# Datum, ellipsoid and projection information

#### Shape and size of biaxial ellipsoids used in the UK

<table data-full-width="true"><thead><tr><th>Name</th><th>Semi-major axis a (m)</th><th>Semi-minor axis b (m)</th><th>Associated datums and projections</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Airy 1830</td><td>6 377 563.396</td><td>6 356 256.909[10]</td><td>OSGB36, National Grid</td></tr><tr><td>Airy 1830 modified</td><td>6 377 340.189</td><td>6 356 034.447</td><td>Ireland 65, Irish National Grid</td></tr><tr><td>International 1924 aka Hayford 1909</td><td>6 378 388.000</td><td>6 356 911.946</td><td>ED50, UTM</td></tr><tr><td>GRS80 aka WGS84 ellipsoid</td><td>6 378 137.000</td><td>6 356 752.3141</td><td>WGS84, ITRS, ETRS89.</td></tr></tbody></table>

The ellipsoid squared eccentricity constant e² is computed from *a* and *b* by equation (B1).

#### Transverse Mercator projections used in the UK

<table data-full-width="true"><thead><tr><th width="189">Projection</th><th width="249">Scale factor on central meridian (F₀)</th><th>True origin, Φ₀ and λ₀</th><th width="369">Map coordinates of true origin (metres), E₀ and N₀</th><th>Ellipsoid</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>National Grid</td><td>0.9996012717</td><td><p>lat 49° N</p><p>long 2° W</p></td><td><p>E 400 000</p><p>N -100 000</p></td><td>Airy 1830</td></tr><tr><td>Irish National Grid</td><td>1.000035</td><td><p>lat 53°30′ N</p><p>long 8° W</p></td><td><p>E 200 000</p><p>N 250 000</p></td><td>Airy 1830 modified</td></tr><tr><td>UTM zone 29</td><td>0.9996</td><td><p>lat 0°</p><p>long 9° W</p></td><td><p>E 500 000</p><p>N 0</p></td><td>International 1924 or WGS84</td></tr><tr><td>UTM zone 30</td><td>0.9996</td><td><p>lat 0°</p><p>long 3° W</p></td><td><p>E 500 000</p><p>N 0</p></td><td>International 1924 or WGS84</td></tr><tr><td>UTM zone 31</td><td>0.9996</td><td><p>lat 0°</p><p>long 3° E</p></td><td><p>E 500 000</p><p>N 0</p></td><td>International 1924 or WGS84</td></tr></tbody></table>

### EPSG codes for common datums and coordinate operations in GB

Many geographic information systems (GIS) and other methods of handling digital geographic data use unique identifiers - Spatial Reference System Identifier (SRID) - for datums, coordinate systems etc.. See [*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spatial\_reference\_system#Identifier*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spatial_reference_system#Identifier). A commonly used SRID Authority is the EPSG (European Petroleum Survey Group) who maintain an online registry of SRIDs at [*https://epsg.org/home.html*](https://epsg.io/).

#### EPSG codes of ellipsoids, datums and coordinate operations in common use in the Great Britain.

| Datum (and associated coord ref system) or operation name                        | EPSG SRID code |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------- |
| Airy 1830 ellipsoid                                                              | 7001           |
| GRS80 ellipsoid                                                                  | 7019           |
| WGS84 ellipsoid                                                                  | 7030           |
| OSGB36 Datum, 2D lat/long                                                        | 4277           |
| OSGB36 Datum, 2D National Grid                                                   | 27700          |
| OSGB36 Datum, 3D National Grid + ODN height                                      | 7405           |
| ODN Vertical Datum                                                               | 5701           |
| ETRS89 Datum, 2D lat/long                                                        | 4258           |
| ETRS89 Datum, 3D lat/long/Height                                                 | 4937           |
| ETRS89 Datum, 3D XYZ                                                             | 4936           |
| WGS84 Datum, 2D lat/long                                                         | 4326           |
| WGS84 Datum, 3D lat/long/Height                                                  | 4979           |
| WGS84 Datum, 3D XYZ                                                              | 4978           |
| OSTN15 transformation, native 1km grid                                           | 7953           |
| OSTN15 transformation, NTv2 version                                              | 7709           |
| OSGM15 transformation, ODN                                                       | 7711           |
| OSGM15 transformation, Orkney Datum                                              | 7712           |
| OSGM15 transformation, “Newlyn offshore”                                         | 7713           |
| OSGM15 transformation, Lerwick Datum                                             | 7714           |
| OSGM15 transformation, Stornoway Datum                                           | 7715           |
| OSGM15 transformation, St. Marys Datum (Scilly Isles)                            | 7716           |
| OSGM15 transformation, Douglas Datum (IoM)                                       | 7717           |
| WGS84 < - > OSGB36 Helmert transformation (section 6.6)                          | 1314           |
| ETRS89 lat/long + ODN height compound CRS                                        | 9424           |
| ETRS89 lat/long + ODN (Offshore) height compound CRS                             | 9425           |
| ETRS89 lat/long + Orkney height compound CRS                                     | 9426           |
| ETRS89 lat/long + Lerwick height compound CRS                                    | 9427           |
| ETRS89 lat/long + Stornoway height compound CRS                                  | 9428           |
| ETRS89 lat/long + Douglas height compound CRS                                    | 9429           |
| ETRS89 lat/long + St. Marys height compound CRS                                  | 9430           |
| British Isles height ensemble (approx. MSL height across whole of British Isles) | 1288           |
| ETRS89 lat/long + British Isles height ensemble compound CRS                     | 9542           |


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.os.uk/more-than-maps/a-guide-to-coordinate-systems-in-great-britain/datum-ellipsoid-and-projection-information.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.
