Converting degrees/min/secs coordinates to different format?

vftt.org

Help Support vftt.org:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Peakbagr said:
I have a list that I'm working on and the coordinate are
expressed this way: 43°32'53" x 74°35'00".
I'd like an easy way to convert them to this format: N43.63313 W74.57810
Click to expand...
One more thing to think about: most current mapping programs use the WGS84/NAD83 datum exclusively but if your list is from the '80s or before it might be in NAD 1927?? datum and the tick marks on older USGS maps are also

The late lamented topozone would do the conversion for you
 
If you have access to a friend with a GIS program (or have one yourself) such as Arc8 or 9, or even ArcView, you can dump all your coordinates in as a table, convert it to a coverage of points (essentially a map of points), and then use the projection utilities in the program to change them all to decimal degrees, UTM, or whatever you want, complete with a new table listing the new coordinates. Just be sure your old table has a unique identification number for each point, so you can use it to link the points in the new table to the peak names. Access is a good program for linking tables; you can dump both tables into Access and do a join; you can also keep a plethora of other information about the peaks in Access rather than clogging up the GIS program with it, and whenever you want all the other info, do an Access join, then import the new table into GIS. I find that simpler than joining tables in GIS.

Someone already mentioned the Excel technique so I won't expound on that.

Here is also another one-at-a-time website that I've found useful, but it seems to have changed recently as it no longer has UTM conversions available.
http://www.jeepreviews.com/wireless-gps-coordinates/
 
Now if someone could please explain to me how to convert DD/DMS to UTM, that would be amazing!
 
Mostly I use a low-tech approach to do conversions. Since I want the waypoint to end up in Mapsource, the software Garmin provides with its Topo software, I start that program and use the Waypoint tool to create a waypoint. It doesn't matter where, as I'm going to change the location anyway. I then go to Edit, Preferences, Position, and if necessary, change the Datum field to whatever representation the waypoint I want to import is in. I then go back to the waypoint and modify its properties to the one I'm importing, and give it an appropriate name. Then, I go back to Edit/Preferences, and change the Datum back to WGS 84, and the waypoing properties will automatically be converted. The waypoint will be located on the map in the correct spot. Save the file for posterity.

It only takes a few moments, and works for me. I have used GPSBabel, and it's great for converting large numbers of waypoints. Mostly I have only 1 or 2, so would rather take the low-tech approach for these situations.
 
DougPaul said:
Not a simple conversion.

Kevin's suggestion is good:
If you have only a few to convert, use your GPS or Mapsource. Otherwise, try GPSBabel.

Doug
Click to expand...

Yeah, I tried writing a javascript function on my website to do it but I failed miserably once I got to the part where I had to calculate the meridional arc...

Luckily, I found an open source library that does it!
 
the_swede said:
Yeah, I tried writing a javascript function on my website to do it but I failed miserably once I got to the part where I had to calculate the meridional arc...

Luckily, I found an open source library that does it!
Click to expand...
GPSBabel is opensource--you could also get the algorithms/code from there.

Doug
 
More precisely, GPSBabel is under GPL. You can copy and modify it for your own use, but if you include it in a program you distribute to others, then that program also has to be under GPL. (This is called "copyleft" or "share alike".)
My guess is that if you translated it into client-side Javascript and used that on a website (unless it was password-protected and only you had the password), that would count as distribution.
 
nartreb said:
More precisely, GPSBabel is under GPL. You can copy and modify it for your own use, but if you include it in a program you distribute to others, then that program also has to be under GPL. (This is called "copyleft" or "share alike".)
My guess is that if you translated it into client-side Javascript and used that on a website (unless it was password-protected and only you had the password), that would count as distribution.
Click to expand...
Yes the GPSBabel code is under GPL. However, I suspect the algorithms are not and could be recoded in another language.

Usual caveat: I am not a lawyer and this does not constitute legal advice.


Since I work in a Unix environment, the obvious thing to do would be to wrap GPSBabel in a shell file or perl script to customize it to do what I want with no legal issues.

Doug
 
Last edited:
I love to show how our government works for us. I missed some of the discussion today. I think it's funny, more ironic, that folks want to re-invent the wheel. I'm sure some uber-geek would love to program a nice tidy program to convert dd/mm/ss, to UTM, and NAD83 NH State Plane or whatever. Wait! Stop! The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has already done it. Oh, did I mention? It's free! Take a look at Corpscon V 6.0

If you like maps and need to navigate you need to convert coordinate sometimes. I use this at work. One can save lists and import/ export the files or do one point at a time.

Have fun, for free!

Jim
 
Last edited:
Converting

Try a website like Maptech or Terraserver where one form can be converted to another.

I do that geocaching thing and do not use a GPS (don't even ask why) so I am always converting lat/long from one conversion to another and then mapping it.

You can use a simple calculator. The numbers to the left of the decimal point are not going to change, or the numbers before the degree symbol. It is the fractions to the right of the decimal point that you are converting. Remember that in a degree there are 60 minutes and that in a minute there are 60 seconds.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Top