-ordinate, by definition, increases westwards. Effectively the
relationship is the same.
http://w3sli.wcape.gov.za/ (8 of 15)9/8/2008 8:37:35 AM
Chief Directorate Surveys and Mapping

Who is Affected

a) Hikers and Navigators

This group of users are least effected since the accuracy they require generally exceeds 50m. They should, at
least, be aware of the how the two Datums’ relate to each other.
b) GIS practitioners and other users of Geospatial Information Databases
In general,these users require a level of accuracy not better than 10cm. The impact on GIS databases depends
on :
1. The accuracy of the co-ordinates in the database at present.
2. The purpose of the database.
3. The extent of the database (e.g. local authority, provincial, national).
c) Surveyors, Engineers, Architects etc.
In general,these users require data to the centimetre level of accuracy .This category of users will be most affected
and must follow a meticulous approach.

http://w3sli.wcape.gov.za/ (9 of 15)9/8/2008 8:37:35 AM

Chief Directorate Surveys and Mapping

Transformation Strategy

Although the advantages of adopting a new horizontal datum are evident, many users have huge geographically referenced datasets based on
the Cape Datum and need to transform these to the new datum. To do this, one needs to establish the relationship between the two datums as
this is not absolutely defined.

Various methods of transformation are available in order to transform current data sets, referenced with respect to the Cape Datum, to the new
Hartebeesthoek94 Datum.

Because of computational limitations, there are many distortions in the Cape Datum co-ordinates which have been removed in the computation of
Hartebeesthoek94 Datum co-ordinates. For this reason the higher the transformation accuracy required, the more localised the area must be for
which transformation parameters are calculated. For high end users, such as Land Surveyors and Engineers, transformation accuracy is of
paramount importance. Low accuracy GIS applications may however not require this accuracy and parameters covering larger areas may be
acceptable.

Transformation parameters

When computing transformation parameters one would require co-ordinates of common control points in both datums. The 29 000 trigonometrical
beacons and 22 000 Town Survey Marks serve this purpose adequately. In certain parts of the country the density of these control points are far
greater than in other areas. The accuracy of the transformation parameter not only depends on the size of the project, but also the proximity to
sufficient control points.

At least two points (for 2-D transformations ) or three points (for 3-D transformations), known in both the old and the new Datum must be used to
determine the transformation parameters, and must be well distributed throughout the area to be transformed. In order to obtain better
parameters, localised transformation parameters must be computed for the area of interest.
2-D Helmert Transformations

At the most elementary level, a 2D Helmert Transformation (which uses 2 translations, a rotation and a scale factor) can be used to define the
relationship between the two datums. This mode lis very effective over small areas (up to 40km) and does not take heights into consideration.
The mathematical model for the 2-D Helmert transformation is given as:

system 2 system 1
Y2 = TY + b.X1 + a.Y1
X2 = TX + a.X1 - b.Y1
The transformation parameters to solve for are therefore:
TX, TY : The translations in each axis.
a, b : Helmert transformation variables.

The CDSM has evaluated 2-D Helmert transformation parameters, derived from the horizontal control survey network data within the two datums,
over various sized areas. The averaged residuals obtained are as follows:

http://w3sli.wcape.gov.za/ (10 of 15)9/8/2008 8:37:35 AM

Chief Directorate Surveys and Mapping

An Example

Transforming a co-ordinate (on Lo19º) from Cape Datum to the Hartebeesthoek94 Datum using predetermined parameters.

3-D Transformations

The mathematical model for the 3-D Helmert transformation is given as:

http://w3sli.wcape.gov.za/ (11 of 15)9/8/2008 8:37:35 AM

Chief Directorate Surveys and Mapping

system 2 system 1

An Example

Transforming a co-ordinate (on Lo27º) from the Cape Datum to the Hartebeesthoek94 Datum using predetermined parameters.

http://w3sli.wcape.gov.za/ (12 of 15)9/8/2008 8:37:35 AM

Chief Directorate Surveys and Mapping

http://w3sli.wcape.gov.za/ (13 of 15)9/8/2008 8:37:35 AM

Chief Directorate Surveys and Mapping

Connecting to the Hartebeesthoek94 Datum

In order to reference your data or survey to the Hartebeesthoek94 Datum, the following conditions must be met:
a) The project/survey must be referenced to the WGS84 ellipsoid.
b) The survey and positions of the features must be determined relative to the National Control Survey Network.

*Note: If your positions were determined using GPS in autonomous mode (5-15m accuracy), you can assume that your data is in
Hartebeesthoek94 Datum.

Conclusion

The Cape Datum has served its purpose well over the last century. With the advent of artificial satellite surveying techniques this Datum has
proved to be inadequate for our future needs. The introduction of the Hartebeesthoek94 Datum will ensure that South Africa remains at the
forefront of modern geodetic networks and provides us with a Datum that is internationally related and relevant to our user needs.

What is Available to Users?

● A helpdesk at the office of the Chief Directorate: Surveys and Mapping.

● Co-ordinate lists of all trigonometrical beacons and town survey marks on the Hartebeesthoek94 datum (WGS84 ellipsoid).
● Co-ordinates on the Cape datum (mod. Clarke 1880 ellipsoid ) will be made available for reference purposes.
● Equations/algorithms of required conversions and transformation to assist users wishing to carry their own conversions/
transformations.
● Software to transform ASCII co-ordinate files from the Cape Datum to the Hartebeesthoek94 Datum, referred to as "The 1999 Datum
Transformation Software", aimed at supporting GIS users.
● Revised and updated triangulation and town survey plans.
● Please note that Mean Sea Level (MSL) will remain the reference surface for all heighting purposes.

Further information, please contact :

R. Wonnacott, WGS84 Co-ordinator

Telephone: +27 (0)21 658 4300
Fax: +27 (0)21 689 1351
E-mail: Rwonnacott@sli.wcape.gov.za
Address: Private Bax X10, Mowbray, 7705 South Africa

What's New ? | Map Projections | Home

http://w3sli.wcape.gov.za/ (14 of 15)9/8/2008 8:37:35 AM

Chief Directorate Surveys and Mapping

Legal Disclaimer | Revised: 30/09/04 14:09:042

Copyright © 1997 Chief Directorate: Surveys & Mapping
Private Bag X10, Mowbray 7705. Tel. +27-(0)21-658 4300
(Dept of Land Affairs, Republic of South Africa)

http://w3sli.wcape.gov.za/ (15 of 15)9/8/2008 8:37:35 AM