Coordinate Format

Pick the location reference layer used to describe a point, and view a point in every coordinate format.

The app describes a point in two different ways, and both live behind this screen. The coordinate display shows one point in every common coordinate format at once, each with a one-tap copy — useful when the person you are talking to wants a different format from the one you have. The Location Reference picker chooses which of your organization's reference layers is used to label a point you tap on the map.

Overview

The coordinate display

One point, six ways to say it. Each row ends with a blue Copy action.

Format	What it is	Example shape
DD	Decimal Degrees	34.109800,-117.832071
DDM	Degrees Decimal Minutes	34° 6.588',-117° 49.924'
DMS	Degrees Minutes Seconds	34° 6' 35.28",-117° 49' 55.46"
UTM	Universal Transverse Mercator	Zone 11S, 431234, 3773123
MGRS	Military Grid Reference System	11S PA 31234 73123
what3words	A three-word address	filled count soap

The Location Reference picker

Element	What it does
Layer rows	Each reference layer available to you, listed by name. Tap one to use it.
Done	Close the picker.
"No data" message	Shown when your organization has no reference layers set up for this use.

note

Only layers an administrator has marked for use as a reference appear in the picker, and only those that actually have a name. That is why the list here is usually shorter than the Map Layers list.

Getting Here

The coordinate display opens from a point you already have:

• Tap Coordinates on a marker or sector in a saved map.
• Tap Convert Coordinates on a map menu, or the Convert Coordinates button on the map's bottom bar.
• Read the same set of formats live on the GPS screen or on a saved position in GPS History Detail.

The Location Reference picker:

1. Open the Map or Reference Map.
2. Open the map's menu and tap Location Reference.
3. On the Reference Map a pin appears with an address bar at the bottom — move the map to place the pin, then tap Select Location Reference. The picker opens.

Copy a Coordinate

1. Open the coordinate display for the point you are interested in.
2. Find the row for the format you need — DD, DDM, DMS, UTM, MGRS or the three-word address.
3. Tap the row. The value is copied to the clipboard and a brief Copied message appears.
4. Paste it wherever you need it — a message, a note, a form.

The word Copy itself is stripped out before copying, so you get a clean value with nothing extra on the end.

tip

what3words is the format to reach for on the radio. Three ordinary words are far harder to get wrong than a long string of digits, and they identify a three-metre square.

Choose a Location Reference Layer

1. Open Location Reference from the map menu.
2. On the Reference Map, move the map so the pin sits on the point you want to describe. The bar at the bottom shows the address found there as you move.
3. Tap Select Location Reference. The picker lists your organization's reference layers by name.
4. Tap the layer you want. The picker closes, a brief loading indicator appears, and the app looks up the feature at that point in that layer and shows its details.
5. Tap Done if you decide not to choose a layer after all.

caution

Reference lookups read a database that downloads in the background after you sign in. Until it has finished you will see Reference database is still downloading. Please wait and try again. If the layer has no feature at that point you will see Property not found — move the pin slightly, or try a different layer.

Where the Same Formats Turn Up

Screen	What it gives you
GPS — Current location tab	Your live position in all six formats, each with Copy and View on Map.
GPS — Convert tab	Type a coordinate in one format and fill in all the others.
GPS History Detail	A saved position in all formats, with copy, map and navigate actions.
Coordinate Search on a map	One box that recognises any of the six formats without you choosing.
Saved map marker or sector	The object's own point in every format.

How This Connects

• All six formats are worked out on the device from a single latitude and longitude, so the conversions work with no connection. The one exception is the what3words address, which is fetched from a service and therefore needs a signal — it is the row that will be missing when you are offline.
• The Coordinate Search box on Map and Reference Map accepts any of these formats and works out which one you typed, so a value copied from here can be pasted straight back in.
• Reference layers are published by your organization. Which ones can be used for reference, and which appear as map layers, is set by an administrator — see Map Style Options for the layer picker.
• The reference lookup itself runs against a database stored on the device, which is why it keeps working in a dead spot once the download has finished.
• Coordinates measured between two points, rather than for one point, are handled by Bearing & Distance.
• A copied coordinate is just text on the clipboard. To leave a point behind for your team, place a marker on a saved map or save it as a waypoint.

Troubleshooting

If this happens	What to do
The three-word address row is blank or missing	It is fetched from a service and needs a connection. The other five formats are still correct.
Tapping a row does not copy	Tap the row itself rather than just the word Copy, and watch for the brief Copied message.
The pasted value has Copy on the end	It should not — the word is removed before copying. If it happens, paste, then delete the extra text.
The reference layer list is empty	Your organization has no layers marked for use as a reference. Ask an administrator.
A lookup says the reference database is downloading	Stay on a connection until the download finishes, then try the lookup again.
A lookup says Property not found	There is no feature from that layer at the pin. Move the pin a little, or choose a different layer.
UTM or MGRS looks wrong	Check you are reading the whole value — the zone, the square, then easting and northing. A partial grid reference can look plausible and be kilometres out.
A coordinate you read out was misheard	Switch to the three-word address. It is designed to be said aloud.

Related Pages

• GPS
• GPS History Detail
• Bearing & Distance
• Map
• Reference Map
• Map Style Options

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