Inte rn ation al H yd ro gra ph ie R ev iew , M o n a c o , L V III (2), Ju ly 1981

HORIZONTAL DATUMS
FOR NAUTICAL CHARTS
by T h o m as J. V O G E L

IN T R O D U C T IO N

M a rin e n av ig atio n ch arts are based o n m a n y and varied geodetic d a tu m s in

use th ro u g h o u t the w o rld . T hese d a tu m s ra n g e from local d a tu m s to the D oD
W o rld G eo d etic S ystem (W G S) 1972. In m a n y cases, the d a tu m s fo r adjoining
c h arts w ill differ, a lth o u g h th is difference w ill usually in tro d u c e only m in o r
e rro rs in to th e so lu tio n o f n av ig atio n al p ro b le m s. T here are tim es, h o w ev er,
w h e n ev en sm all e rro rs can be very d isco n certin g , if n o t d an g ero u s, and it is
u n d e r th ese co n d itio n s th a t it is a d v a n ta g e o u s for the n av ig a to r to possess som e
k n o w le d g e o f th e factors in d a tu m selection an d ch art c o n stru c tio n w h ic h lead to
a p p a re n t d iscrepancies in p o sitio n plotting.
It is equally im p o rta n t fo r th e c h a rt c o m p iler o r c a rto g ra p h er to u n d e rsta n d
th e basic principles o f n av ig atio n an d , th e re fo re , the need for establishing clearly
d efinable h o rizo n tal d a tu m s o n charts. F o r th is reason, th e a u th o r has aim ed at
tracin g th e e v o lu tio n o f d a tu m s o n D efense M apping A gency (D M A ) nautical
ch arts, m ain ly for th e benefit o f c a rto g ra p h ers w h o m u st realize h o w th e p ro d u ct
th e y p ro d u c e im pacts o n th e safety o f n av ig atio n in w a y s o th e r th a n the p o r ­
tray al o f u p -to -d ate in fo rm a tio n such as n av ig atio n aids, d epths, etc. T his p a p er
discusses th e differences b etw een c h a rt d a tu m s a n d c o o rd in ate s d eterm in ed by
using v a rio u s n av ig atio n system s, accu racy req u ire m e n ts for nautical ch arts, n a v i­
g ation sy stem accuracy re q u irem en ts as related to d atu m s, and d a tu m tra n sfo rm a ­
tio n m eth o d s.

(*) D efen se M ap p in g A gen cy H y d ro g ra p h ic /T o p o g ra p h ic C e n te r, 6500 B ro o k es

L ane, W a sh in g to n , D .C. 2 0 3 1 5 , U .S .A .
 CHART DATUM S

Im pact on N avigation

T h e n av ig ato r en co u n ters differences to o often w hen piloting and shifting

his p lo t from ch art to ch art, each based o n a different d atu m . T he result usually
sh o w s th e n a v ig a to r’s p o sitio n relative to land as being different on the tw o
charts. To avoid this p ro b lem , stan d ard advice given in N otices to M ariners
sho u ld be follow ed : n am ely , tran sfer or p lo t positions by range and bearing
from a la n d m a rk c o m m o n o n b o th charts. In particular, w ith the increasing use
o f lo n g -ran g e electronic n av ig atio n system s, th e discrepancies caused by difference
in d a tu m s are quickly ev id en t an d req u ire adequate correction techniques.
P lo ttin g sheets an d po sitio n in g tables for electronic system s (other than
rad ar) are by necessity co m p u te d a n d plo tted o n a single d a tu m for the entire
area o f coverage. B ecause m o st ap p ro ach an d coastal charts use a local datum ,
the p rojected track, w h ich is d eterm ined at intervals by the electronic system and
tra n sfe rre d to th e c h a rt, w ill co n tain th e d atu m error. F o r this reason it is
essential to confirm the sh ip ’s location by piloting m ethods at the earliest o p p o r­
tu n ity once the track is graphically established o n the chart.
F o r exam ple, co n sid er a n av ig atio n system coordinate rea d o u t based on the
D oD W o rld G eodetic System 1972 (W G S 1972) and a ch art oriented to an
astro n o m ic p o sitio n at th e o b se rv a to ry at T o k y o , Japan. A discrepancy in p o si­
tion co o rd in a te values can th en be expected in relation to ch a rt graticule and
features. T he difference b etw een W G S 1972 and ch art plotted coordinates can be
as g reat as ap p ro x im a te ly 500 m eters. If th e navigation system is L O R A N C w ith
an av erag e accuracy o f 460 m eters, then a non-com pensating resultant position-flx
e rro r cou ld be as g reat as ap p ro x im ately 900 m eters o r m ore. In o th er cases,
d a tu m differences m a y be negligible because o f the sm all shift involved at ch art
scale. T h u s, it is seen th a t th e n ew er sophisticated electronic navigation system s
o f h ig h accuracy can lull th e n av ig ato r into a false sense o f security.

