Coordinate MiniLabels

MiniLabels are short text strings used by the transformation library as metadata description of projections and datums. Internally at GST (formely KMS) MiniLabels are used generally as metadata description for other types of data. The MiniLabels that are relevant for a user of the transformation library and transformation programs are called coordinate MiniLabels.

Coordinate MiniLabels come in two types:

Coordinate MiniLabels of type 1:

A string consisting of three components: <coordinate system><separator><datum>[_<height MiniLabel>].

The coordinate system is mostly also human readable: the string "geo" indicates geographical coordinates, "utm33" represents UTM zone 33. In some of the other cases, the translation may not be quite obvious. Below you'll find lists and examples further describing MiniLabel components.

The separator is used in two ways:

  1. Separate the coordinate system and the datum
  2. Contain information on the height system (and possibly the height MiniLabel)

Note: that an extra separator char ‘_’ is placed before the height MiniLabel.

The separator consists of just one character having one of the values:

The datum is the name of the datum (for coordinates) in small letters. For example:

wgs84, etrs89, nad83g, qornoq.

For some systems, the three components already described are not sufficient - extra parameters are needed. Such parameters (identifying for example the scale, a central meridian, translation of the coordinates etc) are placed after the "main" (3-component) part of the MiniLabel. Having identified the "Main Part", the program knows how to read the extra parameters.

Below you will find lists and examples further describing MiniLabel components.

A few type 1 coordinate MiniLabels:

Coordinate MiniLabels of type 2:

A string consisting of three components:

The second type of MiniLabels is mostly used to identify "regional" coordinate systems. For this type, the MiniLabel string consists of only a few letters, forming an (abbreviated) name of the system. Having identified a MiniLabel of this type, the program knows the values of the implicit parameters needed for the transformation. These "implicit parameters" may include coefficients for the transformation routine.

A few type 2 coordinate Minilabels:

Height MiniLabels:

A string consisting of three components:

The only legal separator is ‘_’.

A list of height systems and (height) datums is given below.

Prefixes indicating Region:

In order to avoid confusion when different stations in the same file are having the same station identification (station number), it is possible to apply a region prefix to the MiniLabel (and to the station identification as well). - this situation often occurs when stations from separate regions (countries) are mixed in the same file. This is utilized in the 'KMS' file format used internally at GST / KMS - when the MiniLabel for a coordinate block contains a region prefix, this prefix applies to all stations in the block, except stations having their own region prefix in the ID.

The region prefix does not affect the actual transformation. It is an extra piece of metadata information, which transformation programs can use to handle special cases - for example in input and output of point names, or to display a predefined list of systems in a graphical user interface.

Possible Region Prefixes:

PREFIXREGION
DKDenmark
FOFaroe Islands
FEFaroe Islands (not used any longer)
GRGreenland
SJSouthern Jylland
ISIceland
NONorway
SFFinland
SESweden
SVSweden (not used any longer)
BEBelgium
CACanada
DEGermany
EEEstonia
FRFrance
LELatvia
LTLithuania
LILithuania
NLNetherlands
PLPoland
UKEngland
USUSA

Example of a coordinate minilabel with region prefix: DK_utm33_etrs89

List of Coordinate Systems.

The following list is a compilation of the sub strings used in MiniLabels to indicate Coordinate System.

In the column marked 'Suppl Params' you will find the extra parameters needed to define the system. Coordinate Systems marked "P.D." has predefined datum; - such systems are fully defined via the name of the coordinate system and therefore neither datum nor extra parameters are needed in the label.

Other elements contained in the "Suppl param" column indicate which extra parameters are needed for definition of the system. In the transformation program, such parameters can't be selected directly via drop down lists or buttons, but must be supplied by the user.

The character '?' found in some of the coordinate system names below are place holders for ciphers.

For example, in the UTM systems, they indicate where to put the zone number. In the Conical Systems used in Greenland, the zones are called cones (numbered from 1 to 8) and the '?' character tells where to put the 'cone number’.

