Transverse and Oblique
Mercator Charts
Transverse and Oblique Mercator Charts
• They are based on the same Principle as Mercator Charts
• Based on Cylindrical Projections and modified to be conformal
• For Transverse Mercator the cylinder is at 90 deg to Equator
• For Oblique Mercator the cylinder is at any other angle than parallel
to or 90 deg to Earths axis
• The graticules are very different to the standard Mercator
• The properties can be related to each other
Comparison of Mercator Projections
Chart Standard Transverse Oblique
Based on Equator Datum Meridian and Anti Datum Great Circle
Meridian
Conformal Yes Yes Yes
Scale Correct At Equator At DM and AM At DGC
Scale Varies as Secant Lat (GC distance from Secant GC distance from DM Secant GC distance from DGC
Equator and AM
GC straight Lines Equator and those 90 deg to DM and AM and those at 90 DGC and those at 90 deg to
it (Meridians) deg to them DGC
GC s generally Curves concave to Equator Curves concave to DM and Curves concave to DGC
AM
Useful Area Equatorial areas , within 600 Near DM and AM within 600 Near to DGC within 600 nms
nms nms
Rhumb Line Straight Line Curves concave to nearer Curves concave to nearer
pole pole
Chart Convergency 0 Correct along GCs 90 deg to Correct along GCs 90 deg to
Equator DGC
Appearance of Transverse Mercator
Transverse Mercator with superimposed
Normal Graticule
Appearance of Transverse Mercator
• Points 90 deg away from the datum meridian are not projected
• In the same way on standard Mercator Poles cannot be projected
• This is because Secant 90 is infinity
• The Equator appears at both the top and bottom of the chart
• The top is showing the other side of the world
• The parallels other than the Equator are ellipses
• Near the poles the parallels are near perfect circles
• The Meridians in general are curves to the datum meridian and its anti meridian and
cut the parallels at 90 deg.
• The meridians at 90 deg to the datum meridian are straight lines
• Near the datum meridian the curvature is slight
• At above 80 deg, the chart has parallels as perfect circles and meridians as radii of
these cirlces.
Practical uses of Transverse Mercator
• Close to the DM and its AM, the chart is very useful
• It can be considered as a constant scale chart
• GCs are practically straight lines and the chart can be used for aviation
purposes
• GCs can be plotted directly without having to use conversion angle
• If scale error of 1% is acceptable then, we can reduce the scale at DM
by 1% so that the scale is correct at 8 deg of GC distance from the DM
and will be 1% larger at 11 deg and 42 minutes from the DM.
• Areas along the DM can be covered by such a projection.
