Raumbezug

Raumbezug is a term used in geoinformation and cartography to denote the spatial reference or coordinate reference system used to express positions in geospatial data. It defines how the two-dimensional coordinates relate to real-world locations on the Earth’s surface and thus determines the geometry, distance, and area calculations of geographic features. A Raumbezug comprises components such as a geodetic datum (for example WGS84, ETRS89), a coordinate reference system (geographic or projected), a projection method (Mercator, UTM, etc.), and a unit of measurement (usually meters).

There are two main types of Raumbezug: geographic Raumbezug, where coordinates are given as latitude and longitude on a curved ellipsoid, and projected Raumbezug, where the surface is transformed into a plane to enable measurements in linear units. The choice of Raumbezug affects geometric properties and analytical results; therefore data are often transformed (reprojected) to a common Raumbezug for reliable analysis and visualization.

In practice, geographic information system (GIS) files and databases include metadata that specifies their Raumbezug, and software can reproject layers to a shared Raumbezug when combining datasets. The concept is essential for accurate overlaying, distance and area calculations, and interoperability among datasets from different sources. Raumbezug is governed by international standards and registries that define common reference systems and projections, facilitating consistent spatial analyses across applications such as mapping, navigation, and remote sensing. See also Koordinatensystem, Projektion, Geodäsie, Geoinformation.