Universal Transverse Mercator — a global coordinate system that divides the Earth into 60 numbered zones and uses metres as the unit of measurement.
UTM is a projected coordinate system, meaning it represents the curved Earth on a flat surface. Each UTM zone is 6 degrees of longitude wide. Within a zone, coordinates are expressed as Easting (distance east from the zone's central meridian) and Northing (distance north from the equator), both in metres.
UTM is widely used in Canada for large-scale mapping and analysis because metre-based coordinates make distance and area calculations straightforward. Most of Canada falls in UTM zones 7 through 22.
Example: A surveyor records the location of a property corner as UTM Zone 17N, Easting 630,000 m, Northing 4,850,000 m. These coordinates precisely locate the point within the zone and can be used to calculate distances to other UTM-referenced points in the same zone.