D efin ition and M ethodology

A s the E a rth ’s surface is highly irregular, co m p u tatio n o f precise positions

on its surface is im possible. T he surface coinciding w ith m ean sea level is called
th e geoid. T h e geoid c a n n o t be accurately m odeled. T he m athem atical figure th at
best rep resen ts the geoid is an ellipsoid o f revolution. An ellipsoid can be uniquely
defined by k n o w in g eith er its sem im ajo r an d sem im inor axis o r the sem im ajor
axis a n d the flattening. D ifferent size ellipsoids have been adopted for different
areas o f th e E arth . T h e sh ap e o f th e geoid for the area at the tim e the basic
co n tro l is established is used to d eterm in e the best fitting ellipsoid.
A fter ad o p tin g an ellipsoid, an origin for positions on th e ellipsoidal surface
m u st be determ ined. T his is co m m o n ly d one by determ ining à precise position
using a stro n o m ic observ atio n s w hich are m ad e w ith an in stru m en t w ith e x trem e­
ly sensitive level bubbles. T he resulting a stro n o m ic position is adopted as the
startin g geodetic position. T he geo id an d ellipsoid are norm ally defined as tangent
at the d a tu m origin. D atu m s can o rig in ate from one precise astro n o m ic position
an d a stro n o m ic azim uth. A n azim uth to a second po in t is required to determ ine
o rie n ta tio n for all o th e r positio n s co m p u te d on the d atum .
A datu m has now been precisely defined - it has a stated ellipsoid size, an
origin p o in t, and initial azim uth. On d a tu m s o riginating from one precise a stro n o ­
m ic p o sitio n and azim u th , all su b seq u en t p o sitio n s m ust be determ in ed by m easu ­
ring angles and distances. T he accuracy o f positions in the n e tw o rk relative to
the d atu m origin w ill decrease as one goes a w ay from th e origin (erro r p ro p a g a ­
tion).
T h e accuracy o f the n etw o rk is in creased by scale an d azim u th control
th ro u g h o u t th e n etw o rk . T his involves th e m easu rem en t o f distances and a stro n o ­
m ic azim u th s at specified intervals. T he astronom ic azim u th is reduced to a
geodetic azim u th by the determ in atio n o f astro n o m ic longitude and the applica­
tio n o f th e Laplace correction. In o rd er to reduce directions and distances to th e
ellipsoid, deflections o f the vertical a n d geoid heights m ust be determ ined
th ro u g h o u t the n etw o rk . T his is done by th e determ in atio n o f a stro n o m ic p o si­
tions fro m w h ich astrogeodetic deflections o f the vertical and a co rresp o n d in g
geoid profile are determ ined.
D eflections o f the vertical can also b e d eterm ined from gravity anom alies or
a c o m b in a tio n o f grav im etric an d astro g eo d etic data. In recent years, som e d a ­
tu m s h ave been d eterm ined by m inim izing the deflections o f the vertical and
geoid heights over the area o f interest. T h e results co n stitu te a “best fitting”
datu m and “best fitting” ellipsoid for the area.
B efore the ad v en t o f th e geodetic satellite, geodetic datu m s w ere established
as outlin es in the preceding p arag rap h s. W ith in the last tw o decades, geodetic
satellites h ave enabled us to determ in e p o sitions on th e E a rth ’s surface in an
E arth -cen tered coordinate system . T h e N a v y N avigation Satellite System (N N SS)
is c u rre n tly the m ost accurate nav ig atio n system and, w h en supplem ented w ith
ad d itio n al geodesy tracking stations, p ro v id e s th e m ost accurate all-w eath er satel­
lite geodesy system . N N SS consists o f a set o f five o r six satellites in polar o rb it
w h ich b ro ad cast tim e and p o sitio n (ephem eris) at 2-m inute intervals. E ach satel­
lite co n tain s a stable oscillator and is track ed using th e D o ppler principle or
technique. T hese satellites tra n sm it a p a ir o f stable frequencies w h ich can be
received by a D oppler geodetic receiver o n th e g round. If the space positions and
tim e o f th e satellite are k n o w n , the g ro u n d position o f the receiver can be
determ ined.
T w o different kinds o f ep hem erides are determ ined. A pred icted bro ad cast
ephem eris is determ ined fro m data a c q u ire d at four tracking stations in the
U n ited States. The o rb it p aram eters are injected into the satellites an d updated
every 12 h ours. T his b ro ad cast ep h em eris is determ ined for nav ig atio n purposes
in a near-real-tim e en v iro n m en t. It can be used for geodetic o r carto g rap h ic
p u rp o ses if the accuracy requ irem en ts are b etw een 5 and 10 m eters. T h e oth er
ephem eris determ in ed by D M A from th e N N SS is the precise ephem eris. T he
precise ep h em eris is an after-the-fact d e term in atio n from data acquired from the
w o rld w id e tracking n e tw o rk called T R A N E T w h ich is operated by D M A . Posi­
tions d eterm in ed from the precise ephem eris have an accuracy o f 1.5 m eters at
90 p e rc e n t in each co o rd in ate axis in the E arth-centered coordinate system . The
co o rd in ate system o f th e precise ephem eris can be tran sfo rm ed to the W G S 1972
by a scale an d longitude correction. W G S 1972 can be used to relate the various
local a n d regional d atu m s to a single consistent w o rld w id e system .

