GISBox

Amersfoort (EPSG:4289)

GISBox is a one-stop 3D GIS data editing, conversion and publishing platform that supports editing in multiple GIS formats such as OSGB/GEOTIFF/RVT, converting to 3DTiles/Terrain and publishing.

Introduction

**Amersfoort (EPSG:4289) **is a widely used geographic coordinate system in the Netherlands, using Bessel 1841 as the base ellipsoid, with the geodetic base point at Amersfoort. This coordinate system has long played an important role in land surveying, mapping, and infrastructure development in the Netherlands. EPSG:4289 uses geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude), making it suitable for expressing wide-area location information on the Earth’s surface.

Coordinate System Composition

  1. Coordinate reference system type: belongs to the Geographic Coordinate System, using angle (degrees) to represent latitude and longitude.
  2. **Geodetic system: **the reference ellipsoid is Bessel 1841, with the origin in Amersfoort, the Netherlands.
  3. Coordinate axis order: usually expressed in the order of “latitude (north) - longitude (east)”.
  4. Geodetic use: mainly used for surveying, cadastral management and map production in the Netherlands.
  5. Conversion compatibility: can be converted with coordinate systems such as ETRS89 and WGS84, but to ensure accuracy, methods such as seven-parameter transformation are required.

Pros

  1. Suitable for national surveying and mapping: The geodetic benchmark optimized for the Netherlands can provide extremely high-precision location data in domestic applications.
  2. **Highly compatible with existing infrastructure: **A large amount of existing data and map information in the Netherlands is compiled based on EPSG:4289, which has strong compatibility.
  3. **Rich historical data: **A large number of conversion parameters and related documents have been accumulated over a long period of use, and support is sufficient.

Cons

  1. Not suitable for international applications: Compared with WGS84 or ETRS89, the international standardization is lower and not convenient for global application.
  2. There is a risk of error in conversion: caution should be exercised when converting with other geodetic systems. Failure to use the correct parameters may result in reduced accuracy.
  3. Not completely consistent with modern geodetic systems: The coordination is weak when combined with satellite positioning systems, and it may gradually transition to ETRS89 or RD systems in the future.

Application Scenario

Amersfoort (EPSG:4289) is widely used in the Netherlands for historical map data processing, urban planning, cadastral management, agricultural support and river management. For example, when digitizing old paper maps or systematizing existing building and land management data, this coordinate system ensures a high degree of compatibility. In addition, the Dutch equivalent of the National Institute of Geography or local governments often recommend the use of EPSG:4289 when implementing regional survey projects.

Example

  1. Software with built-in “EPSG:4289” coordinate system.

Related GIS Coordinate Systems

Tokyo Datum

ED50

GCS

CGCS2000

References

  1. https://epsg.io/4289
  2. https://manifold.net/doc/radian/base_coordinate_system.htm