GPS Coordinate Converter

Decimal degrees vs. degrees-minutes-seconds

Decimal degrees (DD) express a coordinate as a single decimal number, like 40.6892 this is what most modern mapping apps, smartphones, and GPS devices use by default. Degrees, minutes, seconds (DMS) breaks the same value into degrees, minutes (1/60 of a degree), and seconds (1/60 of a minute), like 4041'21"N the traditional format used in navigation, surveying, and older paper charts. Both describe exactly the same location; they're just two ways of writing the same number.

How to read the hemisphere letters

N and S indicate whether a latitude is north or south of the equator; E and W indicate whether a longitude is east or west of the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, England. A negative decimal degree corresponds to S (for latitude) or W (for longitude) so -74.0445 and 74.0445W describe the same longitude, just in two different sign conventions.

Why different apps and devices use different formats

Decimal degrees are easier for software to store, sort, and do math with, which is why web maps, ride-share apps, and phone GPS chips default to them. DMS survives in aviation, marine navigation, land surveying, and some older government and military systems, partly because a "second" of latitude corresponds to a small, humanly-meaningful distance (about 30 meters), which made it practical for manual sextant and compass navigation long before GPS existed. If you're pulling coordinates from a legal property survey or an aviation chart, there's a good chance they're in DMS and need converting before you can drop them into a modern map app.

FAQ

Can I paste coordinates from Google Maps?
Yes Google Maps typically shows decimal degrees like "40.6892, -74.0445." Enter the latitude and longitude into the decimal degree fields to convert to DMS.

How precise is a decimal degree coordinate?
Each decimal place roughly divides the previous precision by 10: 1 decimal place is accurate to about 11 km, 4 decimal places to about 11 meters, and 6 decimal places to about 11 centimeters most consumer GPS coordinates use 4-6 decimal places.

Why does my coordinate show a negative number?
A negative sign means south (for latitude) or west (for longitude) instead of the letter suffix both notations represent the same hemisphere, just written differently. This tool converts between the two so you can use whichever format an app or form requires.

What's the difference between latitude and longitude?
Latitude measures north-south position from 0° at the equator to 90° at the poles; longitude measures east-west position from 0° at the Prime Meridian to 180° at the international date line. A coordinate always lists latitude first, then longitude.

Do GPS coordinates ever include altitude?
Latitude and longitude only describe a point on the Earth's surface, not elevation. Altitude is a separate value (usually in meters or feet above sea level) that some GPS devices report alongside, but it isn't part of the DD/DMS conversion this tool performs.

Why do surveyors still use degrees-minutes-seconds?
Legal land descriptions and older survey markers were recorded in DMS long before digital GPS existed, and changing recorded boundary documents would require re-surveying and re-filing legal records so DMS persists in property and land records even though most day-to-day mapping has moved to decimal degrees.