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The Earth-centered, Earth-fixed coordinate system (acronym ECEF), also known as the geocentric coordinate system, is a cartesian spatial reference system that represents locations in the vicinity of the Earth (including its surface, interior, atmosphere, and surrounding outer space) as X, Y, and Z measurements from its center of mass.
When the fingers of the right hand go from the x- to the y-axis then the thumb shows in the direction of the z-axis. Each point on the Earth is uniquely defined by its cartesian coordinates (x, y, z). In fact, only 2 coordinates would suffice because each point is on the surface of a sphere: x 2 + y 2 + z 2 = R 2. (1)
The coordinates are often denoted by the letters x, y, and z. The axes may then be referred to as the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis, respectively. Then the coordinate planes can be referred to as the xy-plane, yz-plane, and xz-plane.
A geographic coordinate system (GCS) is a spherical or geodetic coordinate system for measuring and communicating positions directly on Earth as latitude and longitude. [ 1 ] It is the simplest, oldest and most widely used of the various spatial reference systems that are in use, and forms the basis for most others.
The Z axis is perpendicular to the X & Y axes, and aligns with the N-S pole, or axis of rotation, of the Earth. The axes are fixed to the Earth’s motion, so the coordinates of points are not constantly changing, apart for tectonic plate movement. This is why it is called “Earth fixed”.
It is a three-dimensional coordinate system with a well-defined origin (the centre of mass of the Earth) and three orthogonal coordinate axes (X,Y,Z). The Z-axis points towards a mean Earth north pole. The X-axis is oriented towards a mean Greenwich meridian and is orthogonal to the Z-axis.
10 mar 2024 · When you put two coordinates together as a pair (X, Y), you can locate anything on Earth. Latitude and longitude form our coordinate system grid. Also, you can express coordinates in different ways.
