How to convert GPS coordinates
- Paste or type coordinates in any common format: decimal degrees, degrees-minutes-seconds or degrees and decimal minutes, with N/S/E/W letters or plus and minus signs.
- Read the same position in every format, plus a geohash. Click any value to copy it.
- Open the point in OpenStreetMap or Google Maps to check it is where you expect.
Coordinate formats explained
Decimal degrees (DD), like 40.446111, -79.982222, are used by most apps, websites and GPS APIs; south and west are negative. Degrees, minutes and seconds (DMS), like 40°26'46"N, split each degree into 60 minutes and each minute into 60 seconds; it is common on paper maps and in surveying. Degrees and decimal minutes (DDM), like N 40° 26.767', is the format used by many marine and aviation GPS units and geocaching. To convert DMS to decimal: degrees + minutes/60 + seconds/3600.
Precision matters: six decimal places of a degree is about 11 cm at the equator, five is about 1.1 m and four about 11 m. A geohash encodes the position as a short string whose length sets the precision; nearby places share prefixes, which is handy for databases. The conversion happens entirely in your browser; the map links are only opened if you click them.
How do I convert DMS to decimal degrees?
Decimal = degrees + minutes ÷ 60 + seconds ÷ 3600, negative for south or west.
Which comes first, latitude or longitude?
Latitude (north–south) usually comes first, then longitude (east–west).
How many decimal places do I need?
Five or six decimal places locate a point to within about a metre.