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Q21: What format do you use for your latitude and longitude coordinates?

The TIGER data base stores its latitude and longitude in decimal degrees
because it's easier for our internal operations.

Procedure for converting decimal degrees into Degrees, Minutes, Seconds:

Decimal degrees value: 37.427916
Step 1 Degrees = whole number part of decimal degrees
Degrees = 37
Step 2 Remove the whole number part of the decimal degrees number
37.427916 - 37 = .427916
Step 3 Multiply the remainder from step 2 by 60
.427916 * 60 = 25.67496
Step 4 Minutes = whole number part of results from step 3
Minutes = 25
Step 5 Remove the whole number part of the decimal number from step 3
25.67496 - 25 = .67496
Step 6 Multiply the remainder from step 5 by 60
.67496 * 60 = 40.4976
Step 7 Seconds = whole number part of results from step 6
Seconds = 40
Or if you want decimal seconds, then seconds = results from step 6
Seconds = 40.5
So decimal degrees 37.427916 = 37 Degrees, 25 Minutes, 40.5 Seconds.


Procedure for converting Degrees, Minutes, Seconds into decimal degrees:

Degrees, Minutes, Seconds value: 37 Degrees, 25 Minutes, 40.5 Seconds

Step 1. Decimal degrees = Degrees + (Minutes/60) + (Seconds/3600)
37 Degrees, 25 Minutes, 40.5 Seconds = 37. + (25/60) + (40.5/3600)
37. + .416666 + .01125
So 37 Degrees, 25 Minutes, 40.5 Seconds = 37.427916 in decimal
degrees.

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Next: Q22: How accurate are the TIGER/Line coordinates?
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