Definition: Geodetic Reference System

Category: Land Use/Land Cover

The geodetic reference system is defined as 'a complete reference system for positioning a point on the earth, including datum, co-ordinate description, co-ordinate system and possibly a projection' (CEN 1998). Any type of map is based on such a positional reference system: each point on the Earth's surface corresponds to a point referenced on the map. In other words, it allows an exhaustive description of the earth's surface. http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/ramon/statmanuals/files/KS-34-00-407-__-I-EN.pdf#page=76