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## Geodetic Coordinates

As described, all kinds of geometries are specified in terms of a set of positions. However, for line strings and polygons, the actual geometrical shape is formed by lines connecting their positions. The GeoJSON specification defines a line between two points as the straight line that connects the points in the (flat) cartesian coordinate system, whose horizontal and vertical axes are the longitude and latitude, respectively. More precisely, the coordinates of every point on a line that does not cross the antimeridian between a point P1 = (lon1, lat1) and P2 = (lon2, lat2) can be calculated as:

     P = (lon, lat) = (lon1 + (lon2 - lon1) * t, lat1 + (lat2 - lat1) * t)

with `t` being a real number, greater than or equal to 0, and less than or equal to 1.

Unlike the GeoJSON specification, the Oracle NoSQL Database uses a geodetic coordinate system, as defined in the World Geodetic System, WGS84, (https://gisgeography.com/wgs84-world-geodetic-system). A geodetic line between two points is the shortest line that can be drawn between the two points on the ellipsoidal surface of the earth.

Description of the illustration geodedic1.png