OT: Utility to convert GPS coordinate formats

[Ken Springer]

I'm looking for a simple standalone utility that will convert from one
style of coordinate format to another... Such as from degrees minutes
seconds to decimal degrees.

I'm looking for something that runs under OS X and Windows, but it
doesn't have to be the same program for each OS.

I found a program called GPSBabel, but that's far more than I'm looking for.

[Patty Winter]

Post by Ken Springer
I'm looking for a simple standalone utility that will convert from one
style of coordinate format to another... Such as from degrees minutes
seconds to decimal degrees.
I'm looking for something that runs under OS X and Windows, but it
doesn't have to be the same program for each OS.

But it does need to be a program that runs offline? Online converters
won't meet your needs?


Patty

[Ken Springer]

Post by Patty Winter

Post by Ken Springer
I'm looking for a simple standalone utility that will convert from one
style of coordinate format to another... Such as from degrees minutes
seconds to decimal degrees.
I'm looking for something that runs under OS X and Windows, but it
doesn't have to be the same program for each OS.

But it does need to be a program that runs offline? Online converters
won't meet your needs?
Patty

I'm definitely not an online for everything person. No social media, no
Facebook, Twitter, etc. Generally "cloudless". LOL

If I'm not doing it online, no ads, no trackers, no snoopers, etc. :-)

[Ken Springer]

Post by Ken Springer
I'm looking for a simple standalone utility that will convert from one
style of coordinate format to another... Such as from degrees minutes
seconds to decimal degrees.
I'm looking for something that runs under OS X and Windows, but it
doesn't have to be the same program for each OS.
I found a program called GPSBabel, but that's far more than I'm looking for.

I didn't think of it when I wrote this post, but there's a possibility I
may need something that will run under Android (Google Nexus 7) in areas
where there is no internet. :-)

[Robert Boucher]

Post by Ken Springer
I'm looking for a simple standalone utility that will convert from one
style of coordinate format to another... Such as from degrees minutes
seconds to decimal degrees.
I'm looking for something that runs under OS X and Windows, but it
doesn't have to be the same program for each OS.
I found a program called GPSBabel, but that's far more than I'm looking for.

Look at a TI 30X calculator. The two buttons at the lower right corner.
No computer, no internet service needed.

[Ken Springer]

Post by Robert Boucher

Post by Ken Springer
I'm looking for a simple standalone utility that will convert from one
style of coordinate format to another... Such as from degrees minutes
seconds to decimal degrees.
I'm looking for something that runs under OS X and Windows, but it
doesn't have to be the same program for each OS.
I found a program called GPSBabel, but that's far more than I'm looking for.

Look at a TI 30X calculator. The two buttons at the lower right corner.
No computer, no internet service needed.

Any particular model, Robert? Looks like there's about a half dozen
variations of that model number.

Never thought about a calculator doing this. Would there be something
in this arena that would make it easy to transfer the results of one or
more calculations to a computer? I'm trying to "sleuth" and "deduce"
the correct locations of old gold mines, and then input the data into
GPS software for plotting on a topographical map.

[Patty Winter]

In article <lp2j46$p4q$***@speranza.aioe.org>,
Ken Springer <***@greeleynet.com> wrote:

[unneeded quotage deleted]

Post by Ken Springer
Never thought about a calculator doing this. Would there be something
in this arena that would make it easy to transfer the results of one or
more calculations to a computer? I'm trying to "sleuth" and "deduce"
the correct locations of old gold mines, and then input the data into
GPS software for plotting on a topographical map.

You're posting on a Garmin forum, but from your desire for an offline
converter, I take it that you do not actually own a GPS receiver? Or
do you simply find it too tedious to do the conversion there? Can
Garmin BaseCamp do conversions?


Patty

[Ken Springer]

Hi, Patty,

Interspersed reply below...

Post by Patty Winter
[unneeded quotage deleted]

Post by Ken Springer
Never thought about a calculator doing this. Would there be something
in this arena that would make it easy to transfer the results of one or
more calculations to a computer? I'm trying to "sleuth" and "deduce"
the correct locations of old gold mines, and then input the data into
GPS software for plotting on a topographical map.

You're posting on a Garmin forum, but from your desire for an offline
converter, I take it that you do not actually own a GPS receiver?

I have a GPS 60CSx receiver, and considering buying an external antenna
for greater accuracy. But that's down the pike a ways, I've too much
background work to do before I get into that.

Post by Patty Winter
Or
do you simply find it too tedious to do the conversion there?

Correct on the tedium, plus there are some things I can't do on the
60CSx because I can't load just any map into it. I'll need to convert
the locations for 500+ mines, and create routes for the old roads and
railroads. All so I can get that info on a current topo map and print
it, and to put those locations and routes into the 60 CSx.

