Initial situation

At its meeting on May 28, 2013, the government approved the concept and specifications for the introduction of the new coordinate reference frame LV95 in the official cadastral survey and commissioned the Office of Civil Engineering and Geoinformation with its implementation. The new LV95 reference frame is based on the 1995 national survey created using GPS measurements, which replaces the old surveying principles from 1903. In accordance with a government decree, all cadastral survey data was converted to LV95 by the end of February 2014. All geodata/GIS data of the national administration was converted to the new reference framework by the end of 2020.

The LV95 reference frame

Coordinate values are no longer designated as Y or X, but as E (easting) or N (northing). To avoid confusion with the old coordinates (previously 5 or 6 digits), the coordinate values in the LV95 frame are now 7 digits.
In addition, the changeover to LV95 corrects the errors in the old reference frame from 1903. The data must be converted to the new reference frame using a special mathematical procedure.

Documents and further information

LV95: the new reference frame of the national survey (3.2 MB)

Concept for the transfer of cadastral survey data to the new LV95 reference frame

The LV95 reference frame: Information from the Federal Office of Topography

Press release from 11.6.2013

Information letter to the municipalities

Information sheet for experts in the fields of construction, surveying and planning