EE50238 – Navigation, Guidance & Communications

Dr Rob Wortham

Maps & Mapping

Note: This lecture is being recorded using University of Bath Panopto

12/03/2024 EE50238 Navigation, Guidance & Communications - Lecture 6 1

Today’s Lecture
• Frames of Reference
• Geodetic
• Geocentric (ECEF)
• Inertial (ECI)
• The shape of the Earth
• The earth as an Ellipsoid GRS80
• The Earth as a Geoid
• Conversion Between Reference Frames
• UTM Mapping

12/03/2024 EE50238 Navigation, Guidance & Communications - Lecture 6 2

Frames of Reference

Geodetic Coordinate Frame

• Relative to the earth
• Local Spherical
• Most common
• Latitude
• Longitude
• Height above sea level

• Problems
• Earth is not a sphere
• Earth is ‘lumpy’ – both topographically and in density
• Plumb lines do not point to the centre of the earth
• What is the reference point for height? Height above what?
• Our Z axis is problematic

• Geodetic frame is not useful beyond the earth

12/03/2024 EE50238 Navigation, Guidance & Communications - Lecture 6 3

Geocentric Frame
• ECEF Frame – Earth Centred Earth Fixed
• Also known as “conventional terrestrial”
• Right handed Cartesian coordinates
• Centre of mass of earth is (0,0,0)
• Axes rotate with earth
• Fixed point on earth has fixed ECEF position
• Z ~ axis aligned with earth axis of rotation (actually
aligned with IRP – International Reference Pole)
• X axis aligns with 0’ Longitude, therefore
• Y axis aligns with 90’ E

• Usage
• Locating positions of objects in solar system, but also
requires knowledge of time since earth is rotating
• Useful when converting between reference frames

12/03/2024 EE50238 Navigation, Guidance & Communications - Lecture 6 4

ECI Frame - Earth Centred Inertial
• Does not rotate with Earth
• Cartesian with (0,0,0) at centre of mass of earth like ECEF 

• There are various ECI frames1 

• J2000 or EME2000 (shown)

• Earth's Mean Equator and Equinox
at 12:00 Terrestrial Time on 1
January 2000

• MATLAB
• X-Z plane - direction from Earth to
the Sun. Rotates once per year
relative to J2000

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth-centered_inertial
12/03/2024 EE50238 Navigation, Guidance & Communications - Lecture 6 5
Some Other Important Navigation Terms
• AER – Azimuth, Elevation, Range
• Measurements implicitly define a local reference frame relative
to your position on the earth • Also referred to as AES – Azimuth, Elevation, Slant Range
• Elevation - relative to horizon, or some local X-Y plane – military origins
• Azimuth – relative to local Y-Z plane – typically prime meridian

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RiflemansRule.svg

https://www.photopills.com/articles/understanding-azimuth-and-elevation
12/03/2024 EE50238 Navigation, Guidance & Communications - Lecture 6 6
The Shape of the Earth

The Earth as an Ellipsoid - Standards are GRS80, or WGS84

Ellipsoid reference Semi-major axis a Semi-minor axis b Inverse flattening (1/f)
GRS 80 6 378 137.0 m ≈ 6 356 752.314 140 m 298.257 222 100 882 711...
WGS 84 6 378 137.0 m ≈ 6 356 752.314 245 m 298.257 223 563

• Flattening f = ( a – b ) / a

• Inverse flattening 1/f = a / (a – b)

• Mean earth radius = (2a + b) / 3

12/03/2024 EE50238 Navigation, Guidance & Communications - Lecture 6 7

The Shape of the Earth #2
The Earth as a Geoid

• The radius of the earth varies – not precisely an elliptical

spheroid

• Density also varies, so gravitational field is not constant1

• Geoid - surface of an ideal global ocean in the absence of tides

and currents, shaped only by gravity2.

• To convert from Geodetic to ECEF we need to know the precise

shape of the earth.

• To calculate precise orbits for satellites e.g. GNSS we need to

understand and map the Earth Geoid.

• Geoid mapped using satellites for example ESA GOCE2

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoid
2. http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/GOCE/Earth_s_gravity_revealed_in_unprecedented_detail
12/03/2024 EE50238 Navigation, Guidance & Communications - Lecture 6 8
The Shape of the Earth #3
• Earth Gravitational Model - EGM2008 – provides undulation values with respect to WGS 84

Switzerland ~ +50m

http://earth-info.nga.mil/GandG/wgs84/gravitymod/egm2008/egm08_wgs84.html
12/03/2024 EE50238 Navigation, Guidance & Communications - Lecture 6 9
Conversion Between Reference Frames
An example

• From Zermatt, we can see the Matterhorn

• How high is the Matterhorn?

• See ‘Matterhorn’ MATLAB Live Script

12/03/2024 EE50238 Navigation, Guidance & Communications - Lecture 6 10

UTM Mapping
• Universal Transverse Mercator
• Not one single map, but 60 * 20 separate TM projections
• Zones
• UTM divides Earth into 60 zones
• Each 6° of longitude
• Zone 1 covers longitude 180° to 174° W
• Zone numbering increases eastward
• The polar regions south of 80°S and north of 84°N are excluded.
• Latitude Bands
• Each zone segmented into 20 latitude bands, each 8° high
• Band "C" at 80°S, until "X", omitting the letters "I" and "O.
• "X" is extended an extra 4 degrees, so it ends at 84°N latitude

• Latitude bands "A" and "B ", and "Y" and "Z " cover the western and eastern sides of the Antarctic
and Arctic regions
12/03/2024 EE50238 Navigation, Guidance & Communications - Lecture 6 11
UTM Map Showing Grid Zones and Latitude Bands

https://www.maptools.com/tutorials/grid_zone_details
12/03/2024 EE50238 Navigation, Guidance & Communications - Lecture 6 12
Using UTM coordinates
• A position on the Earth is given by the UTM Zone Number
1-60 and the easting and northing planar coordinate pair
in that zone.
• Often the Latitude Band is also given
• Origin of each UTM zone is intersection of the equator and
the zone's central meridian.

• To avoid dealing with negative numbers

• Central meridian of each zone is defined to coincide with
500,000 meters East.
• In any zone a point with an easting of 400km is about 100
km west of the central meridian.

• UTM is conformal https://www.maptools.com/tutorials/utm/quick_guide

• Point scale is independent of direction
• Local shapes are well preserved

12/03/2024 EE50238 Navigation, Guidance & Communications - Lecture 6 13

 Today’s Lecture
• Frames of Reference
• Geodetic
• Geocentric (ECEF)
• Inertial (ECI)
• The shape of the Earth
• The earth as an Ellipsoid GRS80
• The Earth as a Geoid
• Conversion Between Reference Frames
• UTM Mapping

Questions?

12/03/2024 EE50238 Navigation, Guidance & Communications 14