Coordinate Systems and Transforms in Space Physics: Terms, Definitions, Implementations, and Recommendations for Reproducibility

Abstract In space physics, acronyms for coordinate systems (e.g., GEI , GSM ) are commonly used; however, differences in their definitions and implementations can prevent reproducibility. In this work, we compare definitions in online resources, software packages, and frequently cited journal articles and show that implementation differences can lead to transformations between same‐named coordinate systems and position values from different data providers to differ significantly. Based on these comparisons and results, and to enable reproducibility, we recommend that (a) a standard for acronyms and definitions for coordinate systems is developed, similar to equivalents in astronomy or earth sciences; (b) a standards body develops a citable database of reference data needed for these transforms. For software that computes coordinate transforms, we also recommend that their developers provide explicit comparisons of their implementations with the results of (b) and documentation on implementation choices. Additionally, we provide recommendations for scientists and metadata developers to ensure that sufficient information is provided to enable reproducibility. Finally, we document that spacecraft positions from data providers can differ both because of differences in how they implemented transforms and because of differences in the original source of the position data, and provide recommendations to improve the documentation of spacecraft positional data sets.