Degrees, Minutes, Seconds to Decimal Degrees calculator

Overwrite the default numbers in the top three boxes below with the latitude or longitude of your location.

If you have a GPS receiver the display may be Longitude 117 degrees and 29.842 minutes. In this case put the numbers in the first two boxes below and put a figure 0 (i.e. zero) in the seconds box. If you have a GPS receiver display like 117 degrees and 29 minutes and 50.5 seconds then put the numbers in all three boxes below as shown with the default numbers.

On many GPS receivers it is possible to switch the latitude-longitude display settings format. Investigate your GPS options and if you can get the display into decimal degrees like 117.4974 degrees, then you do not need to use this calculator.

Test by clicking to calculate the result with the default numbers. The answer should be 117.4974 decimal degrees. i.e. just under 117 and a half degrees. Two alternative answers are provided, the first to 4 decimal places (accuracy 10m distance on the equator), the second to 5 decimal places (accuracy 1m distance on the equator).

The calculation is simply: Decimal degrees = whole number of degrees, plus minutes divided by 60, plus seconds divided by 3600

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Satellite dish aiming and pointing angle calculator - azimuth, elevation and polarization angles
Line of site link azimuth angle bearing and great circle distance calculator
Home page: Satellite Internet and Satellite broadband internet access coverage maps

Original : 16 March 2005, amended 5 April 2005,

Amended 5 October 2006: If you input a negative number for the whole degrees it assumes you are West Longitude and considers the minutes and seconds parts (input without minus signs) as taking you further to the west. The output decimal number is displayed negative, indicating degrees west. Higher accuracy 5 decimal places output added. Accuracy assumes the earth circumference around the equator is 40075.16km. So 1 deg = 1000 x 40075.16 / 360 = 111319.88889 m So 0.0001 deg = 11m and 0.00001 deg = 1m. Longitude accuracy improves nearer the poles as the longitude lines are closer together. Latitude error is more or less the same everywhere, but if you are pernickety you might want to work out the error based in a polar earths circumference of 40008 km.