science

Geographic coordinate conversion

Geographic coordinate conversion is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Geographic coordinate conversion rather than just read about it. In short: In geodesy, conversion among different geographic coordinate systems is made necessary by the different geographic coordinate systems in use across the world and over time. Coordinate conversion is composed of a number of different types of conversion: format change of geographic coordinates, conversion of coordinate systems, or transformation to different geodetic datums.

Key takeaways

Geographic coordinate conversion belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Geographic coordinate conversion to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Geographic coordinate conversion from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In geodesy, conversion among different geographic coordinate systems is made necessary by the different geographic coordinate systems in use across the world and over time. Coordinate conversion is composed of a number of different types of conversion: format change of geographic coordinates, conversion of coordinate systems, or transformation to different geodetic datums. Geographic coordinate conversion has applications in cartography, surveying, navigation and geographic information systems. In geodesy, geographic coordinate conversion is defined as translation among different coordinate formats or map projections all referenced to the same geodetic datum. A geographic coordinate transformation is a translation among different geodetic datums. Both geographic coordinate conversion and transformation will be considered in this article. This article assumes readers are already familiar with the content in the articles geographic coordinate system and geodetic datum.

Change of units and format Informally, specifying a geographic location usually means giving the location's latitude and longitude. The numerical values for latitude and longitude can occur in a number of different units or formats:

sexagesimal degree: degrees, minutes, and seconds : 40° 26′ 46″ N 79° 58′ 56″ W degrees and decimal minutes: 40° 26.767′ N 79° 58.933′ W or 40° 26'.767 N 79° 58'.933 W or 40° 26'767 N 79° 58'933 W decimal degrees: +40.446 -79.982 ('+' sign is commonly omitted) Some conventions include the consistent use of three digits for degrees of longitude below 100°; two digits for degrees of latitude below 10°; and two digits for minuites and seconds below 10' or 10''. This is carried out to limit the risk of confusion when digits are read in sequence; irrespective of value. For example, 05° 09' 01'' S 008° 03' 02'' E. Spaces in these formats are occasionally omitted and variations of the above formattings are common. For example, 10°59'26''123N000°00'04''902W. There are 60 minutes in a degree and 60 seconds in a minute. Therefore, to convert from a degrees minutes seconds format to a decimal degrees format, one may use the formula

d e c i m a l d e g r e e s = d e g r e e s + m i n u t e s 60 + s e c o n d s 3600 . {\displaystyle {\rm {{decimal\ degrees}={\rm {{degrees}+{\frac {\rm {minutes}}{60}}+{\frac {\rm {seconds}}{3600}}.}}}}}

To convert back from decimal degree format to degrees minutes seconds format,

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Geographic coordinate conversion

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Geographic coordinate conversion claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Geographic coordinate conversion before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Geographic coordinate conversion ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Geographic coordinate conversion

In research: Geographic coordinate conversion appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Geographic coordinate conversion in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Geographic coordinate conversion is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Geodesy, Geographic coordinate systems, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Geographic coordinate conversion outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Geographic coordinate conversion in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Geographic coordinate conversion means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Geographic coordinate conversion out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Geographic coordinate conversion in simple terms?

Why does Geographic coordinate conversion matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Geographic coordinate conversion?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Geographic coordinate conversion.