THE Republic OF

by Clifford J. Mugnier, CP, CMS, FASPRS

The Grids & Datums column has completed an exploration of

every country on the Earth. For those who did not get to enjoy this
world tour the first time, PE&RS is reprinting prior articles from the
column. This month’s article on the Republic of Moçambique was
originally printed in 1999 but contains updates to their coordinate
system since then.

T
he first Portuguese explorer to arrive in
Moçambique was Pero de Covilha who was
dispatched in 1487 to find a route to India,
which he reached via Egypt and Aden. On his re-
turn trip in 1489, he visited several places on the
East Coast of Africa, including the ancient port of
Sofala. The flourishing Arab port city on the Island
of Moçambique was visited by Vasco de Gama in
1498, following the rounding IP: of [Link]
the CapeDelivered
ofOn:
Good by Ingenta
Wed, 13 Sep 2023 [Link]
Hope the previous year by Bartolomeo
Copyright: Dias. for
American Society SoonPhotogrammetry and Remote Sensing
a Portuguese trading port, the region remained
under the control of Portugal through a complicat-
ed series of arrangements until its independence
in June of 1945. That port city remained the cap-
ital until 1907 when the capital was moved to the
southern port of Lourenço Marques (now Mapu-
to). Moçambique has 10 provinces, some of which in Lisbon, Portugal. The Junta coordinated the activities of
are the namesakes of local datums: Cabo Delgado, the geographic mission that established horizontal and ver-
Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Nampula, Ni- tical control for photogrammetric mapping accomplished by
assa, Sofala, Tete, and Zambézia. Serviços Geográficos e Cadastrais (SGC) in Maputo. Control
Before the peace accord of October 1992, Moçambique surveys for systematic mapping was initiated in 1931 by the
had been devastated by civil war and was one of the poorest SGC with the assistance of the Junta, and all 61 sheets at
countries on the globe. Prospects have subsequently im- 1:250,000 scale were completed by 1955.
proved, and with its solid economic performance in 1996-97, The Dutch ceded South Africa to the British in 1814. The
Moçambique has begun to exploit its sizable agricultural, last two decades of the 19th century saw extensive African
hydropower, and transportation resources. The restoration of development by the European powers. The geodetic survey
electrical transmission lines to South Africa and the completion of the 30th Meridian West of Greenwich became a symbol
of a new transmission line to Zimbabwe (permitting the giant of the progress of documenting the British Empire borders
Cahora Bassa hydropower plant to export large amounts of Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing
electricity) will greatly improve foreign exchange receipts. Vol. 83, No. 5, May 2017, pp. 337–340.
Land surveying and boundary surveys were authorized by 0099-1112/17/337–340
the Portuguese crown in 1857. Topographic mapping for © 2017 American Society for Photogrammetry
Moçambique was designed by the Portuguese “Junta das and Remote Sensing
Investigações do Ultramar” (Board of Overseas Research) doi: 10.14358/PERS.83.5.337

Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing M a y 2017 337

May 2017 [Link] 337 4/14/2017 [Link] AM

 in Africa. This was the same rationale as had already been distance of which the Rio Rovuma and its tributaries account
established by Everest 100 years prior in India. The goal was for all but about 1½ km (1 mile). The Rule of the Thalweg
for “continuous British pink on the map from the Cape to (thread of the stream) is specified for this riparian boundary.
Cairo.” The classical triangulation of the 30 Meridian arc has
th The parameters published by DMA/NIMA for the Tanzania
its roots both in South Africa that extended northward from Arc 1960 Datum to WGS84 are: ΔX = –175m ± 6m, ΔY = –23
the Cape and also southward from British Central Africa. m ± 9m, ΔZ = –303 m ±10m.
The Cape Datum has its initial origin point in Port The Moçambique–Malawi boundary is approximately 1560
Elizabeth, South Africa, at station Buffelsfontein where: Φo = km (975 miles) in length and was originally demarcated in
33° 59´ 32.000˝ South, Λo = 25° 30´ 44.622˝ East of Greenwich. 1899-1900 with errors. It traverses Lake Nyasa for about
The ellipsoid of reference is the Clarke 1880, where: a = 328 km (205 miles) including lines around Likoma Island
6,378,249.145 meters, 1/f = 293.465. The azimuth to station and Chisumulu Island, which are part of Malawi. Southward
Zurrberg is: αo = 004° 15´ 26.311˝, and the geoidal height from Lake Nyasa to the Malosa River, the boundary extends
(Ho - ho) at the origin is defined by implication to be zero. along straight-line segments for 312 km (195 miles) passing
The deflection of the vertical at Buffelsfontein was initially through both Lake Chiuta and Lake Chilwa. It follows
assumed to be zero, and although non-zero values were consecutively the thalwegs of the Malosa, Ruo, and Shire
subsequently published in the middle 1960s, this has been rivers downstream for 240 km (150 miles). The boundary
ignored. The Cape Datum theoretically covers a substantial then continues northwestward to the Zambia tripoint
portion of South East Africa, but has been subjected to several utilizing features along the Shire-Zambezi and the Lake
regional adjustments that effectively separate into a variety Nyasa-Zambezi drainage divides for most of the remainder
of individual local systems. The countries surrounding of the distance. The parameters published by DMA/NIMA for
Moçambique that are on the Cape Datum include South the Malawi Arc 1950 Datum to WGS84 are: ΔX = –161m ±
Africa and Swaziland. 9m, ΔY = –73 m ±24m, ΔZ = –317 m ±8m.
The Arc Datum has the same origin as the Cape Datum, but The Moçambique–Zambia boundary commences in the
its initial fieldwork started in Uganda and Kenya. Individual Northwest at the tripoint (with Malawi) where the Lake
country adjustments of this meridional chain (or arc) of Nyasa–Zambezi River drainage divide meets at the 14th
quadrilaterals have resulted in the countries surroundingDelivered byparallel
Ingentain accordance with the agreement of June 11, 1891
Moçambique that are on the Arc DatumIP: to [Link] On: Wed, 13 Sep the
include Tanzania between 2023United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Portugal.
[Link]
which is on the Arc Datum of 1960. This particular adjustment
Copyright: American Society for The tripoint was determined
Photogrammetry and Remote to be located at f = 14° 00´ 00˝
Sensing
is carried further north into the Sudan. Malawi, Zambia, and S, l = 33° 14´ 32˝ E by a joint boundary commission in 1904.
Zimbabwe are on the Arc Datum of 1950. Note that Zimbabwe The commission was led by Captain (later Admiral) Carlos
was formerly Southern Rhodesia, Zambia was formerly Viegas Gago Coutinho of the Portuguese Navy and by Major
Northern Rhodesia, Malawi was formerly Nyasaland, and O’Shee of the United Kingdom. The boundary proceeds to
Tanzania was formerly Tanganyika, which had been formerly the southwest along the Zambesi River drainage divide
Ger-man East Africa. After World War I, the British assumed until it meets the River Aroangwa or Luangwa. Thence, the
colonial administration of Tanganyika. The consequence of boundary follows along that river until it meets the Zambesi
this was that Moçambique was now surrounded by British River to tripoint (with Zimbabwe) Beacon Number 1 where:
colonies, and its borders were subsequently entirely surveyed f = 15° 37´ 27˝ S, l = 30° 25´ 20.3˝ E. Note that Zambia is
by the British Royal Engineers. where the Livingstone Memorial is located. (“Dr. Livingstone,
The Moçambique–Tanzania boundary initially delimited I presume …?”) The parameters published by DMA/NIMA for
German and Portuguese spheres of influence in East Africa. the Zambia Arc 1950 Datum to WGS84 are: ΔX = –147m ±
In accordance with the terms of a German-Portuguese 21m, ΔY = –74 m ±21m, ΔZ = –283 m ±27m. Coutinho and
declaration signed at Lisbon in 1886, a boundary was O’Shee later spent 1904-1905 correcting and re-marking the
established between the Indian Ocean and Lake Nyasa. border north of the “14°S” Malawi tripoint.
Subsequent treaties delimited the boundary in additional The Moçambique–Zimbabwe boundary is about 1224
detail, and a joint expedition in 1907 changed the boundary km (765 miles) in length. It is demarcated throughout this
slightly in the west and demarcated the land segment by distance by pillars or rivers. The tripoint (with Zambia)
pillars. Following WWI, the former German territory of Beacon Number 1 addressed in “The Northern and Southern
Tanganyika was made a British mandate, and during 1936 Rhodesia Order in Council 1963” indicated that their
and 1937 an exchange of notes between Portugal and the common boundary joined the Moçambique tripoint at the
United Kingdom determined the sovereignty of the island medium filum acquae (median line) of the Zambesi River.
in the Rio Rovuma (Ruvuma River) which forms more than This is very close to the Moçambique village of Zumbo,
90 percent of the total boundary. With a total length of 752 where the old Madzansua Datum origin is located. In the
km (470 miles), streams comprise 712 km (445 miles) of the central part, the boundary traverses an area of numerous

