# How to create directional map rose in a Cartesian coordinate system? **URL:** \ **Category:** Q&A\ **Created:** [March 4, 2021, 10:32pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-create-directional-map-rose-in-a-cartesian-coordinate-system/1427 "2021-03-04T22:32:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hzfmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@hzfmer](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/hzfmer)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2021, 10:32pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-create-directional-map-rose-in-a-cartesian-coordinate-system/1427/1 "2021-03-04T22:32:43Z")
Hi, I have a plot in Cartesian coordinate system, and I would like to add a rotated directional rose to depict North direction, which doesn’t seem to work, see below? ```auto gmt begin test png gmt basemap -R0/10/0/10 -JX5c/5c -BWSne -Baf gmt basemap -TdjTL+w1.5c+l,,,N gmt end ``` I guess such symbol must be stored some where in GMT, and I was wondering if there is a way to manually add this symbol, rotated, onto the plot? ---
**Author:** ![pwessel](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/pwessel/32/30_2.png) [@pwessel](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/pwessel)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2021, 11:14pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-create-directional-map-rose-in-a-cartesian-coordinate-system/1427/2 "2021-03-04T23:14:22Z")
There is no north in Cartesian coordinates. Your x may be time and your y may be weight for all I and GMT knows. ---
**Author:** ![hzfmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@hzfmer](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/hzfmer)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2021, 11:31pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-create-directional-map-rose-in-a-cartesian-coordinate-system/1427/3 "2021-03-04T23:31:13Z")
Thank you @pwessel! I see that there is no “North” in Cartesian, but since this is a rotated domain, I would still like to show readers the “North” after the rotation. Is it possible that we can fetch the GMT rose and put it rotated on the plot? Otherwise, we have to create a rose symbol or drape an external figure as the directional rose? Thanks again! ---
**Author:** ![Esteban82](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/esteban82/32/54_2.png) [@Esteban82](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/Esteban82)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 1:07am UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-create-directional-map-rose-in-a-cartesian-coordinate-system/1427/4 "2021-03-05T01:07:11Z")
You could add a perspective view. For example with : `gmt basemap -TdjTL+w1.5c+l,,,N -p135/90` I get ![test](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/uploads/gmt/original/2X/0/06a843b9f6562e3374aa030c54e2c1598f89b65c.png) ---
**Author:** ![hzfmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@hzfmer](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/hzfmer)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 1:30am UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-create-directional-map-rose-in-a-cartesian-coordinate-system/1427/5 "2021-03-05T01:30:28Z")
> [@Esteban82](#): > > gmt basemap -TdjTL+w1.5c+l,N -p135/90 Thank you! Very impressive solution! Yet somehow I cannot see the rose if I simply use your script: ```auto gmt begin test png gmt basemap -R0/10/0/10 -JX5c/5c -BWSne -Baf gmt basemap -TdjTL+w1.5c+l,,,N -p135/90 gmt end ``` It just gives me the frame itself: ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/uploads/gmt/original/2X/3/34a1e80995dfa3e7e21bc4b35a903c918fff75ca.png) Am I missing anything else? Could you elaborate a bit your script? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Esteban82](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/esteban82/32/54_2.png) [@Esteban82](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/Esteban82)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 1:37am UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-create-directional-map-rose-in-a-cartesian-coordinate-system/1427/6 "2021-03-05T01:37:19Z")
Weird. I used that script. Now I used this and I get the rose within the frame: ``` gmt begin test png gmt basemap -R0/10/0/10 -JX5c/5c -BWSne -Baf gmt basemap -TdjMC+w1.5c+l,,,N -p135/90 gmt end ``` ![test](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/uploads/gmt/original/2X/0/0d2896895a364e3f777d9886f42b27c0ec237799.png) ---
**Author:** ![hzfmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@hzfmer](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/hzfmer)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 1:45am UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-create-directional-map-rose-in-a-cartesian-coordinate-system/1427/7 "2021-03-05T01:45:57Z")
> [@Esteban82](#): > > ```auto > gmt begin test png > gmt basemap -R0/10/0/10 -JX5c/5c -BWSne -Baf > gmt basemap -TdjMC+w1.5c+l,,,N -p135/90 > gmt end > > ``` I don’t understand it… I copied your script and still got a frame only. My GMT was 6.1.1, installed with Anaconda. Perhaps a version issue? ---
**Author:** ![Esteban82](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/esteban82/32/54_2.png) [@Esteban82](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/Esteban82)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 2:09am UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-create-directional-map-rose-in-a-cartesian-coordinate-system/1427/8 "2021-03-05T02:09:17Z")
I am using 6.2 dev version. ---
**Author:** ![seisman](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/seisman/32/4_2.png) [@seisman](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/seisman)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 4:34am UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-create-directional-map-rose-in-a-cartesian-coordinate-system/1427/9 "2021-03-05T04:34:39Z")
It is a new feature in GMT dev version. See [how to draw a rose in cartesian projection · Issue #714 · GenericMappingTools/pygmt (github.com)](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/issues/714) and [Allow north-arrow for Cartesian plots since we allow scale bars by PaulWessel · Pull Request #4535 · GenericMappingTools/gmt (github.com)](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/gmt/pull/4535) ---
**Author:** ![hzfmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@hzfmer](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/hzfmer)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 4:48am UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-create-directional-map-rose-in-a-cartesian-coordinate-system/1427/10 "2021-03-05T04:48:47Z")
Cool, thank you! Hope to see 6.2 release soon!