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Working with Projections and Datum Transformations in ArcGIS: Theory and Practical Examples.

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Working with Projections and Datum Transformations in ArcGIS: Theory and Practical Examples by Werner Flacke and Birgit Kraus. Points Verlag Norden, 2005. ISBN 3-9808463-5-0; 346p. Softcover $75.00.

Have you ever wondered why data layers in your GIS environment don't align? Have you ever needed to perform a datum transformation from Pulkovo 1969 to WGS 1984? Are there times when you needed to identify an unknown coordinate system? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then this book may hold the answers to these and other projection and datum transformation issues. The prevalence and importance of GIS and geospatial data cannot be underscored enough in today's mapping professions. Understanding coordinate systems and how to effectively manipulate them is one of the most important considerations in planning and executing a mapping project. Far too often, individuals tasked with handling geospatial data in a GIS environment are ill equipped to carry out common tasks such as understanding why their data do not align, how to perform a datum transformation, or how to incorporate an unknown coordinate system into an existing GIS project. While texts on the mathematical or theoretical side of geodesy and map projections are common, texts on how to handle coordinate systems in a specific GIS environment are rare. For this reason, this book is a significant addition to the literature on coordinate systems and, specifically, how they are manipulated in ArcGIS.

The book begins with a "Forward" section which indicates that the present work is a translated and updated version of the German original that first appeared in 2003. The current English edition is newly revised to accompany ArcGIS 9.0 service pack 2.0. The "Table of Contents" follows and lists the subheading topics found within each chapter. The first chapter is called "Introduction." The remaining text is divided into nine principle chapters (Chapters 2 through to 10) which are followed by four secondary chapters (Chapters 12 through to 15); the authors' "Concluding Remarks," reference "Literature," "Acronyms" definitions, and an "Index."

Chapter 1, the "Introduction," lays out the purpose of the book, the intended audience and the general difficulties that the reader will likely encounter while working with coordinates systems. In defining the purpose of the book, the authors state two fundamental issues that GIS users readily encounter, namely, "Why doesn't my data align?" and "Which coordinate system should I use to store my data?" The authors also stress that ArcMap, ArcCatalog, ArcGlobe, ArcScene, and ArcObjects are components of the ESRI software suite that users will engage while working through the book. Involving this many ESRI products suggests that the book is geared toward a wide variety of Arc-users. In fact, the authors' intended audience is extremely diverse, including beginners, experienced users, programmers, geodesists, and administrators. When working with projections and datum transformations, users at all levels of experience often encounter unique problems. In the "Introduction," the authors list seven major hurdles that the book addresses, including that "geodetic knowledge has accumulated unsystematically and with inconsistent terminology" (p. 3). This issue not only proves difficult while working with GIS software in general but also when trying to learn about projections and datum transformations. The authors offer that their text is designed to alleviate this issue and other hurdles that users will encounter while working with projections and datum transformations.

Chapter 2, "Introduction to Coordinate Systems," covers some of the basic terminology common in the field of coordinate systems. It begins by listing ten...

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