North East Down
Encyclopedia
North east down, also known as local tangent plane (LTP), is a geographical coordinate system for representing state vectors
that is commonly used in aviation
. It consists of three numbers: one represents the position along the northern axis, one along the eastern axis, and one represents vertical position. Down is chosen as opposed to up in order to comply with the right-hand rule
. The origin of this coordinate system is usually chosen to be the aircraft's center of gravity.
State vector (geographical)
A geographical state vector is a set of data describing exactly where an object is located in space, and how it is moving. From a state vector, the object's current and future position can be determined....
that is commonly used in aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
. It consists of three numbers: one represents the position along the northern axis, one along the eastern axis, and one represents vertical position. Down is chosen as opposed to up in order to comply with the right-hand rule
Right-hand rule
In mathematics and physics, the right-hand rule is a common mnemonic for understanding notation conventions for vectors in 3 dimensions. It was invented for use in electromagnetism by British physicist John Ambrose Fleming in the late 19th century....
. The origin of this coordinate system is usually chosen to be the aircraft's center of gravity.