[mapserver-users] Shapefile and coordinate systems

[Brent Fraser]

Tomas,

  ESRI's original shapefile specification does not call for storing the
definition of the coordinate system anywhere, so you have to know by some
other means (a metadata file? a sticky note?).

    A couple of years ago ESRI introduced a .prj file to define the
coordinate system of the shapefile (for example, ArcView 3.2 can use a .prj
file), but it is optional and a lot of data in shapefile format does not
include it.

Brent Fraser
GeoAnalytic Inc.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tomas Kaminskas" <tomka849 at student.liu.se>
To: <mapserver-users at lists.gis.umn.edu>
Sent: Sunday, November 03, 2002 5:58 AM
Subject: [mapserver-users] Shapefile and coordinate systems


> Hello,
> maybe this is not a right place to post this message, but I'm really stuck
with this problem. How shapefiles manage coordinates, how can I find in what
coordinate system is my concrete shapefile?
> I'm weak in this area, so any help needed!
> Tomas.
>