Local A stronom ic D atum s

B efore th e use o f th e electronic navigation system s, the navigator w as

co n cern ed o n ly w ith celestial o b serv atio n s o r th e m easu rem en t o f the range and
bearings o f lan d points. M o st nautical charts w ere published on local datum s that
w ere also re la te d to celestial o b serv atio n s: therefore, bo th system s (chart and
nav ig atio n ) w ere based o n th e sam e reference d a tu m - local astronom ic.

R egional D atum s

A s co u n tries developed th eir basic co n tro l n etw orks, m ore international

su rv ey ties w ere m ade. A s a result, it w as possible to adjust the surveys of
several co u n tries o n the sam e datu m o r geodetic system . This constituted a
regional o r con tin en tal d a tu m . R egional d a tu m s w ere usually a best fitting d atu m
in th a t deflection o f th e vertical and geoid heights w ere m inim ized over the
region. A m o n g m ajo r regional d atu m s a r e : E u ro p e an - 1950, Indian - 1916 and
N o rth A m erican - 1927.
In a sm u c h as the n av ig ato r used celestial observations for positioning, his
results differed from the ch art p o sitions by the a m o u n t o f th e deflections o f the
vertical on the regional d atu m . H ow ev er, as the n av ig ato r’s fix w as accurate to
no b etter th an 2 to 3 kilom eters, n o significant differences w ere initially evident
b etw een th e ch art a n d the navigation system . E ventually, differences betw een
o v erlap p in g ch arts w ere detected by n av igators as a result o f som e charts being
adjusted to regional d a tu m s and o th ers left on local d atu m s until revision editions
are p ro g ra m m e d . E ven to d ay , n u m e ro u s charts rem ain o n local astronom ic d a ­
tu m s becau se it has n o t been p racticable to co n v ert them to the new er datum s.
A s alread y n oted, horizo n tal datu m differences betw een charts assum ed
g reater im p o rtan ce d u rin g the p e rio d o f g row ing use o f new navigational p o sitio ­
ning sy ste m s; for exam ple, the L O R A N A electronic positioning system w hich
w as d eveloped in 1943. T his system and o th ers th at follow ed transm itted o r
received electronic signals from sites positioned on either local astronom ic o r
regional d a tu m s, an d th e resulting ship p o sitio n fixes w ere referenced to the
tra n sm itte r o r receiver site d atu m . U n fo rtu n ately , som e co o rdinate values could
n o t b e tra n sfo rm e d fro m local astro n o m ic to regional datum s. Therefore, slight
differences developed b etw een p ositions developed by the electronic system s and
th o se p lo tte d on th e charts. T h e differences w ere not positively determ inable
because th e inaccuracy o f the L O R A N A w as o f greater m agnitude than the
d atu m difference.
 W h e n electronic p ositioning system s w e re upgraded th ro u g h b etter electro­