Post by Patty Winter
Can
Garmin BaseCamp do conversions?

I don't know, to be honest. I don't use BaseCamp unless I have too.
Cluttered with too much "garbage" I don't need, like restaurants,
campgrounds, etc. While BaseCamp does have some mines in the program,
it doesn't have all the mines that exist. One, I'd been looking for for
over two years I finally identified with something other than oral
history. Oral history is *not* to be trusted, as from a 1905 map and
document I found the correct name.

FWIW, from what I've learned so far about the mines, I don't trust the
info in BaseCamp, a page on the USGS site, and possibly the BLM database
for accuracy/correctness.

One advantage I have is Google Maps and their satellite view, and other
similar programs online. With GM, I can find the mine and then get the
coords. in decimal degrees. But I have to convert to dec. min. sec. as
that's the format in the records. I still have to find out which datums
are used in both places.

[Mike Coon]

Post by Ken Springer
I'm looking for a simple standalone utility that will convert from one
style of coordinate format to another... Such as from degrees minutes
seconds to decimal degrees.
I'm looking for something that runs under OS X and Windows, but it
doesn't have to be the same program for each OS.
I found a program called GPSBabel, but that's far more than I'm looking for.

If you have a speadsheet program on each platform then a very simple
speadsheet would provide such simple conversions.

(I take it that you are not interested in datum conversions too!)

Mike.

[Ken Springer]

Post by Mike Coon

Post by Ken Springer
I'm looking for a simple standalone utility that will convert from one
style of coordinate format to another... Such as from degrees minutes
seconds to decimal degrees.
I'm looking for something that runs under OS X and Windows, but it
doesn't have to be the same program for each OS.
I found a program called GPSBabel, but that's far more than I'm looking for.

Hi, Mike,

Post by Mike Coon
If you have a speadsheet program on each platform then a very simple
speadsheet would provide such simple conversions.

I've thought of that, but I don't know where to go to find all the
possible conversion formulas. I found the formula for deg. min. sec. to
decimal degrees, but the page is too vague as to how to do the reverse.
I think I could "reverse engineer" the formula, but I've forgotten so
much advanced math over the years, since I never had a reason to use it.

Post by Mike Coon
(I take it that you are not interested in datum conversions too!)

I am, I just hadn't thought that far down the line. LOL I know, in
feet, how far I have to move one datum (that no one has ever heard of,
most likely) to line up with NAD 27, but then I've got at least one
other that I've no idea what to do with it. The first datum is called
the Hayden Datum, and it was used locally in 1874, I think. And the
other simply says the datum is Sea Level.

And as I collect more and more antique/ancient maps, I think I'll need
to find out about different projections, too.

OH, yea, and simple reference points on mining plat maps that seem to
have no numerical or any other information on them.

If you've got some suggestions as to where to easily find all this in
one place, I'd appreciate the help.

[Greg Troxel]

Post by Ken Springer
I am, I just hadn't thought that far down the line. LOL I know, in
feet, how far I have to move one datum (that no one has ever heard of,
most likely) to line up with NAD 27, but then I've got at least one
other that I've no idea what to do with it. The first datum is called
the Hayden Datum, and it was used locally in 1874, I think. And the
other simply says the datum is Sea Level.

Look at proj.4:

http://trac.osgeo.org/proj/


To convert decimal degrees to DMS, just take the fraction and multiply
by 60. Then you have minutes in the integer part and fractional minutes
in the fraction part. Multiply the fractional part again to get
seconds.
Be careful about sign; with west (negative) longitude this can get
tricky. But you can do the conversion with the wrong sign, and DMS
is usually written W rather than negative.


"Sea Level" refers to a vertical datum. That's an entirely different
set of tricky issues.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGVD29

For more than you ever wanted to know about height, start at

http://geodesy.noaa.gov/datums/vertical/VerticalDatums.shtml

and follow all the links :-)

[Ken Springer]

Post by Greg Troxel

Post by Ken Springer
I am, I just hadn't thought that far down the line. LOL I know, in
feet, how far I have to move one datum (that no one has ever heard of,
most likely) to line up with NAD 27, but then I've got at least one
other that I've no idea what to do with it. The first datum is called
the Hayden Datum, and it was used locally in 1874, I think. And the
other simply says the datum is Sea Level.

http://trac.osgeo.org/proj/

This may be way over my head! LOL I'll look deeper into it.

Post by Greg Troxel
To convert decimal degrees to DMS, just take the fraction and multiply
by 60. Then you have minutes in the integer part and fractional minutes
in the fraction part. Multiply the fractional part again to get
seconds.
Be careful about sign; with west (negative) longitude this can get
tricky. But you can do the conversion with the wrong sign, and DMS
is usually written W rather than negative.

Thanks for this information.

