Handling Multiple UTM Zones for Azimuth and Elevation Calculations in MATLAB

Hello MATLAB Community,

I’m working on a project where I convert geographic coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude) to UTM coordinates (zone, east, north, altitude) to perform azimuth and elevation calculations. However, I’m facing challenges when the map spans multiple UTM zones, as this can lead to inconsistencies across zones.

My workflow involves:

1. Converting lat, long, alt to UTM coordinates. 2. Performing calculations like azimuth and elevation on the converted coordinates. (East,North,Alt) 3. Converting the results back to lat, long, alt.

The main issue is ensuring consistency when points cross UTM zone boundaries. Has anyone dealt with similar problems in MATLAB? Are there recommended approaches or functions in the Mapping Toolbox for managing multiple zones, or should I consider alternative methods (e.g., using lat/long for calculations directly)?

Any advice, especially on best practices for handling multiple UTM zones in MATLAB, would be greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

[William Rose]

@Lidor, if I had to compute azimuth and distance for locations specified across multiple UTM zones, I would just convert to lat, long.

[Lidor]

Lat and long is degree so it’s now prcise

[William Rose]

@Lidor, Now that you have latitude and longitude in degrees, you can use the distance() and the azimuth() functions.