nics a n d im p ro v e d system calibrations as p ro v id e d by L O R A N C , sm all differen­
ces b etw een c h a rt d a tu m s and electronic sy stem s becam e readily ap p aren t a n d
tro u b le so m e to deal w ith , especially on th e larg er scale charts.

M ercury 1960

T h e M ercu ry 1960 D a tu m , developed by the U .S. A rm y M ap Service, is

recognized as th e fo reru n n er to th e satellite-derived geodetic d atu m . It w as an
am b itio u s a n d successful a tte m p t to p ro v id e a single datu m to w h ich po sitio n s on
three c o n tin e n ts (N o rth A m erica, A sia, a n d E u rope) could be related. Specific
fo rm u las w ere developed that enabled c o n v ersio n from any o f the regional d a­
tu m s (N o rth A m erican , T o k y o , an d E u ro p e a n ) to the M ercury 1960 D atum .
A lth o u g h ch art graticules w ere n o t placed on the M ercury 1960 D atu m ,
d atu m tra n sfo rm a tio n notes w ere fu rn ish ed up to 1972 to p ro v id e users o f
em erg in g satellite navigation system s a reference datum closer to actual satellite-
derived positions.

M ercury 1960 Center o f M a ss

As m o re satellite o b serv atio n s w ere b e in g processed, it becam e obvious th a t

the orig in al M ercu ry 1960 D atu m did n o t p ro v id e positions co m p atib le w ith
satellite-derived positions, because it w as n o t based o n th e center o f m ass o f the
E a rth . In ad d itio n , tra n sfo rm a tio n fo rm u las w ere only available fo r the th ree
co n tin en tal areas. In asm u ch as th e p rim a ry o bjective w as to p ro v id e a reference
d atu m th a t could be related as closely as possible to actual satellite-derived
positio n s, a n ew ap p ro ach w as taken. T h a t is, actual satellite-derived positions
w ere reduced to th e F ischer 1960 ellipsoid (sem im ajor axis = 6378 166 m eters,
flattening = 1 /2 9 8 .3 ). T h e differences b etw een the Local o r R egional d atu m s and
the satellite positions, reduced to the F ischer ellipsoid, w ere co m p u ted a n d yielded
datu m tra n sfo rm a tio n p aram eters.
A fter th e lau n ch o f th e first Soviet S p u tn ik in 1957, the U nited States m ade
a co n cen trated effort to place an A m erican satellite in o rb it a ro u n d the E arth .
W h en this goal w as achieved in 1958, sev eral system s w ith geodetic applications
w ere so o n developed. Several ap p ro ach es w ere tested using ballistic cam eras,
electronic ran g in g , D oppler, etc. N am es like SEC O R , T R A N E T , BC-4, PC -1000
w ere used to designate th e v a rio u s system s. U sing o b servations from these sy s­
tem s, p lu s g ra v ity surface data an d w o rld w id e astrogeodetic data, v a rio u s g eode­
tic m odels w e re developed. E v en tu ally , th e data w ere w eighted, reco m p u ted , a n d
a single m o d el ad o p ted by the D e p a rtm e n t o f D efense.

