Who Can Make the Best Coordinate System?
Students learn about coordinate systems in general by considering questions concerning what it is that the systems are expected do, and who decided how they look. They attempt to make their own coordinate systems using a common area across all groups and compete to see who can make the best one. Then they analyze why it is that some systems work better than others and consider what those observations mean for evaluating and choosing geographic coordinate systems commonly available today.
Figure 1. City maps of Milano, Italy 1913 (left) and Atlanta, GA, USA 1919 (right). Notice the spoked wheel street layout in Milano and a grid layout in Atlanta. In the same way that one street design is not necessarily more efficient than another, so it is that one coordinate system is not necessarily superior to another. Both are arbitrary to some degree, and both are designed with specific uses in mind. Even between Atlanta and Milano, a different coordinate system for each might be the best choice for describing location.Copyright University of Texas Libraries {PD} http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/milano_1913.jpg http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/atlanta_ga_1919.jpg
Geographic coordinate systems are rarely designed by engineers today except for specific situations, such as chemical plants, where it makes sense to introduce an entirely new system rather than use a standard such as universal trans mercator (UTM). It is valuable to understand how coordinate systems were designed and implemented because engineers must choose what coordinate systems work best whenever they are doing any kind of GPS application.
This activity relates to engineering because it asks students to challenge conventional coordinates by letting them know that they can design a coordinate system just as well as anyone else. Often, having the motivation to design a new system, product or structure is an important skill for engineers. This activity also teaches that the design process naturally includes collaboration and critique, thus students should be prepared to explain and defend their decisions, exercises that contribute to finding the best design solutions possible for given situtations.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Identify the value of coordinate systems in general.
- Explain that coordinate systems are arbitrary and may be changed according to need.
- Evaluate a coordinate system according to why it is or is not useful.
- Design and explain a coordinate system based on the given parameters; explain how this is part of the engineering design process.