NOTE - coordinate sequence:

Generally the transfomation library will expect the coordinate order to be easting, northing, height - and for geographic coordinates longitude, latitude, height. However, for the special 'KMS' file format usually the assumption is made that the coordinate sequence in the file is northing, easting, height. Some MiniLabels have an extra variant with an 'i' appended to the projection, e.g. utmi32_etrs89. This is an extra metadata information ONLY relevant when reading and writing files in the 'KMS' format, which tells the program to expect planar coordinates in reversed order, e.g. easting, northing, height.

The last column in the table below indicates what the expected coordinate order is for the 'KMS' format. No indication means, that the sequence is the usual (N,E)=(northing,easting).

MiniNameSuppl ParamDescriptionCoord. sequence for 'KMS' format
Global Systems
crtCartesian 3-d coord(X,Y,Z)
geoGeographical coord(Lat, Lon)
geoiGeographical coord(Lon, Lat)
utm??UTM zone ?? (?? = 2 digits)(N,E)
utmi??UTM zone ?? (?? = 2 digits)(E,N)
utm??nUTM zone ??, North. LAT(N,E)
utmi??nUTM zone ??, North. LAT(E,N)
utm??sUTM zone ??, South. LAT(S,E)
utmi??sUTM zone ??, South. LAT(E,S)
itmB0 N0 Lc Ec ScaleTM, general GAUSS-KR(N, E)
itmiB0 N0 Lc Ec ScaleTM, general GAUSS-KR(E, N)
tm??GAUSS-KR ?? dg 3dg.z scale 1.0(N, E)
mrcB0 N0 Lc EcMercator projection(N, E)
mrc0Mercator Std Projection(N, E)
webmrcWEB Mercator projection zero(N,E)
lmbB0 N0 Lc Ec BcLambert conf. con.(N, E)
dlmbB0 N0 Lc Ec B1 B2Lambert 2 par. c. con.(N, E)
elmbB0 N0 Lc Ec B1 B2Lambert eql. c. con.(N, E)
npstgNorth polar stereographic
spstgSouth polar stereographic
upsnUniversal polar stereogr N
upssUniversal polar stereogr S
stgBc Nc Lc Ec scaleStereogr. projection
estgBc Nc Lc Ec B1 B2Eql. Stereogr. projection
bnstgB1 scaleNP. Stereogr. scale at B1
bsstgB1 scaleSP. Stereogr. scale at B1
safleSansom-Flamsteed eq.pr., ell.
saflSansom-Flamsteed equiv. proj.
lmbacLambert equiv. cyl. proj.
lmbapLambert equiv. pol. proj. (N)
lmbapsLambert equiv. pol. proj. (S)(S, E)
lmblapLcLambert equiv. pol. proj. (N)(N, E)
lmblapsLcLambert equiv. pol. proj. (S)(S, E)
authAuthalic geogr. Crd.
Region Europe
etrs-tm??P.D.etrs89 tm zone ??
ETRS-TM??P.D.etrs89 tm zone ??
etrs-lcc??P.D.etrs89 Lambert conf. con
ETRS-LCC??P.D.etrs89 Lambert conf. con
etrs-laeaP.D.etrs89 Lmb Azimuthal Equal Area
ETRS-LAEAP.D.etrs89 Lmb Azimuthal Equal Area
Region Denmark
dktm1P.D.DK TM1 etrs89(E, N)
dktm2P.D.DK TM2 etrs89(E, N)
dktm3P.D.DK TM3 etrs89(E, N)
dktm4P.D.DK TM4 etrs89(E, N)
kfmrP.D.Kbh Frb Metroring, etrs89
kp2000jP.D.System 2000 Jylland, etrs89
kp2000sP.D.System 2000 Sjælland, etrs89
kp2000bP.D.System 2000 Bornholm, etrs89
dmrcP.D.Dansk Merkator etrs89
fcsP.D.Fehmarn Coordinate System
s34jP.D.System 1934 Jylland(N,W)
s34sP.D.System 1934 Sjælland(N,W)
s45bP.D.System 1945 Bornholm(N,W)
s34bP.D.System 1945 Bornholm
dmP.D.Dansk Merkator ed50
gsgeoP.D.geogr. crd, gs
gsbgeoP.D.geogr. crd, gsb/td>
gsP.D.GS conf. con. DK
gsbP.D.GS conf. con. Bornholm
kkP.D.Kbh. komm. system
osP.D.Ostenfeldt system
asbP.D.Øresund bridge proj.
DksP.D.Øresund bridge proj, special
SbP.D.SB bridge proj.
SbfP.D.SB bridge proj., inverted
Region Faroe Islands
fotmP.D.Faroe TM etrs89(E, N)
fkeP.D.Conf. con. FO, etrs89
fg50P.D.FO geogr. crd, ed50
fu50P.D.utm zone 29, top_ed50
fg54P.D.FO geogr. crd, fd54
fk54P.D.Conf. con. FO, fd 54
fk89P.D.Conf. con. FO, fd 54a
Region Greenland
gk?wP.D.conf. con, W-GR, qornoq
gk?eP.D.conf. con, E-GR, qornoq
Region Estonia
eel2pP.D.Estonian Lambert, 2 std par.
eetm??P.D.Estonian Gauss-Kr ??, 3dg.z
eetm?P.D.Estonian Gauss-Kr ?, 3dg.z
eebmP.D.Estonian Basic Map
eegeoP.D.geogr. crd, Pulkovo 1942
eecrtP.D.Cartesic crd, Pulkovo 1942
eelmneP.D.Estonian Lmb 2 par., epv37
eelmseP.D.Estonian Lmb 2 par., epv37
Region Sweden
rt38gP.D.RT38g, 2.5 gon vest
rt90gRT90g, 2.5 gon vest
rt90vP.D.RT90v, spec. for dks
rt38vP.D.RT38v, spec. for dks
Region Iceland
lmbhjoP.D.Lambert Conf. Con Hjørsey
islmbP.D.Lambert Conf. Con wgs84 IS