D oD W orld G eodetic System 1972 (W G S 1972)

In M a rc h 1974 the D efense M apping A gency adopted the m odel k n o w n as

th e D oD W o rld G eodetic S ystem 1972. T h is geodetic system co n tain s the results
of all previous satellite positioning system s and extensive conventional surveys
and gravity surveys. After intensive study on the impact of WGS 1972 on chart
productions, it was adopted by the DMA H ydrographic Center (DMAHC) as the
official reference datum for all nautical charts in July 1975.

Operational Datum

An operational datum is a datum to which the latest geodetic control

positions are related. Operational datum s are frequently updated as new land and
satellite surveys are conducted. W henever the operational datum is tied to either
a regional or w orld datum , one o f them m ay become the operational datum .

Preferred Datum

The preferred datum is the datum projected to be the best for an area, even
though the current geodetic control positions are not related to it. The WGS 1972
datum is the only preferred datum for DMA nautical charts.

NAVIGATION SYSTEM DATUM S

Celestial. — All celestial observations are considered to be on local astrono­

mic datum .
R ad io Beacons. - These are plotted on the chart w hich may be on either
local, regional, or w orldw ide datum . Notice to M ariners positions for radio
beacons m ust be plotted w ith extrem e care w hen the datum is not listed, as the
position could be related to any datum . If positions o f unknow n datum m ust be
plotted by the navigator on a chart, a circle should be draw n around the plotted
position w ith the radius of the circle being the m axim um know n datum diffe­
rence for the area.
L O R A N A. - T ransm itter positions have been published on local, regional,
M ercury 1960, and W GS 1972 datum s. For lack o f a tie-in, local datum sites
could n o t be shifted to the M ercury 1960 and W GS 1972 datum s; however, the
m ajority o f LORAN A charts are either on M ercury 1960 or W GS 1972.
L O R A N C. - All transm itter positions have been shifted to WGS 1972;
how ever, positions w ere published previously on all o f the other m ajor datum s.
The m ajority of LORAN C charts are either on M ercury 1960 or WGS 1972.
OMEGA. - All transm itter positions are on the WGS 1972 datum , and all
charts for this system can be considered to be on the W GS 1972 datum because
o f their scales being generally betw een 1:300,000 and 1:2 million.
NNSS. - If one uses the broadcast ephem eris, the resulting positions will
be in an Earth-centered coordinate system. This Earth-centered coordinate system
is not W G S 1 972, but is related to W GS 1972 by the following approxim ate
shifts in position :
L atitude : 0.00"
Longitude : 0.26”
Ellipsoid H eight: - 5 . 2 7 meters.
The shifts given above are added to a position obtained from the broadcast
ephem eris, assum ing the broadcast solution is given on the W GS 72 ellipsoid, to
obtain W G S 1972. Some m anufacturers o f D oppler receivers provide transform a­
tions from W GS 1 972 to local or regional datum s on the assum ption that
broadcast ephemeris positions are on W G S 1972. This is not the case since the
shifts given above must first be applied to obtain W GS 1972. C aution should be
used in applying any datum shift constants, as they are subject to periodic
updating when additional and usually m ore accurate data are obtained. If a
charting agency uses updated datum transform ation constants to position electro­
nic lattice on its charts and navigators use older values, then errors in the datum
shifts will result.

NAUTICAL CHART
HORIZONTAL ACCURACY M E A SU R E M E N T S

N autical charts are supposed to m eet certain horizontal accuracy limits,

based on the intended use for each chart, although it is not alw ays possible to do
so because o f the absence o f identifiable ground control on the charts or chart
sources. For surface navigation on such chart types as H arbor, A pproach, C oas­
tal, and General, the criteria are that “90 percent o f all well-defined planim etric
features, except those unavoidably displaced by sym bol exaggeration, are located
w ithin 2 m m (0.08 inch) o f their geographic position with reference to a prescri­
bed d atu m ”. For example, a feature on a 1:2 500 chart is required to be w ithin 5
m eters; w hereas, a 1:600 000 chart m ust be w ithin 1 200 meters. M any charts
produced p rio r to 1974 have not been evaluated for accuracy and are unlikely to
fall w ithin the above accuracy standard. H ow ever, if a datum shift note has been
applied to the U.S. chart, it has been evaluated for horizontal accuracy and can
be considered to be within the prescribed limits.

