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Field note · Coordinates & projections
Seven-parameter scale not divided by 1e6 shifts 20 km points by 24 km
Quick answer
The Bursa-Wolf scale factor is in ppm and must be multiplied by 1e-6. Entering -1.2 instead of -1.2e-6 scales distances by about 1.2, and the error grows linearly from the origin.
Symptom
- Points within 1 km of the local origin agree with known control to under 1 m.
- A check point 20 km out lands 24 km from its known position, always along the radius away from the origin.
- Changing the scale parameter from -1.2 to -1.2e-6 restores every point at once.
Checklist
- Take check points at three distances (1 km, 10 km, 20 km) and compute the residual at each.
- If the residual is proportional to distance, suspect a unit error in the scale or rotation parameters.
- Recompute with m as ppm and as a dimensionless number and compare residual magnitudes.
- Check the rotations too: arc-seconds must be divided by 206265 to become radians.
- Confirm the unit of each of the seven parameters before trusting any result.
Fix
Normalise units at the entry point: metres for delta-X/Y/Z, radians for omega-x/y/z, and m*1e-6 for the scale; then use only SI units inside the transform.
Code
X' = ΔX + (1 + m) · (X + ωz·Y - ωy·Z)
Y' = ΔY + (1 + m) · (Y - ωz·X + ωx·Z)
Z' = ΔZ + (1 + m) · (Z + ωy·X - ωx·Y)
其中 m 需代入 m_ppm × 1e-6const pts = [
{ d: 1000, err: 1180 },
{ d: 10000, err: 12010 },
{ d: 20000, err: 24050 }
];
console.log(pts.map(p => (p.err / p.d).toFixed(4)));
// [1.1800, 1.2010, 1.2025] -> 比例约 1.2,等于 m 的值
Watch out
- Putting the ppm scale into the seventh slot of +towgs84 as a dimensionless factor; towgs84 takes only three translations and three rotations in arc-seconds.
- Tuning the translations to hide a scale error, which fixes the origin region and makes the edges worse.
English edition written for Atlaslog from the original Chinese field note. Code is unchanged and runs as-is.
Atlaslog (2026). Seven-parameter scale not divided by 1e6 shifts 20 km points by 24 km. https://www.jingweizhi.com/en/cookbook/seven-param-scale-ppm.html (accessed 2026-11-03).