Predefined Ellipsoids

This table lists the predefined ellipsoids that can be used in coordinate system and datum definitions. Note that each coordinate system definition must specify either a datum or ellipsoid.

Ellipsoid Description
AIRY30 Airy, 1830
AIRY49 Airy, 1848
AIRY-MOD Airy, Modified 1849
AIRY-WO Airy War Office
APL4-5 A.P.L./4.5
AT77 Average Terrestrial System 1977
ATS Average Terrestial System 1977, New Brunswick
AUSSIE Australian National Spheroid, 1965
AUSSIE52 Australian (AIG), 1952
AUSTRALIAN165 Australian 165 (1962)
BESL-JPN Bessel - 1841, Japan GSI
BESL-MOD Bessel Modified, NGO Norway
BESL-NGO Bessel Modified, NGO Norway
BESL-NMB Bessel, Namibia
BESLNMB-GLM Bessel Namibia (GLM)
BESL-TRI Bessel Triangulation, RT 90 Sweden
BESSEL Bessel, 1841
BESSEL-NORWAY Norwegian National Ellipsoid (NGO)
BPCNC Sphere having volume equal to International ellipsoid
CHINA-80 Geodetic Reference System of China, 1980
CLARKE1866/INTNLFT Clarke 1880 (international foot)
CLARKE66AUTHALICSPHERE Clarke 1866 Authalic Sphere
CLRK22 Clarke 1922, IGN
CLRK58 Clarke 1858
CLRK66 Clarke 1866, Benoit Ratio
CLRK80 Clarke 1880, RGS
CLRK80-BEN Clarke 1880, Benoit Ratio
CLRK80-FIJI Clarke 1880, Fiji
CLRK80-STRASSER Clarke 1880
CLRK80-SYRIA Clarke 1880, Fiji
CLRK85 Clarke 1885
CLRK-ARC Clarke 1880, ARC
CLRK-IGN Clarke 1880, Institut Geographique National (France)
CLRK-MOD Clarke 1880, Modified for Israel (Palestine)
CLRK-PAL Clarke Palestine
CLRK-RGS Clark 1880, RGS
CLRKS Clarke 1866, Spherical
COMMUNE Communite des Poids et Measures, 1799
DANEMARK Danemark
DANISH Danish or Andrae
DELA1810 Delambre, 1810
DELA-BELGE Delambre 1810, Belgium
DELAMBRE1800 Delambre (1800)
DELA-MOD Delambre Modified, Hydro
ENGELIS Engelis 1985
EVEREST Everest Indian, 1830 (1937 Adjustment)
EVEREST1830 Everest (1830 Definition)
EVEREST1830/67 Everest 1830 (1967 Definition)
EVEREST1830DEF62 Everest 1830 (1962 Definition)
EVEREST1830DEF75 Everest 1830 (1975 Definition)
EVEREST1830M_BSP Everest 1830 Modified for BSP
EVEREST1969/RSO Everest 1830 (RSO 1969)
EVERESTPAKISTAN Ellipsoid for Everest Pakistan
EVRST-67 Everest 1967, East Malaysia (uses Sears 1928 inch-metre ratio)
EVRST-BORNEO Everest, Brunei
EVRST-BR Everest, Brunei
EVRST-IM Everest Imperial, 1830
EVRST-IM-M Everest Imperial 1830, 1975 definition after metrication
EVRST-IN Everest India, 1956
EVRST-MALAY Everest, Malaysia 1969
EVRST-MD Everest 1830, Modified Malaysia and Singapore 1948
EVRST-PK Everest Pakistan
EVRST-PK-M Everest Imperial 1830, 1962 definition after metrication
EVRST-TM Everest 1830, Timbalai (1967 Adjustment)
FSHR1960 Fischer, 1960 (Mercury)
FSHR1968 Fischer, 1968
FSHR60MD Modified Fischer, 1960 (South Asia)
GEM-10C GEM 10C
GERMAINE Germaine, Djibouti
