{
  "id": 2748031,
  "title": "Same Zone, Same Projection, 427 Metres Apart",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/same-zone-same-projection-427-metres-apart",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-23T07:36:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/srdjan_poppovic/same-zone-same-projection-427-metres-apart-1k9a"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A system that ingests LiDAR surveys in different coordinate systems inadvertently contained a bug. The system displayed a dropdown with two Gauss-Krüger zone 7 projections, one using the MGI 1901 datum and the other using the Hermannskogel datum. The modern EPSG code for this zone is 3909, but it was not presented to users. The bug occurred because the dropdown labeled the wrong code, making it seem like both codes described the same zone when they did not. This mistake went unnoticed for a long time, as the resulting positional error of about 427 meters only became visible when users zoomed in on detailed data.",
  "summary": "I was writing a blog post about the architecture of a system I built when I found a bug in it. This is that bug, and the much more interesting thing standing behind it. The system ingests mobile mapping surveys — LiDAR trajectories with spherical photos along them, driven along roads. The files arrive in whatever coordinate system the surveyor was working in, which in this part of the world is…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}