The Need for Recommendations in Support of Planetary Bodies Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements Standards

This paper considers how, since 1976, the International Astronomical Union Working Group on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements (WGCCRE) has made recommendations regarding coordinate systems and rotational element standards for planetary bodies that are needed for mapping and the planning, execution, and interpretation of observations.We recommend that the Planetary Science Decadal and Astrobiology Decadal Survey committee and panels (hereafter, the "Survey") should endorse the value of cartographic standards as provided by the WGCCRE, suggest the collection of community input to improve the working group's services, and describe how increased support would enable key improvements in order to achieve the benefits of enhanced return from planetary science data.