Geographic Transformation Methods

When you obtain geographic information system (GIS) data, it often needs to be transformed or projected. Since the data you receive is not always preprocessed, you will often need to place coordinates to your raster image. The transformation tools in the Projections and Transformations toolset can be used to rectify these issues. Whether you treat the earth as a sphere or a spheroid, you must transform its three-dimensional surface to create a flat map sheet. This mathematical transformation is commonly referred to as a map projection.