NAVIGATION SYSTEM ACCURACY

Several factors m ust be considered w hen determ ining navigation system

accuracy. Celestial system s are affected by the observer’s experience and ability,
tim ing errors, num ber o f observations, stars observed, and geom etry involved, to
list a few. Radio beacons used for range and bearing or intersection are affected
by the size of the angle o f intersection, beacon distance, signal pow er, and
atm ospheric conditions. Electronic navigation system s are affected by the k n o w ­
ledge o f the propagation o f electronic radiation, ionospheric disturbances, geom e­
try o f line crossings, instrum ent errors, and resolution. The preceding list o f
factors is by no means all inclusive as each system is affected by m any other
sm aller conditions. Yet each system can be considered as having a nom inal
accuracy based on average conditions.

NAVIGATION SYSTEM EFFECT ON DATUM S

As previously discussed, the increased accuracy o f navigation systems is

uncovering heretofore unknow n errors in charts. Some chart users, w hen plotting
a course using celestial observations, w ould draw an error circle o f 3 kilometers
around navigational dangers. This error range was larger ihan alm ost all datum
differences encountered, therefore, no problem w as indicated. However, using
LORAN C o f the NNSS w ith accuracies to within 463 and 160 meters, respecti­
vely, depending on operating conditions, a navigator can now plot error circles
sm aller than the norm al datum shift. The effect o f the datum shift on the error
circle can be viewed as shifting the entire erro r circle in the direction o f the
datum difference. Electronic navigation systems can be referenced to any datum ;
therefore, the navigator m ust be aw are o f the reference datum for each naviga­
tion system used.

BASIC CHART DATUM PROBLEM

A basic problem o f nautical charts and their datum differences is that the
latter cannot be reconciled until all the charts covering the sam e area pass
th ro u g h a corrective production cycle. A dditionally, datum s are developed by
field surveys, whereas charts are compiled from m any different source m aterials
w hich include surveys and other published m aps and charts that need datum
adjustm ents.
As noted earlier, prio r to the calibration o f LORAN C and use o f NNSS
navigation system accuracy was usually less than nautical chart accuracy. H o w ­
ever, the present navigation systems m ake it feasible to position a ship to w ithin
160 m eters depending on operating conditions. If nautical charts are not properly
corrected for datum differences, users will not realize the true accuracy o f w hich
the navigation systems are capable. M ore im portant, if a navigator em ploys a
variety o f navigation tools - each referenced to a different datum - his posi­
tion fixes will vary considerably unless they are shifted to one datum . Several
positioning problem s m ay be encountered due to datum differences; however,
w ithout being aw are o f them the navigator m ight assum e incorrectly that errors
were due to oversteering, faulty navigation, or poorly compiled charts.
 CHART DATUM TRANSFO RM A TIO N

Significance for Plotting

The application o f a datum conversion from one datum to another, for

exam ple, local to regional o r local to W G S 1972, causes a direct shift o f all
positions on the chart in relation to its graticule. Therefore, the use o f datum
conversions is necessary w henever the m agnitude o f the datum shift can be
plotted o n the chart. The w ell-know n standard for m anual plotting ability is
0.10 m m . Therefore, any datum shift that am ounts to m ore than 0.10 m m should
be applied. F or example, a 1:2 500 chart should have any datum shift over
0.3 m eter (ground) applied; w hereas, a 1:600 000 chart requires that any datum
shift above 76 m eters (ground) be applied. If datum shifts are not applied, the
shift can be viewed as an additional positioning error on the chart.

