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GPS Coordinate Format Converter

Convert a GPS coordinate pair between the three common notations.

About GPS Coordinate Format Converter

Decimal degrees, decimal minutes and full DMS are three renderings of one angle. Aviation and marine navigation use decimal minutes, while mapping software uses decimal degrees. Six decimal places resolve to about eleven centimetres, so more precision than that is spurious for any consumer GPS receiver.

Formula

GPS Coordinate Format

All three notations describe the same angle, differing only in how the fraction is expressed

decimal minutes
Degrees with minutes as a decimal, the aviation and marine standard
precision
Six decimal places of latitude resolve to about eleven centimetres

Worked example

With the default values below, GPS Coordinate Format Converter returns Degrees, Minutes and Seconds of 48°51'31.84"N 2°17'39.66"E. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Latitude in decimal degreesaccepts -90–90 degrees
48.858844 degrees
Longitude in decimal degreesaccepts -180–180 degrees
2.294351 degrees

Results

Degrees, Minutes and Seconds
48°51'31.84"N 2°17'39.66"E
Degrees and Decimal Minutes
48°51.5306'N 2°17.6611'E
Decimal Degrees
48.858844, 2.294351
Precision of Six Decimal Places
0.111 m
Quadrant
Northern and Eastern hemisphere

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2GPS Coordinate Format
  3. 3Degrees, Minutes and Seconds= 48°51'31.84"N 2°17'39.66"E
  4. 4Degrees and Decimal Minutes= 48°51.5306'N 2°17.6611'E
  5. 5Decimal Degrees= 48.858844, 2.294351
  6. 6Precision of Six Decimal Places= 0.111 m
  7. 7Quadrant= Northern and Eastern hemisphere

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 2 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is GPS Coordinate Format calculated?

All three notations describe the same angle, differing only in how the fraction is expressed Decimal degrees, decimal minutes and full DMS are three renderings of one angle. Aviation and marine navigation use decimal minutes, while mapping software uses decimal degrees.

Why does GPS Coordinate Format matter?

Six decimal places resolve to about eleven centimetres, so more precision than that is spurious for any consumer GPS receiver.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 2 inputs: Latitude in decimal degrees, Longitude in decimal degrees. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.

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