GPS Coordinates Google Map Help

[TSCOM]

I'm confused on how map coordinates work, especially on Google Maps. I tried reading on it and it's confusing me even more so I need a laymen's explanation.

When I get the coordinates on Google Maps it says: 33.865554, -84.686643


When I try to search for 33.865554, -84.68664, I get this:


They appear to be in two different formats. The later being in degree, mins, seconds. What's this format 33.865554, -84.686643?

 

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[AugustMoose87]

The second format is just the decimal version. In other words, 0.865554 degrees is equal to 51'56.0" Both should take you to the exact same spot.

 

[TSCOM]

The second format is just the decimal version. In other words, 0.865554 degrees is equal to 51'56.0" Both should take you to the exact same spot.

I thought that may be the case but it doesn't go to the same place. It's nearby but fairly off.

 

[AugustMoose87]

Interesting. The one thing that I have noticed using Google is that they have a tendency to try and put you on a road... So a lot of times when you enter coordinates that aren't on a road, they return with the coordinates of the point on a road that is closest to the coordinates entered.

I entered both 33.865554, -84.68664 and 33°51'56.0"N 84°41'11.9"W and was taken to the same spot - at least with in a few feet.


And reading further, I realized I skipped part of your question. Coordinates are based off the geometry of the earth. Latitude (north and south) are the easiest to understand. Picture the earth from space - it is a circle. Draw an imaginary horizontal line around the center of the circle - the equator. Now draw a vertical line going through the north and south poles. these two lines create a 90* angle at the center of the earth. This is where degrees come from. So any coordinates that are 0* are a spot on the equator, 90* north is the north pole, and 90* south is the south pole. 45* would be halfway between the equator and a pole (etc etc etc). Some sites/people use a positive value to represent north (rather than a N), and a negative value to represent south (rather than a S). Then each degree gets divided in to 60 minutes, and each minute is divided in to 60 seconds. It can be confusing, but these are not based of of the time units - they are angular units. If that is all as clear as mud, keep reading for longitude.

Longitude is a bit stranger. This time, look as the earth from space, but directly above the north pole. Now draw an imaginary line from the north pole to the south. This line is 0*. So a line 90* to the left of your line would be 90* west, and a line opposite yours would be 180* east OR west. This is where things get tricky... since there is no obvious spot to draw this line (like the equator for latitude). Most modern systems use the Greenwich Prime Meridian - an arbitrary line running from the north to south pole that goes through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich England. As any good treasure map reader should know, there are and were other meridians used, but that is another discussion. Again, the degrees are divided in the 60 minutes, and those are divided in to 60 seconds.

So if any of that doesn't make sense, speak up. I know it isn't the best job, but hopefully I have made things better rather than worse....

 

[Number9]

Best thing to start with is to use the UTM Coordinate System.. and not Degrees, Minutes, Seconds.
UTM is a direct measure over land.

 

[Clay Slayer]

Best thing to start with is to use the UTM Coordinate System.. and not Degrees, Minutes, Seconds.
UTM is a direct measure over land.

This.

 

[TSCOM]

Interesting. The one thing that I have noticed using Google is that they have a tendency to try and put you on a road... So a lot of times when you enter coordinates that aren't on a road, they return with the coordinates of the point on a road that is closest to the coordinates entered.

I entered both 33.865554, -84.68664 and 33°51'56.0"N 84°41'11.9"W and was taken to the same spot - at least with in a few feet.


And reading further, I realized I skipped part of your question. Coordinates are based off the geometry of the earth. Latitude (north and south) are the easiest to understand. Picture the earth from space - it is a circle. Draw an imaginary horizontal line around the center of the circle - the equator. Now draw a vertical line going through the north and south poles. these two lines create a 90* angle at the center of the earth. This is where degrees come from. So any coordinates that are 0* are a spot on the equator, 90* north is the north pole, and 90* south is the south pole. 45* would be halfway between the equator and a pole (etc etc etc). Some sites/people use a positive value to represent north (rather than a N), and a negative value to represent south (rather than a S). Then each degree gets divided in to 60 minutes, and each minute is divided in to 60 seconds. It can be confusing, but these are not based of of the time units - they are angular units. If that is all as clear as mud, keep reading for longitude.

Longitude is a bit stranger. This time, look as the earth from space, but directly above the north pole. Now draw an imaginary line from the north pole to the south. This line is 0*. So a line 90* to the left of your line would be 90* west, and a line opposite yours would be 180* east OR west. This is where things get tricky... since there is no obvious spot to draw this line (like the equator for latitude). Most modern systems use the Greenwich Prime Meridian - an arbitrary line running from the north to south pole that goes through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich England. As any good treasure map reader should know, there are and were other meridians used, but that is another discussion. Again, the degrees are divided in the 60 minutes, and those are divided in to 60 seconds.

So if any of that doesn't make sense, speak up. I know it isn't the best job, but hopefully I have made things better rather than worse....

Thank you for taking the time to explain that. It makes as much sense as it can to me

 

[Frankn]

I think it would have been far better if the longitude were set up like the latitude lines , but perpendicular to them. Yea they still could have used Greenwich to start but you would have wound up with "square" areas which would have been far easier to deal width. Frank

 

[Number9]

I think it would have been far better if the longitude were set up like the latitude lines , but perpendicular to them. Yea they still could have used Greenwich to start but you would have wound up with "square" areas which would have been far easier to deal width. FrankView attachment 1072668

Like this...

 

[Frankn]

Like this...

View attachment 1072707

Hay, I never looked at the UTM system. I wonder why they broke rank at the top with the odd spacing. Looks like someone or some country got passified.
Frank

 

[Number9]

The north and south polar regions—those areas above 84 degrees north latitude and below 80 degrees south latitude, respectively—are not included in the UTM coordinate system due to extreme projection distortions in the UTM grid as compared to the meridians of longitude.

Instead, these two polar regions are covered by the Universal Polar Stereographic, or UPS, coordinate system.

We're not going there anyway.. are we!?