1. UTM and State Plane

2. UTM for U.S.

3. True north
False northing: 10,000,000 METERS
84TH PARALLEL
FALSE EASTING
500,000 m
Universal
Traverse
Mercator
System
Longitudinal lines
Increasing distortion towards longitudinal boundaries
~167,000 Easting
~833,000 Easting
60 zones at 6 degrees each

4. State Plane Coordinate Systems for Contiguous U.S.

5. Why state plane? State plane is 4x more accurate than UTM
Minimizes distortion according to shape of state, but follows political boundaries
For example (edification only!):
North-South running states use form of transverse mercator system (tangent not secant)
East-west use Lambert conformal

6. UTM Useful because it is not based on political boundaries
Fairly minimal distortion
Know how data relate spatially based on northing and eastings, indicates true north and where distortion is greatest
Central meridian at 500,000