Stellenbosch University

E214 Engineering Geology

Geomatics
Lecture 2

Datums and Co-ordinate systems

2020
Mark Straughan
Professional Land Surveyor
Friedlaender, Burger and Volkmann

+27 (0)21 8864004

+27 (0)82 8940686
mark@fbvsurvey.co.za
Definition of space
Metric spaces
(Chapter 3 of course notes)
 What is a datum?
From dictionary.com
“any proposition assumed or given, from which conclusions may be drawn”
From collinsdictionary.com
“a proposition taken for granted, often in order to construct some theoretical
framework upon it”
And from merriam-webster.com
“something given or admitted especially as a basis for reasoning or inference”
and
“something used as a basis for calculating or measuring”
Why are datums important in surveying
and how are they defined?
1. Typically we are called upon to survey a scene or a site, comprising many objects which are often

functionally linked to each other.

2. When surveying such a site our aim is fourfold:

a. Record the relative positions and shapes of stationary objects and the terrain on the site;

b. Use this record to create a graphical depiction of the objects surveyed; and

c. Use this record to derive information about the objects, such as height of buildings, width of roads,

length of a boundary fence, distance between 2 telephone poles or the volume of a pile of earth

d. Facilitate further survey, often by other persons for purposes of setting out new structures in the

correct positions relative to existing features on the site.

3. We achieve these aims by establishing a survey datum on the site or by adopting an existing datum.

4. We start by either locating and verifying existing survey markers or “monuments” on or near the site or

by installing such monuments of our own. These monuments provide durable, physical evidence of the

chosen datum.
Datums continued…
1. At the same time as finding or installing survey monuments we choose an appropriate two- or three-

dimensional Cartesian co-ordinate system or we adopt an existing system. The co-ordinate system and

physical monuments form our SURVEY DATUM.

2. In conventional surveying, using instruments such as combined electronic theodolites and laser distance

measuring devices (commonly called total stations), we measure polar or spherical co-ordinates from a

point of known co-ordinate to each unknown point.

3. In other words we measure a distance and one or two angles, to the unknown point.

4. From these measurements we typically compute cartesian co-ordinates.

5. For polar or spherical co-ordinates to be consistent relative to each other,

a. the angles measured must be relative to a line or lines (axes) of fixed direction,

b. the axes must be at right angles to each other,

c. the scale of distance along each axis must be identical to the scale on all other axes
To summarise survey datums…
Surveying datums are therefore typically defined by

• A system of physical monuments, often referred to as

benchmarks or control points or control stations and by a 3-
dimensional Cartesian co-ordinate system comprising

• 3 planes intersecting each other at right angles;

• 2 axes held at fixed directions;

• 1 common scale for distance; and

• 1 origin point, the point of intersection of the three planes,

at a fixed location.
 Spherical and Cartesian Co-ordinate Systems
z
(r, θ, φ)
3-dimensional Cartesian co-
r ordinate system
φ

y
θ
x
Spherical or polar co-ordinate
system
 NGI products and the South African
Projected Coordinate Reference System
• In South Africa for everyday survey and design the most used co-ordinate system is the SA Projected Co-
ordinate Reference System (SAPCRS).
• South Africa is extensively surveyed and mapped by the State to a very high standard.
• The State department responsible for national survey and mapping programmes such as maintenance of
the SAPCRS is National Geo-spatial Information (NGI) which is headquartered in Mowbray, Cape Town and
falls under the National Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.
• NGI also owns and operates a nationwide network of active GNSS base stations to facilitate the use of
GNSS survey equipment by the State and the private sector throughout urban and rural areas.
• All information produced for public consumption by NGI is freely provided and free to use for non-
commercial purposes. In other words one may us this information during one’s normal professional work,
but you may not simply take any NGI product and resell it.
• NGI charges a nominal fee for the cost of printing medium such as paper maps and for time costs related
to providing digital date to users by copying onto user supplied storage media. These fees are very low.
• The data supplied by NGI is fundamental to the development of infrastructure and to many forms of
economic activity in South Africa.
• NGI provides a “world class” service at virtually no cost to the public. This is not the case in developed
countries such as the United Kingdom, which charges very high fees for similar products.
 Earth’s Terrain Surface, Geoid and
Reference Ellipsoid
In surveying and mapping Earth we are
interested in 3 surfaces:
• Surface terrain of Earth
• Geoid
• Reference ellipsoid
Terrain Surface, Geoid and Reference
Ellipsoid …cont/d
 Earth’s terrain surface

• Comprises topographic features eg:

continents, oceans, lakes, rivers, valleys,
mountains, etc.

• Irregular and complex

• Not suitable as a computational surface

 Geoid
• The Geoid is defined as an equipotential
surface of the Earth’s gravity field
• It is the gravitational equipotential surface
that would be assumed by the undisturbed
surface of the sea, continued underneath the
continents by means of small frictionless
channels
• The Geoid approximates mean sea level
 Reference ellipsoid

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
Terrain, geoid and ellipsoid
 Geodetic Datums
A national, horizontal co-ordinate system such as the South African Projected

Co-ordinate Reference System is based on two of the parts of our National

Geodetic Datum, namely

1. A reference ellipsoid, defined in terms of the a, b or a, f parameters, and

2. A defined orientation, position and scale of the reference ellipsoid in

space.

From U Rivett, 2014

 South African National Geodetic
Datums
• For purposes of defining our horizontal, projected co-ordinate
system South Africa uses a datum called the HARTBEESHOEK 1994
DATUM (HART94) which is nominally geo-centric.
• The HART94 reference ellipsoid is defined as follows:
a = 6378137.000 metres; b = 6356752.314 metres
and is based on the reference ellipsoid of the World Geodetic System
1984 (WGS84) which is the reference system used by the Global
Positioning System (GPS) and by many other Global Navigation Satellite
Systems (GNSS)
 South African National Geodetic
Datums… cont/d
• For purposes of defining our vertical datum, in other words the datum on
which we base the measurement of heights, we use the South African
Land Levelling Datum which is preserved in survey monuments called
levelling benchmarks which are found throughout the country alongside
major and minor roads.
• The heights of all these benchmarks are nominally above mean sea-level
as surveyed from benchmark BM1 in Cape Town harbour.
• The height above mean sea level of BM1 was established by tide gauge
measurements of mean sea level in Cape Town harbour carried out
between 1900 and 1907.
Thank you