Working with Projections and Datum Transformations in Arcgis: Theory and Practical Examples (Book Review‪)‬

Working with Projections and Datum Transformations in ArcGIS: Theory and Practical Examples by Werner Flacke and Birgit Kraus. Points Verlag Norden, 2005. ISBN 3-9808463-5-0; 346p. Softcover $75.00. Have you ever wondered why data layers in your GIS environment don't align? Have you ever needed to perform a datum transformation from Pulkovo 1969 to WGS 1984? Are there times when you needed to identify an unknown coordinate system? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then this book may hold the answers to these and other projection and datum transformation issues. The prevalence and importance of GIS and geospatial data cannot be underscored enough in today's mapping professions. Understanding coordinate systems and how to effectively manipulate them is one of the most important considerations in planning and executing a mapping project. Far too often, individuals tasked with handling geospatial data in a GIS environment are ill equipped to carry out common tasks such as understanding why their data do not align, how to perform a datum transformation, or how to incorporate an unknown coordinate system into an existing GIS project. While texts on the mathematical or theoretical side of geodesy and map projections are common, texts on how to handle coordinate systems in a specific GIS environment are rare. For this reason, this book is a significant addition to the literature on coordinate systems and, specifically, how they are manipulated in ArcGIS.