Coordinate Systems

The Geodetic Control / Surveying Task Force recommended to the WV GIS Steering Committee that all agencies mapping geographic data within West Virginia utilize one of the following three coordinate systems: Geographic Coordinate System, Universal Transverse Mercator, or State Plane Coordinate System, all referenced to the North American Datum of 1983. Only these coordinate systems and datum will serve as the official data exchange standard for GIS data sets that make up the West Virginia Spatial Data Infrastructure. In August 2002, the new standard was approved by the WV GIS Steering Committee.


West Virginia Coordinate Systems

Typically three coordinate systems are utilized in West Virginia:
  1. Geographic (Latitude/Longitude) for general referencing and data distribution
  2. Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) for statewide GIS data sets
  3. State Plane Coordinate System (SPCS) for countywide data sets
File name extensions reflect the type of coordinate system.

Coordinate System Projection WV Zones Map Units File Extensions
Geographic (Latitude/Longitude) None None Decimal Degrees LL83 (NAD 83)
LL27 (NAD27)
Universal Transverse
Mercator (UTM)
Universal Transverse
Mercator (UTM)
17N and 18N Meters UTM83 (NAD83)
UTM27 (NAD27)
State Plane
Coordinate System (SPCS)
Lambert
Conformal Conic
North and South Feet SPN83 (North Zone, NAD83)
SPS27 (South Zone, NAD27)