Pitney Bowes MapInfo Professional - Manual (Page 391)

15
Working with Coordinate
Systems and Projections
Maps at their base are a visual representation in two dimensions of a section of
the three-dimensional Earth. Being able to use maps in an electronic format in
many ways frees us from the constrictions of the two-dimensional map because
we can use mathematical formulas to compensate for the curvature of the Earth.
In this chapter, we cover the coordinate systems and projections that are standard
in MapInfo Professional and provide the tools with which you can create a custom
projections to meet your organization's needs. Whether you are a local government
trying to establish new tax rolls or a large company trying to define your sales
territory more precisely, creating a custom projection may be a solution you want
to explore.
For more information, see Using Ocean and Grid Tables and Frequently Asked
Projection File Questions in the Help System.
In this section:
• Working with Coordinate Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .392
• Building Blocks of a Coordinate System . . . . . . . . . . . .397
• Adding Projections to the MAPINFOW.PRJ File . . . . . .402
• Understanding Precision in MapInfo Professional . . . .404
• Understanding Affine Transformations . . . . . . . . . . . . .405
• Using Earth and Non-Earth Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .407