Transforms Coordinate Values Between WGS84 and QND95 CGIS Ships QTRANS Version 1.1   The Centre for Geographic Information Systems (CGIS) is pleased to announce that it is shipping QTRANS Version 1.1, a software application that converts Qatar's geographic coordinates from the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84) to the local Qatar National Datum 1995 (QND95) and vice-versa. WGS84 is the basis of a geodetic model of the earth used by surveyors and cartographers for a wide variety of applications. While several geodetic models exist, WGS84 is the world standard used for global positioning system (GPS) applications. Using QND95, the standard geodetic model of Qatar, will allow the country to take full advantage of the many technologies making use of GPS positioning tools, such as automobile navigation systems, emergency vehicle dispatch, search and rescue operations, and air and sea navigation. The accuracy of QND95 is also very important when performing traditional surveying and mapping operations. A special feature of QTRANS Version 1.1 is the incorporation of the Qatar95 geoid model (mean sea level) into the computations. By using this geoid model, which was developed specifically for Qatar, all calculations are of superior accuracy. To determine the parameters used for the transformation of WGS84 to QND95, CGIS performed more than 1,100 hours of field observations at 79 geodetic network points located throughout the country, including its central GPS base station, which is designated as the nation's absolute geographic reference point. The transformation parameters were used in turn to refine the coordinate values of all geodetic control points in Qatar. QTRANS is priced at QR 200. To order, please contact The Centre for GIS, P.O. Box 22088, Doha, Qatar. Telephone (974) 337555 or fax (974) 444036. Payment may be made by cash or check. CONTENTS NEXT