Esri ArcGIS Pro Foundation Certification Practice Test

If the original projection for geographic data cannot be found, what should you do?

1. You can use any geographic coordinate system

2. You should revert to the default projection

3. You must locally create a new projection

4. You should leave it unprojected

The correct answer is: You should revert to the default projection

When faced with a situation where the original projection for geographic data is not available, reverting to the default projection is often a practical solution. The default projection is typically a widely accepted and well-known projection, such as WGS 84. This allows the data to be visualized and analyzed in a consistent manner, particularly if the data will be used alongside other datasets. Using the default projection helps maintain a standard reference frame, which is crucial for accurate map creation, spatial analysis, and ensuring that all layers align correctly. It minimizes confusion and errors that could arise from arbitrary projections that might not properly represent the geographical relationships within the data. Choosing to leave the data unprojected would result in difficulties when performing spatial analysis or comparisons with other datasets that have projections, which can mislead interpretations. Similarly, the idea of creating a new projection locally can be risky without knowing the original data's geographic context and purpose. This could introduce inaccuracies and misrepresent the spatial characteristics of the data. Thus, defaulting to a standard projection provides a safer and more reliable approach when the original projection is unknown.