Location - Plot Points on a Cartesian Plane . The Cartesian Plane is a co-ordinate system for locating and labelling unique points on a plane (flat/2D) surface. Co-ordinates indicate the distance from the origin, which is the starting point of each axis, in each direction. . Invention of this system for locating a point in 2D space is attributed to Rene Descartes (also known as Cartesius), a French philosopher, scientist and mathematician who lived in the 17thCentury AD. There is a legend that D