Understanding Map Reference Frames

Dhananjay Ravat, University of Kentucky

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This page first made public: Jun 1, 2012

Summary

This lecture cum activity is to improve understanding of coordinate systems and instruments commonly used by geologists.
All geologists use GPS, Google Earth, smartphones, and toposheets to teach and do research. However, many of them do not understand that they all use different coordinate systems.

Geodesy, Geodynamics, Gravity, Geophysics, Geodesy

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Context

Audience

With the time available to me at the moment, I have been able to assemble materials that explain the concepts. Perhaps other workshop participants will help take this further and make a couple of assignments for a freshman and also an appropriate higher level geology course.

Skills and concepts that students must have mastered

1) Understanding of latitude and longitude space and maps are two dimensional projections of a three dimensional world
2) Ability to convert, using a handheld calculator, the latitude and longitude in degree minutes seconds format to the decimal degrees and vice versa.
3) Ability to convert between meters and feet

How the activity is situated in the course

I have used parts of the powerpoint in a lecture on Earth's shape/geoid/gravity lecture in my senior course on Earth Dynamics course. But for the workshop I have added to that specific intercomparisons between toposheets, GPS, iphone, and Google Earth. This latter has not been used in any classroom setting yet.

Goals

Content/concepts goals for this activity

Understanding mapping coordinate systems.

Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity

measurement errors; concepts in coming up with coordinate reference frames

Other skills goals for this activity

ability to calculate and analytical thinking

Description and Teaching Materials

A powerpoint describing all concepts and example calculations. See also notes in the powerpoint.

Powerpoint for Understanding mapping coordinate systems (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 11.2MB May30 12)

Teaching Notes and Tips

See the powerpoint and notes in the powerpoint

Assessment

I have not administered this activity yet. Usually I ask a question on the exam related to geoid vs spheroid. Whether the students were able to group different types of measurements of latitude and elevation according to their measurement error will tell whether they have understood concept of using the errors to make inferences. If they can effectively explain why these different types of measurements give different answers (last page of the powerpoint), then they will have understood the purpose.