338 M a y 2 017 Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing

May 2017 [Link] 338 4/14/2017 [Link] AM

 escarpments and peaks including the Inyanga Mountains Datum of 1907. Its origin is near Lourenço Marques (Maputo)
and the Chimanimani Mountains. The parameters published at station MGM 650 where: Φo = 25° 58´ 06.99˝ S, Λo = 32° 35´
by DMA/NIMA for the Zimbabwe Arc 1950 Datum to WGS84 37.75˝ E. The defining azimuth is unknown. I was surprised to
are: ΔX = –142m ± 5m, ΔY = –96 m ±8m, ΔZ = –293m ±11m. learn that before 1971 it wasn’t used for much other than the
The Moçambique–South Africa boundary, which is about 1:50,000 topographic mapping from the southern border to no
488 km (305 miles) in length, consists of two discontinuous further north than the coastal village of Moebase. The Cape
parts. The longer part extends southward from the confluence Datum was connected to the Observatorio Datum of 1907
of the Limpopo River and the Luvuvhurivier River for 408 by the M’Ponduine and Ypoy (MGM 675) stations through
km (255 miles) along straight line segments to the northern the Transvaal triangulation. Both of these old datums were
tripoint with Swaziland and the M’Pundweni Beacon. The established by Captain Coutinho.
remainder of the boundary from the southern tripoint with The largest classical horizontal geodetic datum is the
Swaziland to the Indian Ocean follows the Maputo River Tete Datum of 1960. It’s origin is at the station at the NW
(Great Usutu) downstream for about 17 miles and then Tete Baseline (MGM 799) where: Φo = 16° 09´ 03.058˝ S,
continues by straight-line segments for another 53 km (33 Λo = 33° 33´ 51.300˝ E. The reference azimuth to station
miles). The parameters published by DMA/NIMA for the Caroeira (MGM 40), αo = 355° 50´ 21.07˝ from south, and
South Africa Cape Datum to WGS84 datum shift are not as Ho = 132.63 meters. A French memo from Maputo observed
accurate as those are according to Rens & Merry. Professor that “the astronomic coordinates = geodetic coordinates, but
Charles Merry of the University of Cape Town found a it is suspected (according to the results of the computations)
substantial improvement with a 4-Parameter transformation which is such that the deviation of the vertical are at the point
such that: X = –190.0m ± 7.7m, DY = –137.9m ±3.7m, Z = chosen for the ‘datum.’ In effect for each zone north and to
–257.4m±4.7m, scale = +11.0x10-6, and the aggregate the NW, there are concentrated deflection forces due to iron
positional rms = ±2.9m. Note that the values quoted are the mineral deposits, whereas to the south and SE coal and less
most reliable for points within Moçambique. dense minerals are found. If that hypothesis is likely, then
The Moçambique–Swaziland boundary has two tripoints the coordinates of the ‘datum’ of all the points in Moçambique
with South Africa. Northward from the Maputo River it will need correction.” The Tete Datum of 1960 coordinates
extends along the summit of the Lebombo Mountains for of MGM 2 are: f = 15° 35´ 15.349˝ S, l = 30° 28´ 15.057˝ E.
Delivered by Ingenta
approximately 106 km (66 miles)IP: to [Link]
M’Pudweni On:Beacon.
Wed, 13 SepTete
The Datum
2023 of 1960 coordinates of MGM 650 are: f = 25°
[Link]
The boundary consists of various straight-line segments
Copyright: American Society for 58´10.359˝ S, l = 32° 35´Sensing
Photogrammetry and Remote 40.056˝ E.
demarcated by trigonometrical and/or boundary beacons. The In 1995, a comprehensive readjustment of the entire
original treaty in this area dates back to 1869, and portions geodetic network of Moçambique was initiated by Norway
remained in dispute until 1927. The M’Ponduine Geodetic Mapping in collaboration with the government. The project
Station (MGM 677) was used as the origin of a local bound- was concluded in January of 1998, and the result was a
ary grid that, based on an ellipsoidal polyhedric projection, 32-point constrained adjustment of 759 two-dimensional
has the origin as: fo = 25° 56´ 47.19˝ S, lo = 31° 58´ 40.46˝ E. triangulation points throughout the country and the
No false origin was used, and the M’Uguene Geodetic Station designation of a new datum called MOZNET/ITRF94, com-
(MGM 658) given as a computational check is: f = 26° 07´ patible with the WGS84 Datum. A 7-parameter Bursa-Wolf
25.98˝ S, l = 32° 16´ 31.58˝ E and X = –29,757.40 meters, Y transformation was developed, but the national model yields
= +19,691.48 meters. There is no doubt that this boundary residual errors as high as 30 meters. Four “regional” models
Grid is on the Cape Datum, Clarke 1880 ellipsoid. Profes- were developed, but these accuracies vary between 1 to
sor Merry’s solution for Swaziland is a 3-parameter shift to 10 meters, depending on the “region.” This seems to be an
WGS84 Datum where: ΔX = –136.8m ± 0.5m, ΔY = –106.6m ideal country for the development of a multiple regression
±0.5m, ΔZ = –293.0m ±0.5m, and the aggregate positional equation model for a single national datum shift model.
rms = ±0.7m. Probably a “NADCON” sort of solution would be even better!
There are three classical geodetic Datums in Moçambique, The MOZNET 98 adjusted coordinates of MGM 2 are: f = 15°
and all are referenced to the Clarke 1866 ellipsoid where a 35´ 18.7529˝ S, l = 30° 28´ 12.3667˝ E, of MGM 650 are: f =
= 6,378,206.4 meters and 1/f = 294.9786982. This ellipsoid 25° 58´ 12.7520˝ S, l = 32° 35´ 38.4687˝ E, of Base Tete NW
was a favorite of the Portuguese in Africa — they used it in are f = 16° 09´ 07.0480˝ S, l = 33° 33´ 49.7778˝ E, and of
Angola, too! The oldest is the Madzansua Datum of 1904 with M’Ponduine are: f = 25° 56´ 52.6154˝ S, l = 31° 58´ 39.6248˝
its origin at point MGM 2 (near the village of Zumbo), where: E. The government of Moçambique adopted the use of the
Φo = 15° 35´ 20.7˝ S, Λo = 30° 28´ 09.3˝ E and Ho = 1010.9 UTM Grid in 1954, and, with the exception of the M’Ponduine
meters. Polyhedric Grid, no other Grids are used.
The most often quoted classical datum for Moçambique Thanks for much of the historical and geodetic details
in Western literature is the Observatorio Campo Rodrigues contained herein go to Mr. J. Carvalho of Maputo.

Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing M a y 2017 339

May 2017 [Link] 339 4/14/2017 [Link] AM

 Update differences between MozNet/ITRF94 and MozNet/ITRF2008
are small, it was decided to adapt MozNet/ITRF94 as the new
“The 1st order Moçambique geodetic network still presents
official reference system realized by the permanent network
zones with low precision, such as the north coast. The
(MozPerm) and the already observed points” (Validation
conjunction of GPS and terrestrial observations of well
and Implementation of MozNet – the geocentric reference
distributed points within the territory would by a good solution
frame of Moçambique, Fernanedes, R.M.S., et al., MozNet –
to improve the equality of this network. The prediction of re-
Luxembourg, 13-17 October 2014.)
observation of more than 30 well distributed points within
Dr. Fernandes informs me that two years ago an aerial
the whole territory using GPS, in order to obtain a valid
gravimetric survey was completed of the entire country in
group of vectors is included in the Portugal and Moçambique
support of a national geoid. (Personal communication, 28
cooperation protocol. This will make the conversion to ITRF94
March 2017.)
datum more consistent and will allow the integration of all
networks in the same system” (Adjustment of the Classical
Terrestrial Geodetic Network of Moçambique Tied to ITRF, The contents of this column reflect the views of the author, who is
responsible for the facts and accuracy of the data presented herein.
Santos, P., et al., Workshop – AFREF I, 5th FIG Regional The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of
Conference, Accra, Ghana, March 8-11, 2006.) the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing and/
“The adoption of MozNet is a decisive step for the or the Louisiana State University Center for GeoInformatics (C4G).
modernization of the geo-referencing activities in This column was previously published in PE&RS.
Moçambique. Moçambique has now a network of permanent
GPS stations that permit the definition and realization of a
geocentric datum This network still needs to be densified. The
difference between MozNet/ITRF94 and MozNet/ITRF2008
is around 2 cm between the extreme north and south of the
country which is negligible for practical purposes. Since the

Delivered by Ingenta
IP: [Link] On: Wed, 13 Sep 2023 [Link]
Copyright: American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing

ASPRS MEMBERSHIP
your path to success in the geospatial community

Join today and start your benefits now If you want to keep INDIVIDUAL: $150
informed of industry STUDENT: $50
• Scholarships – The many asprs scholarships are trends, stay close to The above includes
your profession and, an e-subscription to
only available to student members
through networking PE&RS. For the print
• Certification – The ASPRS certification program edition, add $60 per
for mapping scientists, photogrammetrists with fellow members,
year
and technologists is the only fully accredited make a difference
certification program in the geospatial sciences in the geospatial
• Continuing Education – Earn professional community,
development hours and ceus by attending sign up now!
workshops at our conferences and on-line as
well as our monthly on-line geobytes series
• PE&RS, our monthly journal, is packed with

[Link]
informative and timely articles designed to keep
you abreast of current developments in your
field. Now available in e-format.

340 M a y 2 017 Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing

May 2017 [Link] 340 4/14/2017 [Link] AM