Cadastral surveying data are based on the national survey coordinates system. Thousands of points defined and precisely surveyed in the field – the location and height of which are known and specified in the form of coordinates – provide the reference framework for all surveying activities in Switzerland.

Since 1903, the calculation of coordinates has been based on oblique cylinder projection. Here the globe is projected onto a cylinder. When the cylinder is «unrolled», a rectangular coordinates system is obtained for Switzerland representing the lines of latitude and longitude encompassing the globe.

National survey 1995 (NS 1995) is the name of a highly precise, satellite-based survey of Switzerland that was developed by the Federal Office of Topography (swisstopo). It secures the connection to the European reference system and facilitates the exchange of data beyond the country’s borders.

The NS 1995 coordinate axes are designated as follows: