Wisconsin Geospatial News

A new Wisconsin Coordinate Reference Systems handbook

An updated and expanded handbook on Wisconsin coordinate reference systems is coming your way! The publication will replace the SCO’s popular Wisconsin Coordinate Systems handbook published in 1995. The impetus for a new guide was the 2006 redesign of Wisconsin’s county coordinate systems under a WLIP strategic initiative grant facilitated by Jackson County and the Wisconsin Land Information Association (WLIA) Coordinate Systems Task Force.

The initial hardcopy publication will focus on commonly used Wisconsin coordinate systems, including the new Wisconsin Coordinate Reference Systems (WISCRS), and horizontal and vertical reference systems. Additional sections include information about datum and coordinate transformations, transformation software and tools, Internet resources, Wisconsin sources of assistance, a glossary of terms, and the defining parameters for Wisconsin coordinate systems.  

The online version of the publication is designed to be an evolving resource, and will be expanded in the future to include information on other spatial reference systems such as the Public Land Survey System and the U.S. National Grid.

The new Wisconsin Coordinate Reference Systems handbook is expected to be published in May. Copies of the handbook will be distributed to each county Land Information Officer and Surveyor, courtesy of the State Cartographer’s Office and the Wisconsin County Surveyors Association.  

Watch the SCO website for publication and ordering information for the new Wisconsin Coordinate Reference Systems handbook.