Geographic coordinate system

<p>A geographic coordinate system (GCS) is a <a href="/facts/Spherical_coordinate_system/5cVnNof3">spherical</a> or <a href="/facts/Geodetic_coordinates/uD1C2sTU">geodetic coordinate</a> system for measuring and communicating <a href="/facts/Position_(geometry)/Tpk5d9f2">positions</a> directly on <a href="/facts/Earth/HLLmDfj0">Earth</a> as <a href="/facts/Latitude/IBYqkjhU">latitude</a> and <a href="/facts/Longitude/HsC61ML9">longitude</a>. It is the simplest, oldest, and most widely used type of the various <a href="/facts/Spatial_reference_systems/PC86sqsr">spatial reference systems</a> that are in use, and forms the basis for most others. Although latitude and longitude form a coordinate <a href="/facts/Tuple/BI1HIxL8">tuple</a> like a <a href="/facts/Cartesian_coordinate_system/lkTqvMmB">cartesian coordinate system</a>, the geographic coordinate system is not cartesian because the measurements are angles and are not on a planar surface.
</p><p>A full GCS specification, such as those listed in the <a href="/facts/EPSG_Geodetic_Parameter_Dataset/ddQPTKon">EPSG</a> and ISO 19111 standards, also includes a choice of <a href="/facts/Geodetic_datum/blgyh87M">geodetic datum</a> (including an <a href="/facts/Earth_ellipsoid/l88dGWLD">Earth ellipsoid</a>), as different datums will yield different latitude and longitude values for the same location.
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Geographic coordinate system open-in-new

Geographic coordinate system