Use the Reproject button in the Project Settings | Coordinates pane to set the project to a different coordinate system and reproject your existing borehole coordinates to the new system.
To access this pane, click on the small button to the left of the project folder name. This toggles between "+" (expanding) and "-" (hiding) the Project Settings tabs.

! This program will convert your actual borehole location coordinate values.
Example: You created your new project with map locations and output coordinates defined as State Plane feet, and you have imported the data in this format. But your client then advises you that their data, which you will be appending to your project database, are in UTM meters. In order to merge the new data with your current data, you can use this program to reproject your borehole data to UTM meters.
Notes:
- See Relabeling your Project Coordinates if you simply need to reassign the coordinate system and/or unit names without changing any of the data.
- This conversion process will not convert any grid models or solid models to represent the new coordinate system. You'll need to recreate them from the converted data.
- This conversion process will not convert any maps, sections, or 3D scenes to represent the new coordinate system. You'll either need to recreate them from the converted data, or use the RockPlot2D coordinate converter or RockPlot3D coordinate converter to reproject the existing graphics.
Menu Options
Step-by-Step Summary
Borehole Data:
- Horizontal Coordinates and Units: These settings define the coordinate system and units (feet or meters) in which your borehole or sample locations (X and Y) are defined. You can choose from the following. (More info)
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- Local (Custom): Click in this radio button if your XY (map) coordinates are undefined, or if they are X and Y coordinates in a local grid (e.g. not using global system).
- Units: You need to specify whether the Local coordinates represent Feet or Meters.
- Local Coordinate System Origin: You can geo-reference your local coordinate system by entering the longitude and latitude coordinates in decimal degrees that exist at the local coordinate "origin" of 0,0. If you don't know these global reference coordinates, you can leave the Local Origin set to a Longitude of 0.00000 and a Latitude of 0.00000.
- State Plane Coordinates: Click in this radio button if your map coordinates are based on the US State-Plane system, NAD-83.
- Units: You need to specify whether the State Plane coordinates represent Feet or Meters.
- State Plane Coordinate Zone: The State Plane systems are zone-specific, so you need to define the zone to which the coordinates apply. Click on the Zone button to see a reference map; choose the zone from the scrolling list to the right of the map.
- UTM Coordinates: Click in this radio button if your map coordinates are based on a Universal Transverse Mercator system.
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- Units: You need to specify whether the UTM coordinates represent Feet or Meters.
- Datum: Click on the large button to view the available projections. The two most common projections for the U.S. are:
- Clark 1866 (NAD-27): Used within most USGS maps. NAD-27 coordinates may be as much as 200 meters from WGS-84 (NAD-83) datum of the exact same coordinate.
- WGS-84 (NAD-83): Used by GPS (Global Positioning System) units and more recent USGS maps.
- Zone: Click on this button to display an interactive map where you can click on the UTM Zone for the data.
- Other: Click in this radio button if you want to choose from an expanded list of projections. (More info)
- Vertical Units: Here, you need to define the units that define elevations (such as at the top of your boreholes), depths (downhole measurements), and casing offsets. Choose either Feet or Meters.
- Open the project whose coordinates you wish to reproject.
- Expand the Project Settings pane if necessary.
- Click on the Coordinates tab, and click on the Reproject button.
- Make your coordinate selection, as described above.
- Click Finish.
- RockWorks will display a window where you can confirm this change; click Yes to continue or No to cancel the label change.
- If you click Yes, RockWorks will also give you the chance to create a backup copy of the current database before converting it; we highly recommend selecting Yes to make a backup. It will display the backup file name in a confirmation window.
- RockWorks will convert the location coordinates displayed in the Borehole Manager Location table, and will change the output coordinate system and units to your choice.
- The program will also offer you the option to scan your boreholes to re-establish your Output Dimensions - the actual coordinates - based on the converted data. You can either do so at this time, or you can scan the holes later, or you can hand-type in the new output coordinates.
! Just be sure to do so before creating new maps or models.
Back to Project Coordinates

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