Post by Greg Troxel
"Sea Level" refers to a vertical datum. That's an entirely different
set of tricky issues.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGVD29
For more than you ever wanted to know about height, start at
http://geodesy.noaa.gov/datums/vertical/VerticalDatums.shtml
and follow all the links :-)

Even though it says Sea Level, I still have to find out how to get that
map, and I've forgotten which one it is, adjusted horizontally to match
something. LOL

OT: I've got to create some kind of database to gather all this
information in, as well as some kind of program that will do some kind
of timeline somewhat similar to project management software. But not a
true GANNT chart, as that would eat up a whole role of newsprint! LOL

[Bill Bradshaw]

Post by Ken Springer
I'm looking for a simple standalone utility that will convert from one
style of coordinate format to another... Such as from degrees minutes
seconds to decimal degrees.
I'm looking for something that runs under OS X and Windows, but it
doesn't have to be the same program for each OS.
I found a program called GPSBabel, but that's far more than I'm looking for.
--
Ken
Mac OS X 10.8.5
Firefox 25.0
Thunderbird 24.6.0
"My brain is like lightning, a quick flash
and it's gone!"

Here is the one I use under Windows:

http://freegeographytools.com/2008/degree-minute-second-to-decimal-degree-converter

[Ken Springer]

Post by Bill Bradshaw

Post by Ken Springer
I'm looking for a simple standalone utility that will convert from one
style of coordinate format to another... Such as from degrees minutes
seconds to decimal degrees.
I'm looking for something that runs under OS X and Windows, but it
doesn't have to be the same program for each OS.
I found a program called GPSBabel, but that's far more than I'm looking for.
--
Ken
Mac OS X 10.8.5
Firefox 25.0
Thunderbird 24.6.0
"My brain is like lightning, a quick flash
and it's gone!"

http://freegeographytools.com/2008/degree-minute-second-to-decimal-degree-converter

Thanks, Bill! This looks exactly like what I had in mind. And I found
a lot of potential helpful links.

But, since Mike Coon mentioned spreadsheets and datum conversions, I'm
hoping he can give me some easy to use formulas and I can create a
spreadsheet for batch stuff that I now realize will probably make more
sense sometimes/

[Mike Coon]

Post by Ken Springer
But, since Mike Coon mentioned spreadsheets and datum conversions, I'm
hoping he can give me some easy to use formulas and I can create a
spreadsheet for batch stuff that I now realize will probably make more
sense sometimes/

Oh, er, I don't remember offering any spoon-feeding!

I think other contributors have indicated what needs to be done at a
detail level, in particular watching out for E vs W (or N vs S if you
venture across the equator!). I was just taking a supervisory,
high-level view and waving my hands around...

Mike.

[Ken Springer]

Post by Mike Coon

Post by Ken Springer
But, since Mike Coon mentioned spreadsheets and datum conversions, I'm
hoping he can give me some easy to use formulas and I can create a
spreadsheet for batch stuff that I now realize will probably make more
sense sometimes/

Oh, er, I don't remember offering any spoon-feeding!

LOL I wasn't referring to the formulas themselves, just suggestions
where they might be. My web searches have been mostly fruitless.

Post by Mike Coon
I think other contributors have indicated what needs to be done at a
detail level, in particular watching out for E vs W (or N vs S if you
venture across the equator!). I was just taking a supervisory,
high-level view and waving my hands around...

Hey, that's what the politicians do, isn't it? <G>

[Mike Coon]

Post by Ken Springer

Post by Mike Coon

Post by Ken Springer
But, since Mike Coon mentioned spreadsheets and datum conversions, I'm
hoping he can give me some easy to use formulas and I can create a
spreadsheet for batch stuff that I now realize will probably make more
sense sometimes/

Oh, er, I don't remember offering any spoon-feeding!

LOL I wasn't referring to the formulas themselves, just suggestions
where they might be. My web searches have been mostly fruitless.

Post by Mike Coon
I think other contributors have indicated what needs to be done at a
detail level, in particular watching out for E vs W (or N vs S if you
venture across the equator!). I was just taking a supervisory,
high-level view and waving my hands around...

Hey, that's what the politicians do, isn't it? <G>

I've just remembered that I have this diddy spreadsheet on my
Windows-Mobile device which has multiple conversions including dd;mm;ss
and dd;mm.mmmm. Not sure if I can attach a file (successfully!) but will
give it a go. In each row, where the legend column shows measures, those
measures are in adjacent columns in that order, either side of a column
(with no formula) in which you enter a value. So if the entry column
corresponds to the left measure of the legend you read the right measure
from the column to its right, and v.v. In the case of the "deg/m.n"
legend the "m.n" measure just derives from the fractional part of the
degrees value, of course. In the case of "deg/m/s" there must be two
entry columns, but I'm not entirely sure how that works; a puzzle for
the reader!

Mike.