EPSG Geodetic Parameter Dataset (also EPSG registry) is a public registry of
geodetic datums,
spatial reference systems
A spatial reference system (SRS) or coordinate reference system (CRS) is a framework used to precisely measure locations on the surface of Earth as coordinates. It is thus the application of the abstract mathematics of coordinate systems and anal ...
,
Earth ellipsoids, coordinate transformations and related
units of measurement
A unit of measurement, or unit of measure, is a definite magnitude (mathematics), magnitude of a quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same kind of quantity. Any other qua ...
, originated by a member of the
European Petroleum Survey Group (EPSG) in 1985. Each entity is assigned an EPSG code between 1024 and 32767, along with a standard machine-readable
well-known text (WKT) representation. The dataset is maintained by the
IOGP Geomatics Committee.
Most
geographic information systems
A geographic information system (GIS) consists of integrated computer hardware and software that store, manage, analyze, edit, output, and visualize geographic data. Much of this often happens within a spatial database; however, this is not ...
(GIS) and GIS
libraries
A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...
use EPSG codes as
Spatial Reference System Identifiers (SRIDs) and EPSG definition data for identifying coordinate reference systems, projections, and performing transformations between these systems, while some also support SRIDs issued by other organizations (such as
Esri
Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc., doing business as Esri (), is an American Multinational corporation, multinational geographic information system (GIS) software company headquartered in Redlands, California. It is best known for ...
).
Common EPSG codes
* EPSG:4326 -
WGS 84
The World Geodetic System (WGS) is a standard used in cartography, geodesy, and satellite navigation including GPS. The current version, WGS 84, defines an Earth-centered, Earth-fixed coordinate system and a geodetic datum, and also descri ...
datum ensemble for 2D (latitude, longitude) coordinates with 2 meter accuracy, used by the
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based hyperbolic navigation system owned by the United States Space Force and operated by Mission Delta 31. It is one of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that provide ge ...
among others.
* EPSG:3857 -
Web Mercator projection of WGS 84, used for display by many web-based mapping tools, including
Google Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panorama, interactive panoramic views of streets (Google Street View, Street View ...
and
OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap (abbreviated OSM) is a free, Open Database License, open geographic database, map database updated and maintained by a community of volunteers via open collaboration. Contributors collect data from surveying, surveys, trace from Ae ...
.
*EPSG:9989 -
International Terrestrial Reference Frame
The International Terrestrial Reference System (ITRS) describes procedures for creating reference frames suitable for use with measurements on or near the Earth's surface. This is done in much the same way that a physical standard might be descr ...
2020 (ITRF2020) for 3D coordinates (latitude, longitude, ellipsoidal height) with subcentimeter accuracy, used for monitoring continental drift among others.
History
The dataset was created in 1985 by Jean-Patrick Girbig of
Elf
An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic peoples, Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in Norse mythology, North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda'' ...
, to "standardize, improve and share spatial data between members of the European Petroleum Survey Group". It was made public in 1993.
In 2005, the EPSG organisation was merged into
International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP), and became the Geomatics Committee. However, the name of the EPSG registry was kept to avoid confusion.
Since then, the acronym "EPSG" became increasingly synonymous with the dataset or registry itself.
See also
*
List of map projections
This is a summary of map projections that have articles of their own on Wikipedia or that are otherwise WP:NOTABLE, notable. Because there is no limit to the number of possible map projections,
there can be no comprehensive list.
Table of proj ...
References
External links
* Official website
{{Authority control
Spatial databases
Spatial analysis
Geodesy
Catalogues
Geomatics
Geographic coordinate systems