(plural: data) A measurement of something on a scale understood by both the recorder (a person or device) and the reader (another person or device). The scale is arbitrarily defined, such as from 1 to 10 by ones, 1 to 100 by 0.1, or simply true or false, on or off, yes, no, or maybe, etc
1 (pl. data) A fact or proposition used to draw a conclusion or make a decision. See Usage Note at data.2. (pl. datums) A point, line, or surface used as a reference, as in surveying, mapping, or geology
For marine applications, a base elevation used as a reference from which to reckon heights or depths It is called a tidal datum when defined in terms of a certain phase of the tide Tidal datums are local datums and should not be extended into areas which have differing hydrographic characteristics without substantiating measurements In order that they may be recovered when needed, such datums are referenced to fixed points known as bench marks See chart datum
A set of parameters and control points used to accurately define the three-dimensional shape of the Earth (e g , as a spheroid) The corresponding datum is the basis for a planar coordinate system For example, the North American Datum for 1983 (NAD83) is the datum for map projections and coordinates within the United States and throughout North America
A benchmark in surveying which is a point of known location ( in 3D space and in relation to sea level) Datum is also a word used in archaeology to represent an individual measurement, the sum of individual datum is data
A reference ellipsoid is used with an "initial point" of reference on the surface to produce a datum, the name given to a smooth mathematical surface that closely fits the mean sea-level surface throughout the area of interest The "initial point" is assigned a latitude, longitude and elevation above the ellipsoid Once a datum is adopted, it provides the surface to which ground control measurements are referred
a single fact, as in: We based our measurements on the datum of the boiling point of water (Note: rarely used outside scientific literature)
1 Any numerical or geometrical quantity or set of such quantities which may serve as a reference or base for other quantities 2 See chart datum
(n) A theoretically exact point, axis, or plane used as a reference for tabular dimensioning A datum marks the origin from which the location and orientation of geometric features are established
A base elevation used as a reference from which to reckon heights or depths In order that they may be recovered when needed, such datums are referenced to fixed points known as bench marks See chart datum
Changing technology has led to different values for the same geographic points over time Datum refers to which standard you are using for known points If you are going to use your collected data with prexisting data, you need to match up the datum and coordinate systems Some examples of datum are NAD-27 and WGS-84 (North American Datum 1927, World Geodetic System 1984)
A set of parameters and control points used to accurately define the three-dimensional shape of the earth (e g , as a spheroid) The datum is the basis for a planar coordinate system For example, the North American Datum for 1983 (NAD83) is the datum for map projections and coordinates within the United States and throughout North America