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Y Coordinate (Ordinate)

The vertical value in a pair of coordinates (x, y) that specifies a location in two-dimensional space. In GIS, the y coordinate typically represents latitude(north-south position) or the northing value in projected coordinate systems.

Y Coordinate (Ordinate)

Explain Y Coordinate (Ordinate)?

The Y coordinate, sometimes referred to as the ordinate in GIS and coordinate systems, shows a point's vertical location on a two-dimensional plane. Usually, it shows the distance between a point and the origin (0,0) in a north-south orientation. The Y coordinate defines the location in the vertical axis, complementing the X coordinate (abscissa), which defines the horizontal position (east-west).


Because it makes it easier to locate geographic features on the Earth's surface, the Y coordinate is crucial for mapping, spatial analysis, and georeferencing. Y values rise northward in many map projections, particularly those that use Cartesian coordinate systems. Accurate location and analysis of spatial data in 2D and 3D contexts are made possible by the Y coordinate when used in conjunction with the X coordinate.

Related Keywords

The north-south location of a point on a map or geographical dataset is represented by the Y coordinate in GIS. It helps identify features on the Earth's surface accurately since it is a part of the Cartesian coordinate system (X, Y), where X denotes the east-west location and Y denotes the vertical or latitude direction.

The coordinate system being utilized, such as latitude/longitude or a projected system like UTM, is required before you can locate a Y coordinate in mapping. The Y coordinate typically denotes northing or vertical location on cartesian or grid-based maps. You can find the point on the map and read its Y value directly using a map scale or GIS software, or if you're working in a projected system, you can use formulas to derive it from known reference points.

In coordinate geometry, an ordinate refers to the y-coordinate of a point in the Cartesian plane. It indicates the point’s vertical position relative to the x-axis. For a point (x, y), y is the ordinate.

In a two-dimensional space, precise locations are identified using X and Y coordinates. Whereas the Y-coordinate denotes vertical position, the X-coordinate denotes horizontal position. When combined, they specify where a point is on a grid, map, or graph. For instance, the X value in the point (3,5) is 3, while the Y value is 5.

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