TUTORIAL

ASSIGNMENT
ASSIGNMENT 2: PROJECTIONS AND
DATUMS

CIVIL ENGINEERING INFORMATION SYSTEMS

(06-87-220-01 W13)
January 20, 2013

Question #1)
Check the folder Part 1 and report the Type of files that are listed?
Answer:
The following three files were in the Part 1 folder:
1. DBF file (.dbf) attribute format file
2. SHF file (.shp) shape format file
3. SHX file (.shx) shape index file
Question #2)
Check the folder Part 1 again and report the type of the new files that get added
after executing the steps above.
Answer:
The following three files got added after defining the projections for each layer:
1. LOCK file (.sr.lock)
2. XML file (.xml)
3. Projection file (ANYSYv140.prj)
Question #3)
What does this file contain in your opinion? (Hint: Close ArcMap, re-open it and
load the shapefiles as in Step A above; notice what happens now!)
Answer:
The ANYSYv140.prj file contains the coordinate system information for the data. The
LOCK file locks the coordinate system to this layer. This stops ArcGIS from returning the
Unknown Spatial Reference since it has locked the previous assigned coordinate
system.
Question #4)
Explain why the NAD 1983 was proposed as the Ellipsoid System for defining the
coordinates of the layers you are working with?
Answer:
The NAD 1983 was proposed as the Ellipsoid System for defining the coordinates of the
layers we are working with because we are working with a map of Canada. The shape
of the earth is not completely round and ellipsoids can be used to approximate the
shape of the earth of a specific region. Since we are dealing with North America the
best Geographic Coordinate System which will estimate the Canadian region will be
NAD 1983.
Question #5)
Include a screen capture of your result with the Robinson projection and then
with the Equidistant Cylindrical projection.

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Answer:

Figure 1 - Screenshot of Robinson (World) projection of Canadian map

Figure 2 - Screenshot of Equidistant Cylindrical (World) projection of Canadian map

Question #6)
Describe the properties of the Robinson and Equidistant Cylindrical projections
in terms of shape, area, direction and distance.

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Answer:
Robinson (World)

Shape

Area

Equidistant Cylindrical (World)

The distortion of the shape is

very low along the equator and
within 45 of the origin.
The distortion of the area is very
low along the equator and within
45 of the origin.
Does not exhibit true direction

Generally the scale is true along

latitudes 38 N and S. Scale is
constant for any given latitude
of the opposite sign.

Direction

Distance

As the distance from the

standard parallels increase, the
shape becomes more distorted.
As the distance from the
standard parallels increase, the
area becomes more distorted.
North, south, east, and west
directions are accurate. Except
for locally along the standard
parallels, general directions are
distorted.
The scale is correct along the
standard parallels and the
meridians. (This projection
preserves the distance)

Table 1 - Properties of Robinson & Equidistant Cylindrical Projections (Source: ArcGIS

Desktop 9.2 help)

Question #7)
Include a screen capture of your map with the UTM WGS84 projection centered
on Windsor, Ontario. Why do you think the horizontal lines of GRID30 appear
more flat around Southern Ontario?
Answer:

Figure 3 - Screenshot of UTM WGS84 Projection of Southern Ontario

The UTM Projection system divides the globe into multiple cylinders that projects the
globe at 6 intervals. This minimizes the distortion of the area under study and produces
a maximum distortion of 0.04%. Since we used UTM WGS84 Zone 17N which includes
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the Windsor Area, this will distort the GRID30 layer to a minimum and make the
horizontal lines appear more flat.
Question #8)
How else could you have determined that these data sets are in different
coordinate systems?
Answer:
The coordinate system had not been defined yet in the data frame properties. Therefore
when zoomed into each layer, the display units in the bottom right corner of ArcMap do
not correspond to each other. Therefore they must be different coordinate systems.
Question #6)
What UTM Zone does the Hamilton downtown aerial photo belong in?
Answer:
The Hamilton aerial photo belongs to the UTM Zone 17N zone.
Question #9)
Provide a screen capture of your work with the roads layer superimposed on the
Hamilton downtown aerial photo.
Answer:

Figure 4 - Screenshot of Aerial View of Downtown Hamilton

Question #10)
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What is the difference (in meters) between NAD27 and NAD83 at this location in
both the north-south and east-west directions? Be sure to take the distance
measures orthogonal to the line segments.
Answer:
North-South: Caroline St. - 10.492626 Meters
East-West: Hunter St. 13.837575 Meters
According to the map, the NAD27 projection seems to be more north and east than the
NAD83 projection.
Question #11)
Provide a screen capture which shows the two projected road layers
Streets_NAD27 and Streets_NAD83 in different patterns (NAD27 layer as a solid
line and NAD83 as a dashed line) on top of the aerial photo.
Answer:

Figure 5 - Screenshot of Aerial View of Downtown Hamilton (NAD27 & NAD83 Projections)

Question#12)
Which of the two projected layers (NAD27 or NAD83) is more adequate and why?
Answer:
NAD83 is more adequate than the NAD27 projection since this projection correctly
projects the Hamilton road network on the Hamilton aerial photo; (i.e. the roads on the
aerial photo and the NAD83 projection aligned up

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