Notes

Since Jan u ary 1968, various versions o f datum transform ation notes have
appeared on D M A nautical charts. The initial notes provided inform ation to draw
new graticules on the chart. Included w ith the note was an exam ple o f shifting
the charted position to the other datum (fig. 1). These initial notes provided for
transform ation from chart to local, local to regional, local to M ercury 1960, or
regional to M ercury 1960 datum . The rationale for this type o f note is th at if a
m ariner is plotting continuous fixes, it w ould be easier to shift the graticule than
to shift each fix. The exam ple o f shifting a charted position to the new datum
w as given as a check on the graticule shift. D uring the period, no chart graticules
w ere changed to either the M ercury 1960 o r w orld datum . The m ajority o f the

MERCURY D A T U M

T o place th is c h a rt on M e rcu ry D a tu m , s h ift all parallels ............................. s e c o n d s (no rth ,

so u th ) a n d all m eridia ns .............................. seco nd s (e a st.w e st).

PREFERRED D A T U M A D JU S T M E N T

T o place th is c h a rt on th e European D a tu m , s h ift all parallels 3 se co n d s (s o u th ) and all

m eridia ns 10 se co n d s (east). In e ffe c t, th is s h ift ch a n g e s th e c o o rd in a te values o f ch a r­
te d fe a tu re s as fo llo w s :
S t. S te p h e n s C hurch -
C h a rte d P o s itio n ................................................................... 16 2 5 '4 6 "N 1 1 3 2 '4 0 "E
C o r r e c tio n ............................................................................... - 3" + 10”
European D a tu m ................................................................... 16 2 5 ’4 3 ''N 11 3 2 ’5 0 ” E

F ig . 1. - Sample graticule shift note.

(1) C hart is on th e pre fe rred d a tu m .

SAM PLE NOTE

W O R LD GEODETIC SYSTEM D A T U M A D JU S TM E N T.
T o place this ch a rt on W G S 1972 D a tu m , s h ift all parallels 11.5 seconds sou th and all
m eridia ns 9.8 seconds east.

(2) C h art n o t on th e pre fe rred d a tu m .

SAMPLE NOTE

W o rld G eo detic S yste m 1972 D atum .

T o place th is ch a rt on W G S 1972 D a tu m , s h ift all parallels ................... seconds (no rth ,
s o u th ) and all m eridians ................... seconds (east, w est).
W G S 1972 D atum c o rre c tio n unrelated to (P referred Datum) a d ju stm e n t.

F ig 2. - Sample graticule shift notes (WGS 1972 Datum).

notes corrected charts by placing them on either a know n local datum or a

regional datum .
P rior to July 1972, only charts covering the three continental areas for
w hich the M ercury 1960 D atum was developed carried M ercury 1960 D atum
notes. In addition, charts o f 1:100 000 to 1:250 000 were the only scales required
to provide the notes. This requirem ent was levied in support o f updating charts
for use by both satellite navigation and LORAN C systems. All LORAN C sites
w ere being updated to M ercury 1960 to alleviate the problem of the sam e
LORAN C rate being on different datum s.
From July 1972 to July 1975, M ercury-Center of Mass transform ations
were depicted on charts instead o f the original M ercury shifts. However, the
w ords “Center o f M ass” w ere not added to the actual note show n on the chart.
As a result, M ercury transform ations could be based on either the original M er­
cury datum or the satellite-compatible M ercury-Center o f Mass datum.
All charts o f scales 1:600 000 and larger were to provide datum conversion
notes to the W GS 1972 w hen possible (figure 2). In addition, all new com pila­
tions w ere produced on W GS 1972, w hen feasible. On charts compiled on
W GS 1972, notes provided m ethods to shift the chart’s graticule to local or
regional datum . H ow ever, upon receiving inquiries from m ariners on the applica­
tion o f datum shifts using the graticule shift notes, it became apparent that the
note w as being m isinterpreted and caused confusion.

