Universal Transverse Mercator Coordinate System

Universal Transverse Mercator Coordinate System

The Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) geographic coordinate system uses a 2-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system to give locations on the surface of the Earth. It is a horizontal position representation, i.e. it is used to identify locations on the Earth independently of vertical position, but differs from the traditional method of latitude and longitude in several respects.

The UTM system is not a single map projection. The system instead divides the Earth into sixty zones, each a six-degree band of longitude, and uses a secant transverse Mercator projection in each zone.

Read more about Universal Transverse Mercator Coordinate System:  History, Latitude Bands, Locating A Position Using UTM Coordinates

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