What is the primary purpose of the UTM system?

• A. It provides elevation data
• B. It provides a global grid-based coordinate reference
• C. It defines magnetic declination
• D. It determines map scale

Answer: (B)

UTM provides a global grid-based coordinate reference that lets you locate points on the Earth's surface with uniform, metric coordinates. It splits the world into zones and uses easting and northing in meters within each zone, so distances and locations can be measured and transferred between maps consistently, which is especially helpful for navigation, surveying, and mapping.

Elevation data comes from separate datasets and is not part of the grid system. Magnetic declination is the difference between true north and magnetic north, a compass reference, not a grid. Map scale is about how large or small the map image is, not the purpose of the grid itself.