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Please help me understand a coordinate system and how a coordinate system is relevant to a region of interest such as South Africa. I came across this term a couple of times and overlooked it because I don't really know what it refers to.

Aaron
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eldix_
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    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spatial_reference_system – John Powell Jun 18 '15 at 14:20
  • possible duplicate of What's the difference between a projection and a datum? – MAJ742 Jun 18 '15 at 14:20
  • Not the clearest but may give you keywords that you can search for: http://www.ngi.gov.za/index.php/technical-information/geodesy-and-gps/datum-s-and-coordinate-systems – mkennedy Jun 18 '15 at 14:26
  • Are you asking "What is a coordinate system?" or are you asking "What is/are the coordinate systems used in South Africa?"

    Be specific so you get an accurate answer.

     – spk578 Jun 18 '15 at 14:32
  • This is such a good question it has been asked and answered many times on this site: search for coordinate system. – whuber Jun 18 '15 at 14:34
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    In my opinion, this is a valid question. Often newcomers to geography/GIS are confused by the complementary terms "coordinate system", "projection", "spatial reference", "datum", etc... – Aaron Jun 18 '15 at 14:46
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    This question is more specific now, after editing by @Aaron, previously it was ambiguous. I agree with the sentiment of Aaron. Terminology is key and there are lots of resources here on stack as well on ESRI. – spk578 Jun 18 '15 at 14:55
  • I'm inclined to agree that this question should be left open because it would be useful to find (if it gets enough votes) in our most frequently asked questions on Coordinate Systems. – PolyGeo Jun 24 '15 at 03:57
  • Thanks Aaron for the edits, spk578 I'm actually asking for both and thanks to everybody for the prompt response on citations. – eldix_ Jun 24 '15 at 06:48
  • @ElDIX thanks for your reply I guess this thread should be left as What is a coordinate system? and you should ask another question for "What is/are the coordinate systems used in South Africa?" – spk578 Jun 30 '15 at 13:20
  • @EIDIX I've gone ahead and ask the question for you and added an answer...http://gis.stackexchange.com/questions/152751/what-is-are-the-coordinate-systems-used-in-south-africa please feel free to continue the comments and questions on SA CRS's there. – spk578 Jun 30 '15 at 13:56

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A good starting place for GIS terminology is the GIS Dictionary hosted by Esri.

Coordinate System

A reference framework consisting of a set of points, lines, and/or surfaces, and a set of rules, used to define the positions of points in space in either two or three dimensions. The Cartesian coordinate system and the geographic coordinate system used on the earth's surface are common examples of coordinate systems.

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Aaron
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    For new users (generally already overwhelmed by new concepts) I usually 'dumb it down' to "A coordinate system is instructions that programs understand about placing the coordinates in what units and from what starting point. After all the world is round so you have to start somewhere.". Later on, after they've got familiar with the basics, I go into which ones to use and which ones 'play nice' with each other. – Michael Stimson Jun 18 '15 at 22:43