GHANA-WO Ghana -- Labeled 'War Office', given in feet, assumed IFOOT
GRS1967 Geodetic Reference System, 1967
GRS1967-MOD Geodetic Reference System, 1967, Taiwan
GRS1980 Geodetic Reference System of 1980
GRS1980-JPN Geodetic Reference System of Japan, 1980
GRS1980-MOD Geodetic Reference System of 1980, Taiwan
GRS80_NO_FLATTENING GRS80 Sphere (No Flattening)
GRS80SPHEREAUTHALIC GRS 1980 Authalic Sphere
HAYFORD Hayford, 1924 (aka 1909); same as International 1924
HAYFORD1906 Hayford (1906)
HEIS-29 Heiskanen, 1929
HEISKANEN1926 Heiskanen (1926)
HELMERT1907 Helmert (1907)
HLMRT06 Helmert, 1906 (also known as Helmert 1907)
HOLLAND Holland
HOUGH Hough
Hughes1980 Hughes 1980
ID74 Indonesian 1974
INDO74 Indonesian National Spheroid, 1974
INDONESIANNTL Indonesian National Spheroid
Intnl24AuthalicSphere Internat8ional [International] 1924 Authalic Sphere
INTNL International - 1924
IUGG-67 IUGG Reference Ellipsoid, 1967
IUGG75 IUGG 1975 Ellipsoid
IUGG-75 IUGG Reference Ellipsoid, 1975 (IAG 75)
IUGG-75-MOD IUGG Reference Ellipsoid, 1975 (Modified)
JEFF-48 Jeffreys, 1948
KAULA1961 Kaula 1961 Ellipsoid
KAULA1964 Kaula (1964)
KRASOV Krassovsky - 1940/1948
KRASOVSKY1936 Krasovsky (1936)
KRAYEN Krayenhoff 1827
LEDERSTEGER1951 Ledersteger (1951)
LERCH Lerch 1979
MAUPERT Maupertius 1738
MERIT-83 MERIT 83
MICHIGAN Michigan - Based on Clarke 1866 + 800 feet.
NEWINT-67 New International, 1967
NWL-10D NWL-10D
NWL-9D NWL-9D, Naval Weapons Laboratory
OSU86F OSU86F, Used for OSU86 gravity potential (geoidal) model
OSU86F-MOD OSU86F modified, Used for OSU86 gravity potential (geoidal) model
OSU91A OSU91A, Used for OSU91 gravity potential (geoidal) model
OSU91A-MOD OSU91A modified, Used for OSU91 gravity potential (geoidal) model
PLESSIS Plessis, 1817
PLESSIS-R Plessis Reconstituted
PRATT1863 Pratt (1863)
PZ-90 PZ-90
SA1969 South American 1969
SACLRK80 Clarke 1880, South Africa modified
SCHMIDT Schmidt 1831, Switzerland
SGS85 Soviet Geodetic System 1985
SGS90 Soviet Geodetic System 1990
SPHERE Sphere of radius 6370997
STRU1860 Struve, 1860
SVANBERG Svanberg
T-BPCNC Sphere for testing Bipolar Oblique Conformal COnic
UNITE Unit ellipsoid, testing only. Eccentricity same as Clarke 66.
UNITS Unit sphere, testing only
UNITS3 3.0 Unit sphere, testing only
VEIS1964 Veis (1964)
VisualisationSphere Popular Visualisation Sphere
WALB Walbeck 1819 (Planheft 1942)
WALB-AMS Walbeck 1819 (AMS 1963)
WAR_OFC War Office, McCaw
WAROFFICE War Office
WGS60 World Geodetic System of 1960
WGS66 World Geodetic System of 1966, NWL 8D
WGS67 World Geodetic System of 1967, Lucerne
WGS72 World Geodetic System of 1972
WGS84 World Geodetic System of 1984, GEM 10C
XIAN Xian 1980, China
XIAN80 Xian 1980
YELLOW Yellow Sea, China 1956