Wisconsin Coordinate Reference Systems

Now Available!

A newly-revised State Cartographer's Office handbook, Wisconsin Coordinate Reference Systems, Second Edition, is now available as a free download from our Web site. This 119-page publication is a revision of the Wisconsin Coordinate Systems handbook published by the SCO in 1995. The new handbook contains expanded information on coordinate reference systems commonly used in Wisconsin, along with details and parameters for each county in the redesigned county coordinate systems known as WISCRS (Wisconsin Coordinate Reference Systems). For readers seeking more detailed technical background on the 2006 redesign project, please see the Wisconsin Coordinate Reference Systems Final Report.

Coordinate Test Data

The two Microsoft Excel files below, containing test point data (two points per county), are provided for verifying the accuracy of coordinate data transformation results.

County Coordinate Test Point Data - NAD 83
County Coordinate Test Point Data - NAD 27

Wisconsin Coordinate Systems Task Force (2004-2006)

The Wisconsin Coordinate System Task Force was formed by the State Cartographer's Office (SCO) in early 2004 with support from the Wisconsin Land Information Association. The task force was formed to explore concerns raised by a number of GIS users over apparent errors and inconsistencies in data conversions to and from the Wisconsin County Coordinate System (WCCS). The SCO asked a variety of individuals representing the governmental, academic, and private sectors to serve on the Task Force. This page includes a timeline of the task force's activities, along with publications, minutes, and resource links. The Task Force completed its work in December 2006.

Wisconsin County Coordinate Systems Parameters

For a historical reference, see our listing of Wisconsin County Coordinate Systems (WCCS) parameters. WCCS was developed by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation starting in 1993 to minimize "ground-to-grid" coordinate differences.

Note that the WCCS system was redesigned in 2006. For more information, see Wisconsin Coordinate Reference Systems, Second Edition.