Datum

 a reference system or an approximation of the Earth's

surface against which positional measurements are made
for computing locations.
 2 types:
-Horizontal datum
> used to describe a point on the Earth's surface,
in latitude and longitude or another coordinate system.
-Vertical datum
 >base elevation used as a reference from which to
determine relative heights or depths.
>used to measure elevations or underwater depths.
(i.e: terrain, bathymetry, water levels, and man-made
structures.)
Chart Datum
 For marine application, any water depth has to be referenced to a common
datum for it to have any meaning.
 Charting of sea waters and the need to establish a uniform
 level, or datum plane, to which observed water depths could be referred, the
soundings being taken at different water level stages or phases during
hydrographic surveys, all measured depth will be published on a chart which is
known as Chart Datum
 It is also the plane to which all tidal heights are referred, (by adding the tidal
height to the charted depth, the true depth of water can be determined.
 Charted depths: The vertical distance from the tidal datum to the sea bottom
 It typically refers to a level so low that the tide will not frequently falls (often
defined by the lowest astronomical tide-LAT), so as to give mariners the
assurance that the depth shown on charts is the minimum available whatever
the state of the tide (act as safety margin for navigator)
 CD>> varies from one place to other, depending on the tides
Lowest Astronomical Tides (LAT)
 national charting agencies use the Lowest Astronomical
Tide (LAT) - the height of the water at the lowest possible
theoretical tide - to define chart datums.
 LAT is the lowest levels which can be predicted to occur
under average meteorological conditions.
 Why LAT?
Because it is the lowest level to which the tide is predicted
to fall at a particular place.(if soundings on a chart made
relatively to this level, mariner will nearly always be on the
“safe” side as the height of at any time will always be some
distance above LAT, soundings on the chart will then
always be deeper in reality because the height of tides
MSL (Mean Sea Level)

 The term Mean Sea Level (MSL) can also refer to a tidal datum, or
frame of vertical reference defined by a specific phase of the tide.
 MSL are locally-derived based on observations at a tide station, which
is described as the arithmetic mean of the hourly water elevation taken
over a specific 19 years cycle.
(why 19 years? >> 19 years is used because it is the closest full year to the
18.6-year node cycle, the period required for the regression of the
moon’s nodes to complete a circuit of 360◦ of longitude)
 MSL must be updated at least every 20-25 years due to global sea level
rise. Some stations are more frequently updated due to high relative sea
level trends.
 MSL are the basis of marine boundaries, are used as a vertical
reference plane in producing nautical charts, and provide important
baseline information for observing changes in sea level over time.