Where in the supplementary parameters column, the following abbreviations are used:

Abbrv.Meaning
P.D.Predefined Datum
B0, BcLatitude Constant
NcNorthing Constant
L0, LcLongitude Constant
EcEasting Constant
ScaleScale (close to 1 usually)
B1, B2Latitude parallels for definition of scale.
N,E,S,WNorthing, Easting, Southing, Westing

List of Separators:

The Separator in a coordinate MiniLabel determines the type of height information / height datum:

This separator is written in the MiniLabel right after the coordinate system sub string. It provides:

  1. A 'real' separation between the sub strings indicating coordinate system and datum respectively.
  2. Information on presence of height system.

(See also a list of vertical datums below).

For the systems having a predefined datum (P.D.), the datum should not be explicitly written in the label, here the separator is placed as an appendix to the coordinate system sub string.

Accordingly, a MiniLabel indicating the following list to contain dktm1 coordinates - and DVR90 heights will look like:

List of Datums

The following list contains the datums supported by the KMS transformation software.

Parent datum indicates the structure in the datum-hierarchy used internally by the transformation system.

The character '@' at the start of some descriptions marks that this datum is only used in connection with one of the projection systems having a predefined datum.

Coordinate DatumDescriptionParent datumEllipsoid
wgs84World Geodetic System 1984ed50WGS84
etff89EUREF 89wgs84GRS80
etrs89EUREF 89wgs84GRS80
euref89EUREF 89wgs84GRS80
gr96Greenland Reference Frame 1996wgs84GRS80
ed50European Datum 1950ed50Hayford
nad83gNorth American D.1983 Greenlandnwl9dGRS80
qornoqQornok Datum 1927 (til WGS84)nwl9dHayford
scosdScoresbysund datumnwl9dHayford
ammlkAmmassalik datumnwl9dHayford
feh10Fehmarn Datum 2010wgs84GRS80
s34j@ System 1934 Jyllanded50Hayford
s34s@ System 1934 Sjællanded50Hayford
s45b@ System 1945 Bornholmed50Hayford
gs@ Generalst. Sys., Jyl. + Sjled50GS
gsb@ Generalst. System, Bornholmed50GS
os@ Ostenfeldt Systemed50Bessel
kk@ Københavns Komm. Systemed50Dansk
sb@ Storebælts Systemed50Hayford
sbi@ Storebælts System inv.ed50Hayford
dks@ DKSed50Hayford
asb@ ASBed50Hayford
fd54Færø Datum 1954ed50Hayford
fg54@ Geogr. FD 1954etrf89Hayford
fg50@ Færø, Geogr. ED 1950etrf89Hayford
fk54@ Konf. con. FD 1954etrf89Hayford
fu50@ UTM 29, Topogr. grid, ED 50etrf89Hayford
fk89@ Konf. con. FD 1989 (NOT ETRF89)etrf89Hayford
srt90gSRT90, Sverigewgs84Bessel
rt90gRT90, Sverigewgs84Bessel
rt90v@ RT90ved50Bessel
rt38v@ RT38ved50Bessel
rt38g@ RT38ged50Bessel
ed87European Datum 1987ed50Hayford
