• ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.org
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      11 minutes ago

      I was just using a basic example where a value (latitude) increases as you go in one direction and another (longitude) as you go in another. Coordinates (0°, 0°), or zero point, of maps is indeed the intersect between the equator and Prime Meridian, known as Null Island (which is actually just a buoy). They use Longitude-latitude(-elevation), which are polar coordinates and useful for navigation on and near the surface. There’s the ECEF (Cartesian) system too, centered on Earth’s center of mass, but much less intuitive.

    • Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 hour ago

      If I were a planet, I would think of my center as that point.

      But for humans, who live on the surface, it is on the surface, and often inside their own country. Selfishness beats geometry :)