In M ay 1978, after consultation w ith both military and commercial m ari­

ners, a new series o f notes was devised (figure 3). If the chart is compiled on the
W G S 1972, the first note provides for the transform ation of a navigation fix
related to the operational datum to be plotted on the chart. The second note
allow s the m ariner to plot a WGS 1972 satellite-derived position on a chart
com piled on either a local or regional datum . The third note states that the chart
1. C hart c o n s tru c te d on W G S 1972 :

a) D e p ic t th is n o te w h e n ch a rt is c o n s tru c te d on W G S 1972 :

TO THE N A V IG A TO R

C h art is based on W G S 1972 d a tu m ; th e re fo re , no a d ju s tm e n t is necessary to

p o s itio n fixes de te rm in e d by na viga tion syste m based on W G S 1972.

b) D e p ict th is n o te to p o sitio n o p e ra tio n a l d a tu m on th e c h a rt (o p e ra tio n a l d a tu m is

e ith e r a local o r regional d a tu m ) :

TO THE N A V IG A TO R

O pe ra tion al D atum A d ju s tm e n t.
T o p o s itio n (operational d a tu m nam e) c o o rd in a te s on th is ch a rt :
A d d /S u b tr a c t ..................seconds to / fr o m la titu d e
A d d /S u b tr a c t ................. seconds t o / fr o m lo n g itu d e

2. C hart is n o t c o n s tru c te d on W G S 1972 :

a) D e p ic t th is no te to po sition W G S 1972 c o o rd in a te s on th e c h a rt d a tu m w h e n the

c h a rt can be s h ifte d :

TO THE N A V IG A T O R

W o rld G eo detic S yste m D a tu m A d ju s tm e n t.

T o p o s itio n W G S 1972 co o rd in a te s on th is c h a rt :
A d d /S u b tr a c t ................. seconds t o / fr o m la titu d e
A d d /S u b tr a c t ..................seco nd s t o / fr o m lo n g itu d e

b) D e p ict th is no te on the ch a rt w h e n the ch a rt c a n n o t be s h ifte d to W G S 1972 :

TO THE N A V IG A TO R

T his c h a rt ca n n o t be s h ifte d to W G S 1972 d a tu m because of (list one of th e

fo llo w in g reasons d e p e n d e n t on g e o d e tic analysis by D M A).
1. Internal inconsistencies.
2. Lack o f c o n tro l po ints.
3. Lack o f d a tu m co n n e c tio n to W G S 1972.

F ig 3. - Series of new datum adjustm ent notes.

cannot be placed on WGS 1972. In addition, w hen possible, a note positioning

operational datum coordinates on the chart is provided.

Formula

As m entioned previously, under Navigation System Datums, the application

o f the datum shift form ula m ust be m ade w ith caution, as the constants required
are updated periodically. The exact constants used by the geodesist are not likely
to be k n ow n by either the cartographer o r m ariner. Presently, the Defense M ap ­
ping A gency H ydrographic/T opographic Center is using the abridged M olodensky
form ulas for the m ajority o f all datum transform ations.

PRESEN T STA TU S OF CHART DATUM S

All charts must be individually evaluated for horizontal accuracy before

datum shift can be recom m ended. If the evaluation indicates that features on land
areas contain inconsistent deviations from their respective survey-controlled posi­
tions, then a datum shift cannot be made. The evaluation includes verification o f
the datum on which the chart is based Survey control points based on the
operational datum are com pared w ith charted features during the evaluation
process. Occasionally, charts that are reportedly based on a particuler datum do
not conform to control points on that frame o f reference. In such cases, notes are
provided to shift the chart datum to the operational datum .
Presently, over 40 percent o f the nautical charts produced by DM AHTC at
1:600 000 scale and larger have been evaluated for horizontal accuracy. Out o f
1 500 charts evaluated, over 800 can be placed on WGS 1972. The other 700
cannot be converted to W G S 1972 due to the lack of either control points
depicted on the chart or a connection betw een the operational datum to W GS
1972. G iven the present rate, it will take 2 years before all charts have been
referred by correction or non-correction notes to WGS 1972.
C h art users should w rite to Director, Defense M apping Agency, H ydrogra­
ph ic/T o p o g raphic Center, W ashington, D.C. 2031 5 for any specific chart conver­
sion to W G S 1972.