wgs72World Geodetic system 1972nwl9dWGS72
nad83North American Datum 1983wgs84GRS80
nad27North American D.1927, Conuswgs84Clarke66
nad27cNorth American D.1927, Canadawgs84Clarke66
pu42Pulkowo 1942, temporarywgs84Krassovsky
islandHjørsey datum 1955wgs84Hayford
nwl9dNaval Weapons Laboratorywgs84NWL9D
ed79European Datum 1979wgs84Hayford
dhdnDeutsches Hauptdreiecksnetzed50Bessel
dhdndDeutsches Hauptdreiecksnetzed50Bessel
dhdn1Deutsches Hauptdrnetz, DOEDOCetrf89Bessel
dhdn2Deutsches Hauptdrnetz, DOEDOC5ped50Bessel
dhdn3Deutsches Hauptdrnetz, DOEDOC7ped50Bessel
eesti42@ EESTI 1942etrf89Krassovsky
ain1970@ Ain El Abd 1970wgs84Hayford
nahrwan@ Nahrwan 1967wgs84Clarke80
qng24@ Qatar National Grid System 1924wgs84Hayford
qbc2001@ Qatar Bahrain Causeway (COWI)wgs84WGS84
qnd1995@ Qatar National Datum 1995wgs84Hayford

Vertical Datums

Vertical DatumDescriptionEllipsoid
dvr90@ Danish Vertical Ref Frame 1990GRS80
evrf2000@ European Vertical Ref Frame 2000GRS80
evrf2007@ European Vertical Ref Frame 2007GRS80
fvr09@ Faroe Vertical Ref Frame 2009GRS80
msl@ Mean Sea Level FrameGRS80
fscvr10@ Fehmarn Vertical Reference 2010GRS80
dnn@ DNN: gm91/gi44/h_mslHayford
gm91@ Gradmålingen 1891 heightGS
gi44@ G.I. 1944 Height systemHayford
kn44@ Kbh. Nul 1944 kotesys.Hayford
ee1940@ ESTONIA 1940 Vertical FrameKrassovsky
ee1948@ ESTONIA 1948 Vertical FrameKrassovsky
ee1977@ ESTONIA 1977 Vertical FrameKrassovsky
qnhd@ Qatar National Height DatumHayford

As an example of a system / projection demanding supplementary parameters we can use the ITM system. This system is (like the UTM) a transversal Mercator system. For the ITM projection, you can via the extra parameters select the scale, central meridian and offsets for the coordinates.

For ITM the suppementary parameters (and the order in which they should appear) is found in the coordinate system list:

B0 N0 Lc Ec Scale

The content of an ITM label could be:

Note that the separation between two fields /entities must be at least two spaces!

The ITM label above actually provides the UTM zone 32 system also given by the MiniLabel:

More Examples of MiniLabels:

geo_etrs89:

Geographical coordinates, Datum etrs89, No Heights.

geoEetrs89:

Geographical coordinates, Datum etrs89. Ellipsoidal Heights

utm32_etrs89:

UTM coordinates zone 32, Datum etrs89. No Heights.

dktm1E:

Dansk TM zone 1, Ellipsoidal Heights.

dktm2:

Dansk TM zone 2, No Heights. The '_' character may be omitted in the 'P.D.' systems.

crt_etrs89:

Cartesian coordinates, Datum ETRS89.

In Cartesian systems, the Height component of the MiniLabel is just the '_' character as no Heights are accepted.