Esri ArcGIS Pro Foundation Certification Practice Test

Do specific locations on the earth maintain the same coordinates across different coordinate systems?

1. True

2. False

3. Only at global scale

4. Only for vector data

The correct answer is: False

The statement is false because specific locations on the earth do not maintain the same coordinates across different coordinate systems. Each coordinate system has its own method for defining locations based on different reference frameworks, which can lead to discrepancies in coordinates for the same physical location. Different coordinate systems, such as geographic coordinate systems (like latitude and longitude) and projected coordinate systems (like UTM or State Plane), use varying parameters and formulas to represent locations. This can result in the same point being represented by different numerical values when translated into another coordinate system. For example, a point may have coordinates of (45°N, 120°W) in a geographic coordinate system, but when switching to a projected coordinate system, it will no longer retain those same values due to the changes in how that location is interpreted in the two systems. This concept is fundamental in GIS as it underpins the importance of understanding and properly managing spatial data, particularly when integrating datasets that may have been created in different coordinate systems.