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von ISHIE NNABUIFEHow to Create the WGS84 Coordinate System in Survey Master
Hello and welcome! In this video, I’m going to walk you through the process of creating the WGS84 Coordinate System, also known in this context as WGS84, using Survey Master.
Now, I’m using Survey Master version 4.01. If your version is different—maybe 3-point-something—don’t worry. The interface might vary slightly, but the general steps are the same.
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Step 1: Navigate to the Datum Settings
• First, open Survey Master and go to the Projects tab.
• Under Projects, you’ll find an option labeled either Coordinate System or Datum Store—depending on your version. Click on it.
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Step 2: Add a New Datum
• On this screen, look toward the bottom—you should see a button labeled Add.
• Click Add. You might see several options like:
o Predefined
o Add New
o or Customize
What you see depends on your version. In my case, I’ll be choosing Customize because I want to create a new, specific coordinate system—WGS84.
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Step 3: Check Predefined Options
Before we continue, just a quick note—if you need a predefined system like Minna Zone 31, 32, or 33, you can find those under Predefined → Nigeria. But that’s not what we’re doing here—we want WGS84, which means we’ll go back and continue with Customize.
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Step 4: Customize the Coordinate System
Here’s where we create WGS84:
• Source Ellipsoid: WGS84
• Target Ellipsoid: WGS84 (same as source)
To select these, click the three-dot icon next to the field, scroll down, and choose WGS84, then click OK.
• Projection: Select UTM
o Choose your UTM Zone based on your location.
For example, I’m in Zone 31, but if you're in Zone 32, make sure you choose 32.
o Click OK.
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Step 5: Set Transformation Parameters
• For the seven-parameter transformation, select Direct.
o Since we’re not converting to another coordinate system, we don’t need transformation parameters.
o Keep both source and target as WGS84.
• Geoid Model: Enable it if it's available in your setup.
o This helps improve the accuracy of your mean sea level (MSL) heights.
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Step 6: Naming the Coordinate System
Give your custom system a clear and meaningful name, such as:
WGS84 UTM Zone 31N (or Zone 32N, depending on your area)
This is useful because if you move from Zone 31 to Zone 32, you’ll know right away that you need to create a new system for that zone. Avoid mixing up zones—it’ll save you a lot of confusion.
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Step 7: Finalize and Apply
• Click OK to save the new coordinate system.
• You might get a message saying “Receiver not connected”. That’s fine—you can still proceed.
• You’ll now see your new coordinate system listed.
• Select it and click OK again.
And that's it! You’ve successfully created the WGS84 coordinate system in Survey Master.
