Wisconsin coordinate system settings in Civil 3D

• SPCS – State Plane Coordinate System – FDM 9-20-26 Developed nationally by the US Coast and Geodetic Survey in the 1930s. Wisconsin has three state plane zones North, Central and South that follow county lines.

• WCCS – Wisconsin County Coordinate System – FDM 9-20-27 Developed in 1993 by WisDOT. Achieved design goal of minimal distortion between grid (map) and ground distances by creating individualized ellipsoids for every county.

• WISCRS – Wisconsin Coordinate Reference System – FDM 9-20-28 Developed in 2006. Design goal is to arrive at the same WCCS coordinate while utilizing one nationally recognized ellipsoid, making it easier for vendors to include Wisconsin county coordinates in their software and equipment. For all counties except Jackson County, WCCS and WISCRS coordinates will essentially be the same for a given point.

• WTM – Wisconsin Transverse Mercator – FDM 9-20-25.3.1 Developed by the Wisconsin DNR in the 1980s. The Universal Transverse Mercator used by the Department of Defense divided Wisconsin almost equally into two zones down the 90 degree west longitude line. The WTM is centered on the 90 degree longitude line and allows Wisconsin to be covered by one WTM zone rather than two UTM zones.

Info: It is encouraged that new projects are surveyed in WISCRS.

How do I choose a coordinate system for a WisDOT dwg file?

The coordinate system that was used to collect survey data should be obtained from the surveyor or the WisDOT Survey Data Coordinator. Review the Form DT1773 Geodetic Reference Documentation with the Survey Data Coordinator.

Can I set the coordinate system for multiple files at once?

To set a coordinate system in multiple files at once, use Assign Coordinate System - Multiple dwgs.

What should I do with my existing project?

Check with the Region Survey Data Coordinator to verify that the correct coordinate system has been applied to the drawing. Changing the coordinate system in Civil 3D will not affect the data in the drawing itself but may cause errors to referenced aerial photos, GIS information, or survey database data if they are based on a different coordinate system.

Is the survey information drawn differently for the adjustment years?

The horizontal datum versions for NAD 83 include (1986), (1991), (1997), (2007) and (2011). The differences are fundamentally a result of upgrades and enhancements in technology, surveying methodologies and computing power. In addition, as the Wisconsin Height Modernization program has worked its way around the state, additional measurements (horizontal and vertical) to survey stations has added more data to further refine the previously published coordinates. There is no direct mathematical relationship between NAD83 adjustment years. Therefore, any change in coordinate values due to a change in adjustment year should be handled by the Region Survey Data Coordinator outside of Civil 3D.

Civil 3D is a design tool and should not be considered a survey adjustment tool. Any questions or concerns regarding the project datum and adjustment should be addressed to the Region Survey Data Coordinator. Any changes to the project survey datum and adjustment should be overseen by the Region Survey Data Coordinator.

Should I translate my survey data to a newer projection?

No. Transforming a project to another coordinate system is reserved for the Survey Data Coordinator and should not be done by the engineer/designer. If survey data is collected based on the NAD 83 (2011) coordinates and saved to a survey database, then the project is in NAD 83 (2011) coordinates. Civil 3D projects are a Cartesian plane based on what the survey database tells the project the coordinates are. The adjustment year in the coordinate name does not include any additional information that will allow Civil 3D to translate coordinates between adjustment years. Only one adjustment year is provided in the "WisDOT" category.

Civil 3D reflects what is imported in the survey database, and if another coordinate system is needed by Civil 3D, then the survey data coordinator should transform the data.

What is the difference between WCCS and WISCRS?

In general, WCCS is based on a local ellipsoid (the reference surface) for each county, whereas WISCRS uses GRS 80 as the single reference ellipsoid for all individual coordinate systems.

Vertical differences

There is no difference in elevations between WCCS and WISCRS. It is a horizontal system only. See Version updates for elevation version updates from NGS.

Horizontal differences

Except for Jackson County, there is negligible difference between WCCS coordinates and WISCRS coordinates. The goal of the WISCRS system is to replicate WCCS coordinates (from lat/long) using a ‘simpler' mathematical method. The vast majority of ‘differences' between WCCS and WISCRS (over 97%) are less than 3 mm (0.010') and there are no differences of over 5 mm (0.016').

Jackson County WISCRS (Transverse Mercator) is a completely different projection than WCCS (Lambert Conformal Conic), so the user will get radically different coordinates from the same lat/long.

What coordinate system should I use for Jackson County?

Please note that only the WISCRS Jackson County coordinate projection is to be used for new WisDOT projects. Do not use the WCCS Jackson County coordinate system for new projects. The WCCS Jackson County coordinates have been retained for legacy projects. Refer to FDM 9-20-28 Wisconsin Coordinate Reference System for more information.

FDM Section 9-20 Spatial Reference Systems

Wisconsin State Cartographer's Office – Coordinate Reference Systems