Enhancement Accuracy of UTM Grid by Redesigning to 3° Zones

Abstract

Geographers and surveyors attempted to determine each's precise shape to be accurately shown on a flat surface. Geographers and surveyors tried to determine each's precise shape to be accurately shown on a flat surface. The Earth's shape was known as "spheroid" or "flattened" until it was demonstrated that it was the consequence of an ellipsoidal shape rotating about its semi-major axis. This search aims to investigate the current topographic map system (UTM 6-degree zone) and contrast it with the proposed system (UTM 3-degree zone). The case will be discussed and searched in the following headings: the contrast between zone 3° and zone 6°. As part of our research, we rely on the accompanying index (1/1000000).  The Ellipsoidal Transverse Mercator is the foundation for the UTM projection, a worldwide coordinate system adopted by the U.S. Army in 1947. From the 180th meridian eastward, it splits the Earth between 84°N and 80°S into 60 zones, each 6° broad in longitude and numbered 1 through 60. The research demonstrates that using a 3° UTM zone significantly reduces projection distortion, as seen by the smaller error margins between scale-corrected and raw lengths. The results underline the effectiveness of smaller zones in precision-critical geodetic work and confirm the significance of zone width selection in geospatial analysis. This research shows that azimuthal distortions can affect the accuracy of geodetic readings even within a 6° UTM zone. Even though these distortions are minor, they must be corrected for high-accuracy applications like exact engineering layouts, geodetic control networks, and cadastral surveys. Applying the scale factor to azimuth values makes directional data more reliable and consistent with the geodetic datum.