Terrestrial Navigation

Charts
Topics covered
- basic knowledge of chart projections
- 'natural scale' of a chart
- requirements of a chart appropriate for
marine navigation
- Mercator chart and the principles of its construction
- properties of the chart and the degree to which
it meets navigational requirements and its limitations
- use of a chart catalogue ( during chart work )
Projection : method of representing a spheroidal surface
on a plane.
There are many ways ; some look quite odd ,but there will
be always some distortion.
A projection could be thought as being created by
wrapping a plane around a sphere, switching a light on
at a certain position in the sphere, and projecting
features form the sphere (earth) onto the plane.
One way of describing a projection is first to project from
the Earth's surface to a developable surface such as a
cylinder and then to unroll the surface into a plane.

a Cylindrical projection

b. Conical projection

c. Zenithal projection
All projections show somehow distortions in
shape ; bearing ; scale ; area

Any distortions ?
The choice of the projection depend on the requirements
of the user.

The mariners’ chart requirements are :

- course line (rhumbline / great circle) is a straight line
- Orthomorphism ( conformity)
- change of scale negligible

This means correct shape ; bearing and distances ( scale)

This cannot be met in one single projection, most times
only shape and bearing at the expense of scale.
Rhumbline ( loxodrome) : an imaginary line on the
surface of a sphere, such as the earth, that intersects all
meridians at the same angle

The path of the ship maintains a constant compass direction

Great circle

The path of the ship maintains NOT

a constant compass direction, except when …
Orthomorphism ( comformity) :
The angle on earth is the same as in the chart.
¶
¶
earth

¶
¶
chart

Is the chart conformal ?

The scale of a chart
( also called natural scale)
is the ratio of a given
distance on the chart to the
actual distance which it
represents on the earth.
What is the relation between the radius of a parallel of
latitude and the equator ?
What is the relation between 1' in latitude and 1' in
longitude ?
cylindrical projection
The Mercator projection is a cylindrical projection.

Mercator projection :
What happens with the minutes of longitude ?
What happens with the minutes of latitude ?
What happens with scale ?
How is the course line (rhumb line / great circle) represented?
Is the chart conformal ?
Does it fulfil the requirements of the mariner ?
 L 51°30’N
40°42’N
NY

equator

29°50’S
Durban

74°W 0° 31°E
 
L 51°30’N
40°42’N
NY

equator

29°50’S
Durban

74°W 0° 31°E
 L 51°30’N
40°42’N
NY

equator
rhumblines
29°50’S
Durban

74°W 0° 31°E
example of a mercator chart
Zenithal projection

Pn

1. all great circles

straight lines
2. no conformity
Ps
L

NY only useful to plot the

shortest track
Gnomonic chart is a zenithal projection
great circle is a straight line
 Conical projection

Pn

Ps

eg conical
projection of
Lambert Gauss
Lambert Gauss is a conical projection

properties :
- conformal
- great circles are straight lines
- parallels are circles
- rhumbline not a straight line

used e.g. in air navigation

part of a conical
projection
Transverse Mercator
Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM)
Universele Transversale Mercator (UTM)
Properties :
- rhumbline is not a straight line
- conformal
- scale change is large
Used in Offshore