Using the Global Spatial Data Model to Compute Combined Factors
Publication: Journal of Surveying Engineering
Volume 142, Issue 4
Abstract
It is increasingly popular in surveying to accommodate the grid/ground distance difference associated with map projections by adopting what is called a low-distortion projection (LDP) for a specific area. The advantage is that the LDP distance between a pair of plane coordinates will match the horizontal ground distance within a predetermined tolerance. With a tolerance limit in hand, design parameters for a LDP need to accommodate a range of elevation in the area while maximizing the geographical area to be covered. Typical LDP applications include a city, a county, or some other specified area. Regardless of whether using an existing state plane coordinate (SPC) map projection or a LDP, the combined factor reflects the distance distortion for a line and can be defined as the ratio of the grid inverse distance divided by the corresponding horizontal ground distance. This article describes use of the global spatial data model (GSDM) to compute a closed-form combined factor for a given line.
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Acknowledgments
The author is indebted to the editor and unnamed reviewers who asked probing questions and made excellent suggestions to improve the manuscript.
References
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Information
Published In
Journal of Surveying Engineering
Volume 142 • Issue 4 • November 2016
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 6, 2015
Accepted: Jan 26, 2016
Published online: Mar 10, 2016
Discussion open until: Aug 10, 2016
Published in print: Nov 1, 2016
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