ETRS89 (European Terrestrial Reference System 1989 | EPSG:4258)

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Introduction

ETRS89 is the reference coordinate system for measurement and geographic information in Europe. Its goal is to establish a unified spatial reference frame across Europe.

ETRS89 is based on the International Terrestrial Reference System (ITRS), but fixes the coordinates on the European plate and takes 0:00 on January 1, 1989 (Epoch 1989.0) as the starting point. This setting can provide a relatively stable coordinate reference across Europe while taking into account the influence of crustal movement.

Coordinate System Composition

The common data expression formats supported by ETRS89 are as follows:

Latitude and Longitude

Unit: decimal degrees

Example: N 48.8566°, E 2.3522°

Geocentric rectangular coordinate system (XYZ coordinates)

Unit: meter

Example: X = 3980581.0 m, Y = 97.0 m, Z = 4966824.0 m

UTM coordinates (ETRS89 UTM zone)

Unit: meter

Example: E = 448251.0 m, N = 5411932.0 m (the value varies depending on the zone)

Pros

European unified benchmark: When sharing geographic information between EU countries or conducting cross-border projects, ETRS89 provides a unified and consistent spatial information foundation.
Considering crustal movement: Since it is a reference system fixed on the European plate, it is less affected by crustal movement and is a relatively stable measurement benchmark.
Compatible with international systems: ETRS89 is a derivative system of ITRS, so it is easy to connect with international surveying and mapping standards.
Highly compatible with GIS systems: ETRS89 is supported by most GIS software and measurement tools, which facilitates data conversion and use.

Cons

Limited regional applicability: ETRS89 is fixed to the European plate, so it is not suitable for use in Asia, North America and other regions.
Epoch needs to be updated regularly: To maintain coordinate accuracy, the reference time point needs to be updated regularly and combined with the latest crustal movement model.
There are integration difficulties with local coordinate systems: When converting with local coordinate systems used in some countries or regions, the accuracy may be reduced, so please note.

Application Scenario

ETRS89 is widely used in the EU unified mapping system, national basic maps, urban planning, road and infrastructure design, environmental monitoring, coastline management, climate change observation, agricultural land geographical management, disaster prevention and other fields. In particular, the consistency of ETRS89 plays a vital role in large-scale multinational projects or in high-precision positioning services in conjunction with the European satellite navigation system “Galileo”.

Example

Differences between the official ETRS89 coordinate system used by countries and the latest EPN (European Permanent GNSS Network) cumulative solutions.

Example of application of ETRS89 adopted by the Norwegian state.