How Do You Convert Latitude And Longitude From Degrees, Minutes, And Seconds To Decimal Degrees?
Many older reports and databases record latitude and longitude in degrees, minutes, and seconds. These coordinates are now commonly required to be in decimal degree format in order to be used in GIS or other software or online programs. Converting is easy and only takes a few steps. Microsoft Excel or another spreadsheet program makes the process easy for a large number of coordinates. • Understand the symbols used to denote degrees, minutes, and seconds. Degrees are marked by a ° symbol. Minutes are marked by a ‘ symbol. Seconds are marked by a ” symbol. • Understand the relationship between degrees, minutes and seconds. One degree is equivalent to 60 minutes. One minute is equivalent to 60 seconds. Therefore, one degree is also equivalent to 3,600 seconds. • Do the math. To calculate each coordinate in decimal degrees, use the following calculation: Decimal Degrees = degrees + minutes/60 + seconds/3,600 • Make it easy in Microsoft Excel. Enter the degrees, minutes, and seconds of a
