[Proj] Meaning of 7-parameter transformation rotations

[Frank Warmerdam]

On 11/30/05, Clifford J Mugnier <cjmce at lsu.edu> wrote:
>
> Gentlemen:
>
> Note that the SENSE of the rotations have two common usages.  The American
> Standard versus the European Standard differ!  To transform in the same
> direction, the signs are OPPOSITE from one "standard" to another.
> Generally speaking, a 7-parameter  transformation, whether it is a
> Bursa-Wolfe or a Molodensky, MUST have a "test point" provided so that the
> user knows which sense the rotations need for the desired transformation
> direction.
>
> The Americans, Australians, and Luxemborgs use one SENSE, the Europeans use
> the other.  In regard to the rest of the world, it depends on which
> brand-name of GPS Geodetic Processing software was used to derive the
> parameters from some collection of data points.  See my monthly column for
> such important minutiae for country to country considerations.

Cliff,

Pursuant to this point, would it be fair to assume that if
you don't say otherwise, that you are using the "American"
sense?  For instance, I find myself needing a transformation
for Trinidad 1903 datum, and would like to use the one you
published in your column.

Also, it is a matter of some challenge to me that you don't
provide WGS84 test values for your test point (ie. the
point of origin on Naparima Hill) for me to test, though it is
handy that you provide that location in both the Naparima 1972
datum and Trinidad 1903 datum.

  http://www.asprs.org/resources/grids/11-2000-trinidad.pdf

BTW, EPSG publishes +towgs84=-61.702,284.488,472.052
for Trinidad 1903 to WGS84 which seem to different significantly
from your solution of -33.25, +232.675, +484.542.

Best regards,
--
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