Modelers Often Prefer Orthonormal Coordinate Systems
Dynamics equations can be “simplified”so that they are cheaper, computationally
- Velocity and acceleration components generally do not contain trigonometric functions
In Orthonormal GP systems, straight lines are linear functions
- Shortest distance paths are straight lines
- The Euclidean metric requires only a square root operation
In other coordinate systems, minimum distance paths may be non-trivial to compute
Segments of ellipses lead to elliptic integrals
- Shortest path on the surface of an ellipsoid is a geodesic (not an arc segment of an ellipse)
The Earth and its natural environment are modeled with an ERM and a SNE
- In this model, shortest distance (or time) paths are not unique, and
almost always are not geodesics or straight lines.