View Full Version : UTM Coordinates or Decimal Degrees?



drbugman
04-07-2005, 04:12 PM
Which coordinate systems do y'all use?
A. UTM
B. Decimal degrees and DECIMAL MINUTES (not decimal degrees as it appears in the poll). Doh!
C. Something else

brdad
04-07-2005, 04:22 PM
Which coordinate systems do y'all use?
A. UTM
B. Decimal degrees
C. Something else


C. I think you'll find most cachers, including myself use the same format as geocaching.com, which is Degrees and Decimal minutes (hddd° mm.mmm'), and the WGS84 datum. However, I have used decimal degrees a few times as it's easier to average a bunch of coordinates in that format.

WhereRWe?
04-07-2005, 04:41 PM
. However, I have used decimal degrees a few times as it's easier to average a bunch of coordinates in that format.

What? Can you explain that in English, please. :o

drbugman
04-07-2005, 04:45 PM
The reason I asked this is that I use UTM Coordinates (meters makes more sense to me than decimal degrees) and all of the locations that people post parking areas are in the standard, conventional decimal degree format. I was just curious if more people use UTM or the standard system.

drbugman
04-07-2005, 04:52 PM
C. I think you'll find most cachers, including myself use the same format as geocaching.com, which is Degrees and Decimal minutes (hddd° mm.mmm'), and the WGS84 datum. However, I have used decimal degrees a few times as it's easier to average a bunch of coordinates in that format.
Option B should be Decimal Degrees and decimal minutes. That's what I should have said. Any way to change it?

brdad
04-07-2005, 05:00 PM
What? Can you explain that in English, please. :o

Hmm...

If you try to average 3 coordinates in standard gc.com format (hddd° mm.mmm') ... Say, N37° 34.894 W 68° 27.875 and N45° 23.985 W 72° 12.664 it's easier to convert them to decimal dregrees (hddd.ddddd°) - N37.58158° W68.464583° and N45.39975° W72.21107 to average them.

Is that English or Potugese? I had more trouble understanding what I wrote than I did in my first post!

Many people do seem to prefer the UTM coordinates, I think many people can relate to meters better than they can degrees of an arc.

brdad
04-07-2005, 05:00 PM
Option B should be Decimal Degrees and decimal minutes. That's what I should have said. Any way to change it?

Ah, yes, you can edit your original post. look for the button right by that post.

WhereRWe?
04-07-2005, 05:11 PM
Hmm...

If you try to average 3 coordinates in standard gc.com format (hddd° mm.mmm') ... Say, N37° 34.894 W 68° 27.875 and N45° 23.985 W 72° 12.664 it's easier to convert them to decimal dregrees (hddd.ddddd°) - N37.58158° W68.464583° and N45.39975° W72.21107 to average them.


Why are you averaging coordinates - to get more accuracy on a cache?

brdad
04-07-2005, 06:31 PM
Why are you averaging coordinates - to get more accuracy on a cache?

I do average my cache readings, but since the degrees stay consistent averaging for a single cache, there is little need (I hope darn little need!) to convert to decimal degrees.

But, some caches (Don't tell anyone but I'm toying with this idea for one stage of my next cache) require a person to average coordinates from different towns, possibly different states.

Team2hunt
04-07-2005, 06:58 PM
We have too many DNF's, maybe we should try averaging or maybe even Portugese? :D hehehe

tat
04-07-2005, 07:34 PM
UTM, DD MM.MMM or DD MM SS doesn't mater to me. Just be sure to specify the datum!